Software talent was the "scarcest, most coveted resource" in Silicon Valley until recently, said Semafor. But now, a new generation of AI tools has made it possible for anyone to create apps and websites simply by describing what they want in a phenomenon known as vibe coding.

These AI tools are able to translate instructions written in plain English into computer code that can then be used to create software, fuelling a new Silicon Valley boom. For software engineers, however, it's an alarming encroachment into their industry. 

'Forget the code even exists'
The term "vibe coding" was coined by computer scientist and OpenAI co-founder Andrej Karpathy in a post on X in February in which he described using AI-generated code for "throwaway weekend projects." "I just see stuff, say stuff, run stuff and copy-paste stuff, and it mostly works," he said. Working with AI in this way, you "fully give into the vibes, embrace exponentials, forget that the code even exists." 

Startups that develop software with generative AI are now "commanding sky-high valuations," said Reuters. Silicon Valley is seeing a "land grab situation" as the competing new companies seek to "establish their AI coding tool as the industry standard." They are also rushing to prevent the big players, such as Google, Microsoft and OpenAI, from taking over the vibe-coding frontier. 

For many tech companies, it's a "boon," said NPR. They can now "try lots of things quickly, rather than having to hand ideas off to software engineers to create prototypes, one by one." So Silicon Valley's "next generation of unicorns" will not be restricted to those with the means to hire the "most talented coders," said Semafor. 

'Bugs and security weaknesses' 
Vibe coding may seem like magic on the surface, but experts warn it produces "messy code" that's "full of bugs and security weaknesses," said the Financial Times. And amateurs "do not have enough knowledge to spot all of these problems, let alone fix them." 

It's a little like DIY. Many of us will "experiment with projects at home and enjoy the process," and some of us may "even become really good" at it, said the FT. But for the "complicated jobs, many of us will discover a newfound respect for the professionals."

Want to know if the economy is faltering? Inspect your local frozen food aisle. With a slew of economists and businesspeople like Elon Musk predicting there will be a recession before the end of the year, many have looked to frozen pizza sales as a way to predict when economic malaise might arrive.

Sales of frozen pizza, and frozen food in general, have historically spiked just before times of economic downturn. Now, with frozen pizza sales on the rise since the pandemic, there are questions once again about what it means for the economy.

How many frozen pizzas are being sold?
Over the last few years, frozen pizzas have been flying off the shelves. Sales "jumped by $1 billion in 2020, climbing from $5.6 billion in 2019 to nearly $6.6 billion," said Food & Wine. This continued even after the pandemic lockdowns ended, and by 2024, U.S. sales "reached nearly $7 billion, contributing to a global market worth $18.5 billion."

This has led to frozen pizza becoming a large part of Americans' diets, say analysts. There are "over 20% of Americans purchasing frozen pizza monthly," according to the investment bank Greenwich Capital Group. 

This spike won't disappear anytime soon. Greenwich estimates that frozen pizza sales in the U.S. will crest $7.4 billion in 2025 and could hit nearly $10 billion by 2030.

Is it the canary in the frozen food aisle?
These sales are often seen as an indicator that the economy isn't doing well because, "in addition to being convenient," frozen pizza is a "more cost-effective option for a family meal," said Greenwich. This makes it an appealing option for people who are trying to eat on a budget.

When people are "feeling pinched — economically, existentially — they turn to the grocery store frozen section," said Business Insider, and this phenomenon has been seen before. In 2009, during the "midst of the Great Recession, frozen food sales grew by 3.1%." As "economic anxiety is stirring up once again, people are leaning toward eating at home and stocking up" from the frozen food aisle.