Our vibe coded projects that actually work

June 29, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

"I don't know what to do with this"

The Vergecast's vibe coding challenge kicked off with a disarmingly honest confession from executive editor Jake Kasternakis: he built a tool that pulled every open US government database relevant to The Verge, scraped the Treasury API, and generated all kinds of analysis. "And then I had all this data. And I was like, there's nothing. Like, I don't know what to do with this." That failure — building something technically impressive that solves nothing — turned out to be the throughline of the episode. Senior AI reporter Hayden Field nodded along. "People try to go too crazy with it, and then it just flops and they never use it again."

The three hosts — David Pierce, Jake Kasternakis, and Hayden Field — spent the episode trading stories about what they've actually built that works, what's broken, and why the most successful vibe coding projects are almost pathologically specific to one person's workflow. They also set themselves a month-long challenge: build a personal website for something happening in their lives, from wedding planning to sharing kid photos.

The toothbrush test

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What you'll learn

1 (00:33) **Show Introduction & Vibe Coding Challenge Setup** - David introduces the vibe coding challenge where he, Jake, and Hayden will each build something and report back in a month.
2 (03:30) **Vibe Coding Show & Tell: Jake's Journey from Failures to Success** - Jake shares his experience with vibe coding, starting with many failed tools before building a useful one.
3 (10:36) **Jake's Email Client: The High-Stakes Vibe Code** - Jake reveals he built a custom email client using Gmail labels to triage his overflowing inbox.
4 (14:06) **Hayden's Habit Tracker: A Perfectly Personal Solution** - Hayden presents her custom habit tracker built for her specific needs with ADHD, featuring flexible scheduling and reward systems.
5 (19:30) **David's Daily Tools: Calendar/To-Do Merger & Web Clipper** - David shares his two daily-use vibe coded projects: a combined calendar/to-do list view and a browser extension for filing tabs.
6 (24:22) **The Quirks of Vibe-Coded Software** - The group discusses the inevitable bugs and design trade-offs they accept in their own creations.
7 (25:37) **Would You Use Someone Else's Vibe Code?** - The panel debates whether they would trust or use a vibe-coded project built by someone else.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Guests on this episode

Hayden Field David Pierce

Show Notes

It's time for a new series on The Vergecast! (It still needs a name. Please help.) We're going to give Verge staffers a challenge, and regroup a few weeks later to see who did it best. We're starting with some vibe coding. The Verge's Jake Kastrenakes and Hayden Field share what they've made with AI that has actually stuck in their lives, before David gives the challenge: build a website to solve a problem in your life. The more ambitious and impressive the better. We'll be back with the results soon, and in the meantime, send us ideas for more challenges! (Also, names for the series. PLEASE.)