Can you vibe code an entire search engine? This ex-Googler tried.

Hugh Williams, a former engineering leader at Google, has embarked on an intriguing journey using Anthropic's Claude Code to develop a fully functional search engine named Zettair. This innovative project is capable of indexing a staggering 1.5 million articles from Wikipedia. Zettair boasts several modern search engine features, including autosuggestions, query-biased snippets, related searches, trending topics, and AI-generated summaries. Remarkably, Williams claims he didn't write a single line of code on his own, relying entirely on the capabilities of Claude Code. However, there is an important nuance to this achievement. The foundation of the search engine is rooted in an information-retrieval system that Williams contributed to during the early 2000s. He emphasizes that this experience does not suggest AI can entirely replace engineers. Instead, he believes that the true strength of Claude Code lies in its ability to complement deep technical knowledge. Williams describes the process of building with AI as more akin to coaching than traditional programming, highlighting that seasoned engineers are still the most effective guides in this evolving landscape.