web01.fireside.fm Mon, 06 Apr 2026 03:07:42 -0500 Fireside (https://fireside.fm) Vanishing Gradients - Episodes Tagged with “Vibe Coding” https://vanishinggradients.fireside.fm/tags/vibe%20coding Mon, 07 Apr 2025 10:00:00 +1000 A podcast about all things data, brought to you by data scientist Hugo Bowne-Anderson. It's time for more critical conversations about the challenges in our industry in order to build better compasses for the solution space! To this end, this podcast will consist of long-format conversations between Hugo and other people who work broadly in the data science, machine learning, and AI spaces. We'll dive deep into all the moving parts of the data world, so if you're new to the space, you'll have an opportunity to learn from the experts. And if you've been around for a while, you'll find out what's happening in many other parts of the data world. en-us episodic a data podcast with hugo bowne-anderson Hugo Bowne-Anderson A podcast about all things data, brought to you by data scientist Hugo Bowne-Anderson. It's time for more critical conversations about the challenges in our industry in order to build better compasses for the solution space! To this end, this podcast will consist of long-format conversations between Hugo and other people who work broadly in the data science, machine learning, and AI spaces. We'll dive deep into all the moving parts of the data world, so if you're new to the space, you'll have an opportunity to learn from the experts. And if you've been around for a while, you'll find out what's happening in many other parts of the data world. no data science, machine learning, AI Hugo Bowne-Anderson hugobowne@hey.com Episode 47: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch of Code Slop with Joe Reis https://vanishinggradients.fireside.fm/47 decc9c1a-f18a-41e9-947a-e58fa0957f1e Mon, 07 Apr 2025 10:00:00 +1000 Hugo Bowne-Anderson full 1 Hugo Bowne-Anderson What if the cost of writing code dropped to zero — but the cost of understanding it skyrocketed? In this episode, Hugo sits down with Joe Reis to unpack how AI tooling is reshaping the software development lifecycle — from experimentation and prototyping to deployment, maintainability, and everything in between. 1:19:12 yes What if the cost of writing code dropped to zero — but the cost of understanding it skyrocketed? In this episode, Hugo sits down with Joe Reis to unpack how AI tooling is reshaping the software development lifecycle — from experimentation and prototyping to deployment, maintainability, and everything in between. Joe is the co-author of Fundamentals of Data Engineering and a longtime voice on the systems side of modern software. He’s also one of the sharpest critics of “vibe coding” — the emerging pattern of writing software by feel, with heavy reliance on LLMs and little regard for structure or quality. We dive into: • Why “vibe coding” is more than a meme — and what it says about how we build today • How AI tools expand the surface area of software creation — for better and worse • What happens to technical debt, testing, and security when generation outpaces understanding • The changing definition of “production” in a world of ephemeral, internal, or just-good-enough tools • How AI is flattening the learning curve — and threatening the talent pipeline • Joe’s view on what real craftsmanship means in an age of disposable code This conversation isn’t about doom, and it’s not about hype. It’s about mapping the real, messy terrain of what it means to build software today — and how to do it with care. LINKS * Joe's Practical Data Modeling Newsletter on Substack (https://practicaldatamodeling.substack.com/) * Joe's Practical Data Modeling Server on Discord (https://discord.gg/HhSZVvWDBb) * Vanishing Gradients YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_NafIo-Ku2loOLrzm45ABA) * Upcoming Events on Luma (https://lu.ma/calendar/cal-8ImWFDQ3IEIxNWk) 🎓 Want to go deeper? Check out my course: Building LLM Applications for Data Scientists and Software Engineers. Learn how to design, test, and deploy production-grade LLM systems — with observability, feedback loops, and structure built in. This isn’t about vibes or fragile agents. It’s about making LLMs reliable, testable, and actually useful. Includes over $800 in compute credits and guest lectures from experts at DeepMind, Moderna, and more. Cohort starts July 8 — Use this link for a 10% discount (https://maven.com/hugo-stefan/building-llm-apps-ds-and-swe-from-first-principles?promoCode=LLM10) AI, LLMs, data science, machine learning, data science, GenAI, vibe coding What if the cost of writing code dropped to zero — but the cost of understanding it skyrocketed?

In this episode, Hugo sits down with Joe Reis to unpack how AI tooling is reshaping the software development lifecycle — from experimentation and prototyping to deployment, maintainability, and everything in between.

Joe is the co-author of Fundamentals of Data Engineering and a longtime voice on the systems side of modern software. He’s also one of the sharpest critics of “vibe coding” — the emerging pattern of writing software by feel, with heavy reliance on LLMs and little regard for structure or quality.

We dive into:
• Why “vibe coding” is more than a meme — and what it says about how we build today
• How AI tools expand the surface area of software creation — for better and worse
• What happens to technical debt, testing, and security when generation outpaces understanding
• The changing definition of “production” in a world of ephemeral, internal, or just-good-enough tools
• How AI is flattening the learning curve — and threatening the talent pipeline
• Joe’s view on what real craftsmanship means in an age of disposable code

This conversation isn’t about doom, and it’s not about hype. It’s about mapping the real, messy terrain of what it means to build software today — and how to do it with care.

LINKS

🎓 Want to go deeper?
Check out my course: Building LLM Applications for Data Scientists and Software Engineers.
Learn how to design, test, and deploy production-grade LLM systems — with observability, feedback loops, and structure built in.
This isn’t about vibes or fragile agents. It’s about making LLMs reliable, testable, and actually useful.

Includes over $800 in compute credits and guest lectures from experts at DeepMind, Moderna, and more.
Cohort starts July 8 — Use this link for a 10% discount

]]> What if the cost of writing code dropped to zero — but the cost of understanding it skyrocketed?

In this episode, Hugo sits down with Joe Reis to unpack how AI tooling is reshaping the software development lifecycle — from experimentation and prototyping to deployment, maintainability, and everything in between.

Joe is the co-author of Fundamentals of Data Engineering and a longtime voice on the systems side of modern software. He’s also one of the sharpest critics of “vibe coding” — the emerging pattern of writing software by feel, with heavy reliance on LLMs and little regard for structure or quality.

We dive into:
• Why “vibe coding” is more than a meme — and what it says about how we build today
• How AI tools expand the surface area of software creation — for better and worse
• What happens to technical debt, testing, and security when generation outpaces understanding
• The changing definition of “production” in a world of ephemeral, internal, or just-good-enough tools
• How AI is flattening the learning curve — and threatening the talent pipeline
• Joe’s view on what real craftsmanship means in an age of disposable code

This conversation isn’t about doom, and it’s not about hype. It’s about mapping the real, messy terrain of what it means to build software today — and how to do it with care.

LINKS

🎓 Want to go deeper?
Check out my course: Building LLM Applications for Data Scientists and Software Engineers.
Learn how to design, test, and deploy production-grade LLM systems — with observability, feedback loops, and structure built in.
This isn’t about vibes or fragile agents. It’s about making LLMs reliable, testable, and actually useful.

Includes over $800 in compute credits and guest lectures from experts at DeepMind, Moderna, and more.
Cohort starts July 8 — Use this link for a 10% discount

]]> Episode 46: Software Composition Is the New Vibe Coding https://vanishinggradients.fireside.fm/46 dcb8396f-ece2-4636-951c-8ad44d698d15 Thu, 03 Apr 2025 13:00:00 +1100 Hugo Bowne-Anderson full 1 Hugo Bowne-Anderson What if building software felt more like composing than coding? In this episode, Hugo and Greg explore how LLMs are reshaping the way we think about software development—from deterministic programming to a more flexible, prompt-driven, and collaborative style of building. It’s not just hype or grift—it’s a real shift in how we express intent, reason about systems, and collaborate across roles. Hugo speaks with Greg Ceccarelli—co-founder of SpecStory, former CPO at Pluralsight, and Director of Data Science at GitHub—about the rise of software composition and how it changes the way individuals and teams create with LLMs. 1:08:57 no What if building software felt more like composing than coding? In this episode, Hugo and Greg explore how LLMs are reshaping the way we think about software development—from deterministic programming to a more flexible, prompt-driven, and collaborative style of building. It’s not just hype or grift—it’s a real shift in how we express intent, reason about systems, and collaborate across roles. Hugo speaks with Greg Ceccarelli—co-founder of SpecStory, former CPO at Pluralsight, and Director of Data Science at GitHub—about the rise of software composition and how it changes the way individuals and teams create with LLMs. We dive into: - Why software composition is emerging as a serious alternative to traditional coding - The real difference between vibe coding and production-minded prototyping - How LLMs are expanding who gets to build software—and how - What changes when you focus on intent, not just code - What Greg is building with SpecStory to support collaborative, traceable AI-native workflows - The challenges (and joys) of debugging and exploring with agentic tools like Cursor and Claude We’ve removed the visual demos from the audio—but you can catch our live-coded Chrome extension and JFK document explorer on YouTube. Links below. JFK Docs Vibe Coding Demo (YouTube) (https://youtu.be/JpXCkuV58QE) Chrome Extension Vibe Coding Demo (YouTube) (https://youtu.be/ESVKp37jDwc) Meditations on Tech (Greg’s Substack) (https://www.meditationsontech.com/) Simon Willison on Vibe Coding (https://simonwillison.net/2025/Mar/19/vibe-coding/) Johnno Whitaker: On Vibe Coding (https://johnowhitaker.dev/essays/vibe_coding.html) Tim O’Reilly – The End of Programming (https://www.oreilly.com/radar/the-end-of-programming-as-we-know-it/) Vanishing Gradients YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_NafIo-Ku2loOLrzm45ABA) Upcoming Events on Luma (https://lu.ma/calendar/cal-8ImWFDQ3IEIxNWk) Greg Ceccarelli on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregceccarelli/) Greg’s Hacker News Post on GOOD (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43557698) SpecStory: GOOD – Git Companion for AI Workflows (https://github.com/specstoryai/getspecstory/blob/main/GOOD.md) 🎓 Want to go deeper? Check out my course: Building LLM Applications for Data Scientists and Software Engineers. Learn how to design, test, and deploy production-grade LLM systems — with observability, feedback loops, and structure built in. This isn’t about vibes or fragile agents. It’s about making LLMs reliable, testable, and actually useful. Includes over $2,500 in compute credits and guest lectures from experts at DeepMind, Moderna, and more. Cohort starts April 7 — Use this link for a 10% discount (https://maven.com/hugo-stefan/building-llm-apps-ds-and-swe-from-first-principles?promoCode=LLM10) 🔍 Want to help shape the future of SpecStory? Greg and the team are looking for design partners for their new SpecStory Teams product—built for collaborative, AI-native software development. If you're working with LLMs in a team setting and want to influence the next wave of developer tools, you can apply here: 👉 specstory.com/teams (https://specstory.com/teams) AI, LLMs, data science, machine learning, data science, GenAI, vibe coding What if building software felt more like composing than coding?

In this episode, Hugo and Greg explore how LLMs are reshaping the way we think about software development—from deterministic programming to a more flexible, prompt-driven, and collaborative style of building. It’s not just hype or grift—it’s a real shift in how we express intent, reason about systems, and collaborate across roles.

Hugo speaks with Greg Ceccarelli—co-founder of SpecStory, former CPO at Pluralsight, and Director of Data Science at GitHub—about the rise of software composition and how it changes the way individuals and teams create with LLMs.

We dive into:

  • Why software composition is emerging as a serious alternative to traditional coding
  • The real difference between vibe coding and production-minded prototyping
  • How LLMs are expanding who gets to build software—and how
  • What changes when you focus on intent, not just code
  • What Greg is building with SpecStory to support collaborative, traceable AI-native workflows
  • The challenges (and joys) of debugging and exploring with agentic tools like Cursor and Claude

We’ve removed the visual demos from the audio—but you can catch our live-coded Chrome extension and JFK document explorer on YouTube. Links below.

🎓 Want to go deeper?
Check out my course: Building LLM Applications for Data Scientists and Software Engineers.
Learn how to design, test, and deploy production-grade LLM systems — with observability, feedback loops, and structure built in.
This isn’t about vibes or fragile agents. It’s about making LLMs reliable, testable, and actually useful.

Includes over $2,500 in compute credits and guest lectures from experts at DeepMind, Moderna, and more.
Cohort starts April 7 — Use this link for a 10% discount

🔍 Want to help shape the future of SpecStory?

Greg and the team are looking for design partners for their new SpecStory Teams product—built for collaborative, AI-native software development.

If you're working with LLMs in a team setting and want to influence the next wave of developer tools, you can apply here:

👉 specstory.com/teams

]]> What if building software felt more like composing than coding?

In this episode, Hugo and Greg explore how LLMs are reshaping the way we think about software development—from deterministic programming to a more flexible, prompt-driven, and collaborative style of building. It’s not just hype or grift—it’s a real shift in how we express intent, reason about systems, and collaborate across roles.

Hugo speaks with Greg Ceccarelli—co-founder of SpecStory, former CPO at Pluralsight, and Director of Data Science at GitHub—about the rise of software composition and how it changes the way individuals and teams create with LLMs.

We dive into:

  • Why software composition is emerging as a serious alternative to traditional coding
  • The real difference between vibe coding and production-minded prototyping
  • How LLMs are expanding who gets to build software—and how
  • What changes when you focus on intent, not just code
  • What Greg is building with SpecStory to support collaborative, traceable AI-native workflows
  • The challenges (and joys) of debugging and exploring with agentic tools like Cursor and Claude

We’ve removed the visual demos from the audio—but you can catch our live-coded Chrome extension and JFK document explorer on YouTube. Links below.

🎓 Want to go deeper?
Check out my course: Building LLM Applications for Data Scientists and Software Engineers.
Learn how to design, test, and deploy production-grade LLM systems — with observability, feedback loops, and structure built in.
This isn’t about vibes or fragile agents. It’s about making LLMs reliable, testable, and actually useful.

Includes over $2,500 in compute credits and guest lectures from experts at DeepMind, Moderna, and more.
Cohort starts April 7 — Use this link for a 10% discount

🔍 Want to help shape the future of SpecStory?

Greg and the team are looking for design partners for their new SpecStory Teams product—built for collaborative, AI-native software development.

If you're working with LLMs in a team setting and want to influence the next wave of developer tools, you can apply here:

👉 specstory.com/teams

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