CB Insights doesn't list "couldn't build the product" in the top 20 startup failure reasons - and that was before AI made building trivially easy. Your point about direction is the one people skip. I ran 30 nights of autonomous AI builds and got 30 technically functional apps with zero business pull.
The tool works. The brief was missing. A product is nothing without a business, and a business is nothing without someone who knows what they're trying to accomplish. That clarity has to come from the human.
This!!!! So true - the breadth of activities and considerations that are needed to successfully bring something to life. I’ve recently just launched a new product in my existing business and am getting to learn what was ‘missing’ in real time. Thanks for the share!
As a developer, I work with and create AI components every day....
But...
While AI HAS lowered the barrier to building... It hasn’t lowered the barrier to building something people will consistently pay for.
In every serious vertical I’ve worked in, the hardest problems aren’t technical — they’re market alignment, compliance, trust, sales cycles, and operational execution.
Great read. One thing I'd challenge: startups aren't really businesses yet, they're still searching for a product-market fit. Until that product exists, the startup itself becomes the thing being validated. I'd argue the real culprit behind most failures isn't just one reason, but two core missteps: weak validation processes and insufficient pre-monetization rigor. I've explored this angle further here: https://buymeacoffee.com/seve/startup-4315351
While you cannot vibe code a business, when integrated correctly it can help you build one. For instance, vibe coding a product prototype to test market readiness, identify customer pain points, or validate product enhancements, while lowering costs. As a tool, it is here to help us.
CB Insights doesn't list "couldn't build the product" in the top 20 startup failure reasons - and that was before AI made building trivially easy. Your point about direction is the one people skip. I ran 30 nights of autonomous AI builds and got 30 technically functional apps with zero business pull.
The tool works. The brief was missing. A product is nothing without a business, and a business is nothing without someone who knows what they're trying to accomplish. That clarity has to come from the human.
Nobody is selling it and AI can't generate it. https://thoughts.jock.pl/p/directed-ai-experiments-vibe-business
Couldn't have said it better myself, Pawel. Thanks for sharing the article, interesting read! Crazy experiment you ran there!
Thanks! It’s all I do - do :D
This so such a gem, the deeper I dive into building my startup the more obvious this becomes!
This!!!! So true - the breadth of activities and considerations that are needed to successfully bring something to life. I’ve recently just launched a new product in my existing business and am getting to learn what was ‘missing’ in real time. Thanks for the share!
Good luck on the launch!!
Thanks! All launched in 2025, now this year is about managing all the other things that you've written about :)
I love this!
As a developer, I work with and create AI components every day....
But...
While AI HAS lowered the barrier to building... It hasn’t lowered the barrier to building something people will consistently pay for.
In every serious vertical I’ve worked in, the hardest problems aren’t technical — they’re market alignment, compliance, trust, sales cycles, and operational execution.
A product is leverage.
A business is orchestration.
Thanks again for sharing your insights!
Spot on as always. Love these truth bombs!
Thanks, PG!
This!!
Great read. One thing I'd challenge: startups aren't really businesses yet, they're still searching for a product-market fit. Until that product exists, the startup itself becomes the thing being validated. I'd argue the real culprit behind most failures isn't just one reason, but two core missteps: weak validation processes and insufficient pre-monetization rigor. I've explored this angle further here: https://buymeacoffee.com/seve/startup-4315351
While you cannot vibe code a business, when integrated correctly it can help you build one. For instance, vibe coding a product prototype to test market readiness, identify customer pain points, or validate product enhancements, while lowering costs. As a tool, it is here to help us.