The tech world is both in awe of and fearful of vibe coding.
On one hand, tech giants are all in on these AI-assisted coding tools. They’re touting efficiency gains, listing it as a need-to-have in job descriptions, buying their employees subscriptions, and even investing in vibe-coding startups themselves.
They’re also seeing their shares take a hit as investors dump legacy software stocks over concerns that AI and vibe coding will allow companies to build their own software rather than buy.
Both narratives are driving the valuations of vibe-coding startups such as Lovable, Cursor, and Replit, now well into the billions.
“Our mission has always been that every human with an idea and an internet connection should be able to build any app they want,” Amjad Masad, the CEO of Replit, said in a release on Wednesday, announcing his company’s $9 billion valuation.
The industry has also seen its fair share of deals. In July, AI startup Cognition snatched up Windsurf after OpenAI’s $3 billion deal to acquire the vibe coding tool maker fell through. Just one month before, web design platform Wix bought Base44, a six-month-old startup bootstrapped by a solo founder, for $80 million.
These entrants are competing with far bigger and better-funded players, including OpenAI, Anthropic, and Microsoft, that make their own AI-powered coding tools.
Business Insider compiled a list of the startups riding the vibes, detailing their latest valuations, fundraises, and what they’re best known for.
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