The Vergecast: “The future of code is exciting and terrifying” — March 17, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode of The Vergecast, hosted by David Pierce (with a brief contribution from Dom Preston), tackles the enormous and ongoing transformation in the world of coding and software development brought on by AI-powered tools. The show’s centerpiece is an in-depth conversation with technologist, writer, and Aboard CEO Paul Ford. Together, they explore Ford's recent New York Times piece about “vibe coding,” discuss the complicated emotional and societal reactions to AI’s impact on programming and jobs, and reflect on the changing nature of the web. The latter part of the show features a discussion on international smartphone hardware, what the US market is missing, and where true innovation in phones is happening now.

1. Key Discussion Points & Insights

A. The Rise of “Vibe Coding” and LLM-Based Software Development

• Context of Ford’s NYT Piece

  • David notes Ford’s New York Times op-ed about "vibe coding," a term for AI-assisted coding that lowers the bar to creating software. He describes Ford’s “complicated feelings” about this technology, both excitement over new possibilities and anxiety about fundamental industry changes.

• AI Tools Are Transforming Coding

  • Ford compares the impact of LLM tools like Claude Code to the invention of the compiler, highlighting how they unlock programming for vastly more people. (20:24)
  • The real transformation, he says, isn’t a radical leap in model capabilities but the emergence of tight integration—software products that wrap LLMs with tooling and prompt management.
    • “I feel it's like the first true LLM-based product... This is how this works and we're going to make this thing better... just made something on top of it. And that did change the world a little bit. We should pay attention.” (08:46–11:34)

• Dramatic Increase in Empowerment

  • Ford details how, after years of abandoning unfinished projects, AI tooling enabled him to finally revive his extremely complex personal blog and archives. Instead of costing "$25,000" and being a multi-person effort, he completed it with AI. (11:59–14:36)

B. The Emotional and Cultural Complexity

• Sense of Loss and Guilt

  • Ford expresses conflicted feelings: relief at solving old technical headaches, but also guilt and dread for others in the tech industry whose jobs are existentially threatened.
    • “I really think this is an amazing tool for data migration... that was a lot of work that people used to do, and they used to do that when they were getting into the industry... I can't guarantee that path.” (15:36–19:51)
    • “There's somebody out there with a special needs kid who is counting on their tech job that somebody like me told them 15 years ago was the safest possible bet…” (19:23)

• Comparison to Prior Computing Revolutions

  • Ford and Pierce discuss how this wave of change is different from prior revolutions—not just faster, but fundamentally altering who can build, what it means to be a programmer, and the structure of jobs in tech. (20:13–22:27)
  • Ford references Linus Torvalds’ view that compilers were the last similarly massive leap.

• Uncertainty About the Future

  • The hosts debate whether AI will merely bring more people into programming, or replace jobs entirely—and acknowledge conflicting evidence and feelings of hypocrisy.
    • “I don't know which of those wins or if we can ever pull those two things apart from each other.” — Pierce (44:15)

C. The Role of Product and Domain-Specific AI

• Specialization is Key

  • Ford illustrates with a new Polyend guitar pedal letting musicians “vibe code” their own effects using natural language—and how the real future could be domain-specific, not universal, programming through LLMs.
    • “That is more believable... the effects pedal runtime makes sense to me as a product in a way that, like, everyone can code might not.” (25:03–28:07)

• AI as Enabler, Not the Product

  • He argues for tools that let people do “real world” things faster and more enjoyably—letting technology “fade into the background.”

D. The Changing Social Web and Personal Websites

• Ford’s Personal Renaissance

  • Ford restarts his blog, Ftrain.com, using his AI-assembled CMS, finding joy in the freedom and low cost of self-publishing on the modern web.
    • “It felt real good to not really have to be defensive all the time... the sense of like, I would really like a space of my own.” (33:00–37:18)

• A Very Different Web Landscape

  • He notes the modern web’s toxicity, bot traffic, and the difficulty of being “discovered,” but relishes the return to owning his own corner of the internet. (37:18–38:29)

E. Future Projects and the Promise of Computing

• Small-Scale, Deeply Personal Software

  • Ford is working on a DAW (“AnySynth”), a massive timeline project, data visualization tools, and a “To Do Liszt” app for piano practice.
    • “It's fun to work in public. Like, I mean, you can just kind of. I'm on a server just doing this and, like, nobody cares.” (39:02–41:17)

• Long-Term Vision and Cultural Challenge

  • Ford laments that, though we’re closer than ever to the vision of computers as personal, malleable assistants (the dream of Xerox PARC), the current tech culture is too toxic or skeptical to fully embrace it. (41:17–42:08)

F. Vital Societal Questions

• What Should We Do?
  • Ford and Pierce probe the ethics of individual versus collective benefit, the urgency (or lack thereof) for stricter regulation, and the inevitability of these changes.
    • “If it's gonna be out of the box, what the hell are we gonna do? Because it's also really cool. And so this is an ugly wrestling match.” — Ford (44:23)

2. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Cultural Reckoning of AI-Driven Coding:

  “All those little structural roles... there's somebody out there with a special needs kid who is counting on their tech job that somebody like me told them 15 years ago was the safest possible bet.” — Paul Ford (19:23)

• On the Power and Limits of LLMs:

  “I feel it's like the first true LLM-based product... they just made something on top of it. And that did change the world a little bit. We should pay attention.” — Paul Ford (11:00)

• On the Emotional Experience of Blogging Again:

  “It just felt real good. It felt real good to not really have to be defensive all the time ... I’d really like a space of my own.” — Paul Ford (36:13)

• On the Uncertainty of Where This Is Headed:

  “It is out of the box. I think that that is a thing you and I agree on... there is no going back from here.” — David Pierce (45:04–45:12)

3. Timestamps for Important Segments

• 04:04–45:48: Main interview — “The future of code is exciting and terrifying” (David Pierce & Paul Ford)

  • 04:25: Ford on NYT piece and reaction
  • 07:57: Big LLM changes moment
  • 11:34: Personal impact of AI on coding projects
  • 15:36: Emotional/ethical reckoning and job disruption
  • 20:13: Compilers, prior revolutions, and the scale of the current moment
  • 25:03: Polyend pedal example of domain-specific "vibe coding"
  • 32:32: Ford on blogging and the new web
  • 41:17: Small projects, the dream of computers as personal tools
  • 44:03: Wrestle with societal impact and the impossibility of “going back”

• 48:46–69:12: Q&A – "Am I missing out on better phones by living in the US?" (David Pierce & Dom Preston)

  • 51:13: Trends in global smartphones: concept innovations, bigger sensors, “ultra” models
  • 53:13: Ultra-level cameras, 1-inch sensors, telephoto innovation, practical limitations in the US
  • 63:13: Design and market reasons US phones lack these camera features
  • 67:41: Apple/Android interoperability hacks on Chinese phones

4. Smartphones: International Innovation vs. US Mainstream

(48:46–69:12)

• Caller Question: Are US consumers missing out on truly better phones due to international innovations unavailable stateside?
• Key Insights:
  • Most major innovations abroad are in camera hardware, especially 1-inch sensors, advanced telephoto, and camera-first “ultra” models.
  • Many phone features abroad are niche/gimmicky (240W charging, add-on lenses), but camera improvements are real and meaningful.
  • US phones lack these due to market priorities, aesthetics, and lack of competition. Apple and Samsung innovate at a more conservative pace in the US market.
  • Some Chinese phones offer wild Apple compatibility hacks, even allowing AirPods and MacOS integration.
• Notable Quotes:
  • “Samsung’s Ultras feel like everyone else’s regular flagships... there is no one in the US selling a phone with an image sensor that big.” — Dom Preston (52:15, 53:13)
  • “If you want to buy a weird phone, I believe it is your right as a human to buy a weird phone. And it sucks that that’s not available to everybody.” — David Pierce (64:35)

5. Conclusion / Takeaways

• For Software/AI:

  • AI-driven tools have lowered the barrier to building software, unlocking new creativity but also existential anxiety for coders.
  • The future will include more domain-specific, productized applications of LLMs (“vibe coding”), but the societal consequences remain unresolved.
  • There is value in owning your own platform and archive—even as bots and algorithms dominate the modern web.

• For Gadgets/Phones:

  • Many genuine hardware innovations (especially in cameras) are currently absent from US-market phones, more due to market structure and design concerns than technological limits.
  • The mainstream US customer isn’t missing the essentials, but anyone eager for the most experimental hardware is out of luck.

• Overall:

  • The march of technology is irreversible (“out of the box”), and individuals, companies, and governments all have roles to play in reckoning with what comes next.

6. Memorable Closing

“If it's gonna be out of the box, what the hell are we gonna do? Because it's also really cool. And so this is an ugly wrestling match.” — Paul Ford (44:23)