Vibe coding kills Open Source
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.
https://arxiv.org/html/2601.15494