The Vibe Coding Trap: How AI Is Turning Engineers Into PMs

Software engineers’ worst nightmare has come true: vibe coding will make them become PMs.

Think about it. You got into engineering because you love solving problems with code. The syntax. The algorithms. The satisfaction of a clean refactor. That moment when tests pass and you know you’ve built something solid.

Now watch what happens when you embrace vibe coding.

You open your editor. You describe what you want in plain English. The AI generates the code. You review it, maybe tweak a prompt, iterate a bit. The code gets written—but not by you. Not really.

Your job becomes something else entirely.

You spend your days writing requirements documents (except now we call them “prompts”). You negotiate scope with stakeholders about what the AI should build. You review outputs and provide feedback. You coordinate between different AI tools and make sure they’re all aligned. You track progress and unblock issues.

Congratulations.

You’ve become a product manager who knows how to code.

The irony is painful. Engineers spent years mocking PMs for “not getting their hands dirty.” Now we’re voluntarily giving up the dirtiest, most satisfying part of our work—the actual building—and replacing it with oversight and coordination.

Sure, you might be 10x more productive. You might ship features faster than ever. But ask yourself: when was the last time you felt that deep flow state? The one that comes from wrestling with a hard problem.

Vibe coding doesn’t eliminate engineering work. It eliminates engineering.

The code still gets written. The products still ship. But the people doing the work? They’re becoming something they never wanted to be—managers of machines instead of makers of things.

Sleep well, engineers. Your nightmare is just getting started.