What is 'vibe coding' and why 28-year-old billionaire Alexandr Wang says kids should learn it

In recent years, artificial intelligence has rapidly evolved from a niche field into a force reshaping industries, education, and everyday life. As AI becomes more deeply integrated into how we work and create, tech leaders are encouraging the next generation to adapt early and one of the strongest voices in this movement is 28-year-old billionaire Alexandr Wang.

Wang, an MIT dropout and the founder of Scale AI, is now the chief executive of Meta AI. His journey from student to billionaire entrepreneur has been nothing short of remarkable. Scale AI, the company he co-founded in 2016, focuses on data labelling, a foundational part of training AI systems. After leading the company for nearly a decade, Wang has taken his talents to Meta, where he’s now steering one of the most influential AI divisions in the world.

Recently, Wang appeared on an episode of the TBPN Podcast, where he offered some eye-opening advice for teenagers. His message? Learn "vibe coding."

“If you are, like, 13 years old, you should spend all of your time vibe coding. That’s how you should live your life,” Wang said. He also recommended that young people dedicate at least 10,000 hours to using and experimenting with AI tools, calling it a "huge advantage" for anyone who wants to stay ahead in the future job market.

So,

what exactly is vibe coding?

Vibe coding is a modern approach to programming that relies on natural language and AI-assisted tools. Unlike traditional coding that requires knowledge of complex programming languages, vibe coding allows users to write simple prompts in plain English. AI tools then transform those prompts into functional code.

With platforms like Replit and Cursor, users can create apps, automate tasks, or build websites just by describing what they want to happen, no deep technical background required.