"There is no flow state that comes from building a Mac app using AI with Claude Code. If you've ever managed programmers, you know what using Claude Code feels like. It is an enormous force multiplier, but you're going to spend most of your time cajoling and correcting, and some of your time trying to chart your way out of AI-generated chaos."
"The second technique was managing other coders. This was usually a force multiplier, because those developers were often better and faster at line-by-line coding than I was. I could manage a few developers, moving projects along faster. But I didn't enjoy that practice as much. There was never a flow state. It was more like a constant level of planning, convincing, cajoling, correcting, and a bit of chaos. People are going to people, and if you're a manager, that's what you get."
"As with managing human programmers, you're going to be much more successful with Claude Code if you know how to code and you understand the underlying technology. That way, you can guide the AI on architectural and design decisions as well as simply defining features. My ZDNET colleague Tiernan Ray recently tried his hand at vibe coding. He describes himself as a "newbie, with limited programming knowledge." His conclusion: "I will say that using these tools gave me a greater appreciation for programmers.""
Two fundamental software-building techniques are writing code oneself and managing other coders. Writing code can produce a deep flow state but is time-consuming. Managing other developers serves as a force multiplier yet requires constant planning, convincing, cajoling, correction, and does not produce flow. AI-based vibe coding with tools like Claude Code functions similarly to managing programmers: it multiplies output but creates AI-generated chaos that demands oversight. Success with AI requires coding knowledge to guide architectural and design decisions, relentless developer leadership, thorough testing, and correction. Performance and UI issues often still need human judgment.
Read at ZDNET
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