Vibe Coding Kills Open Source

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Koren, Miklós, Békés, Gábor, Hinz, Julian, Lohmann, Aaron
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2026
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author Koren, Miklós
Békés, Gábor
Hinz, Julian
Lohmann, Aaron
author_facet Koren, Miklós
Békés, Gábor
Hinz, Julian
Lohmann, Aaron
contents Generative AI is changing how software is produced and used. In vibe coding, an AI agent builds software by selecting and assembling open-source software (OSS), often without users directly reading documentation, reporting bugs, or otherwise engaging with maintainers. We study the equilibrium effects of vibe coding on the OSS ecosystem. We develop a model with endogenous entry and heterogeneous project quality in which OSS is a scalable input into producing more software. Users choose whether to use OSS directly or through vibe coding. Vibe coding raises productivity by lowering the cost of using and building on existing code, but it also weakens the user engagement through which many maintainers earn returns. When OSS is monetized only through direct user engagement, greater adoption of vibe coding lowers entry and sharing, reduces the availability and quality of OSS, and reduces welfare despite higher productivity. Sustaining OSS at its current scale under widespread vibe coding requires major changes in how maintainers are paid.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2601_15494
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Vibe Coding Kills Open Source
Koren, Miklós
Békés, Gábor
Hinz, Julian
Lohmann, Aaron
General Economics
Economics
Generative AI is changing how software is produced and used. In vibe coding, an AI agent builds software by selecting and assembling open-source software (OSS), often without users directly reading documentation, reporting bugs, or otherwise engaging with maintainers. We study the equilibrium effects of vibe coding on the OSS ecosystem. We develop a model with endogenous entry and heterogeneous project quality in which OSS is a scalable input into producing more software. Users choose whether to use OSS directly or through vibe coding. Vibe coding raises productivity by lowering the cost of using and building on existing code, but it also weakens the user engagement through which many maintainers earn returns. When OSS is monetized only through direct user engagement, greater adoption of vibe coding lowers entry and sharing, reduces the availability and quality of OSS, and reduces welfare despite higher productivity. Sustaining OSS at its current scale under widespread vibe coding requires major changes in how maintainers are paid.
title Vibe Coding Kills Open Source
topic General Economics
Economics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.15494