Claude Code creator Boris Cherny is sick of the phrase 'vibe coding'

Boris Cherny, the mastermind behind Claude Code and a leading advocate for AI-assisted coding, has expressed his frustration with the term 'vibe coding.' This phrase, popularized by OpenAI co-founder Andrej Karpathy in early 2025, quickly became synonymous with the innovative approach of utilizing AI tools to enhance coding practices. In a conversation with Business Insider, Cherny revealed his quest for a more fitting term that encapsulates this evolving paradigm. The phrase 'vibe coding' gained significant traction, even earning the title of Word of the Year from Collins Online Dictionary in November. However, Cherny, who claims that Claude Code has revolutionized his coding experience, believes it's time to move beyond this catchy label. Both Claude Code and OpenAI's Codex are generating substantial revenues and producing millions of lines of practical code, leading Cherny to argue that the term 'vibe' feels overly simplistic. In an effort to find a replacement, Cherny has consulted Anthropic's Claude chatbot for suggestions. While it offered the term 'agentic engineering,' inspired by Karpathy, Cherny feels it lacks the appeal necessary to resonate with users. Currently, Anthropic describes Claude Code as an 'AI-powered coding assistant' and an 'agentic coding tool,' while OpenAI refers to Codex as a 'coding agent that helps you build and ship with AI.' Cherny is open to feedback and invites suggestions from the public on what they believe would be a suitable alternative to 'vibe coding.' Interested individuals can submit their ideas via Twitter or engage with Business Insider reporters. During Anthropic's recent Code with Claude conference, Cherny also announced a partnership with Elon Musk's SpaceX to expand their computational capabilities, underscoring the rapid advancements in AI-driven coding technologies.