Why Lovable Hit $100M in 8 Months, and Why New Zealand Should Care

That’s not just a Silicon Valley headline, it’s a signal that generative code is reshaping how businesses build, test, and scale products. And for New Zealand, it’s a glaring opportunity.

Our economy has a productivity problem, and vibe coding could be one of the biggest opportunities to change that trajectory. Sounds bold, maybe even overhyped, but hear me out.

Although the term ‘vibe coding’ is overused, vibe coding is the ChatGPT moment for product development. Platforms like Lovable, Windsurf, Cursor, and Replit allow you to describe what you want in plain English and see it come to life as a working app.

These tools are lowering the barriers to software creation, meaning every Kiwi business, from F&B to logistics, can build custom tools without needing a full-sized* development team to achieve the same level of output as today.

Six months ago, I went from barely being able to write a line of code to building basic apps and prototypes with Lovable, which felt like unlocking a new superpower.

These are the kinds of outputs that used to require hiring developers or waiting on long build cycles. It's also why Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella says AI already writes 20–30% of the company’s new code, and a quarter of the latest Y Combinator startups are doing the same.

This is no longer just a tech trend, it’s a core business capability.

* With vibe coding, the same sized development team (or business in general) should produce significantly more output than before.

New Zealand companies have historically been fast adopters of tools that boost efficiency, from Xero to Trade Me. But our productivity gap remains stubbornly wide.

Imagine if...

All without waiting for dev cycles or paying for bloated software.

Vibe coding isn’t about replacing developers, it’s about giving teams the ability to solve problems faster. It enables rapid prototyping, real-time iteration, and automation of the manual workflows that slow businesses down - all by encouraging everyone to think like a Product Manager.

Being a Product Manager isn’t a job title, it’s a way of thinking: frame the problem, prioritise what matters, test fast, and cut what doesn’t work. With vibe coding, this mindset is no longer confined to tech teams. Ops managers, marketers, and even farmers are starting to build and iterate like Product Managers.

This mindset could be a game-changer for New Zealand’s productivity challenge. The companies that win will be those where every employee asks “Does this work?” and uses AI to design, build, and ship solutions at speed.

The potential and the hype is real. But so are the limitations.

AI tools are accelerators, not replacements. The companies seeing real results are the ones combining AI speed with product and engineering teams to turn their prototypes into production-ready applications.

The biggest challenge with vibe coding is brittleness - these tools generate impressive results fast but struggle with edge cases, debugging, and reliability. Lovable is tackling this with the Lovable Agent, a major update that reduces error rates by 91% and adds a new level of autonomy. It’s a big step forward, but it doesn’t remove the need for product thinking and human oversight.

It might. When everyone suddenly gains the power to build apps without technical guardrails, the first wave often leads to a tangle of half-built tools, overlapping workflows, and “shadow software” nobody fully maintains.

DIY app-building will follow the same pattern. It’ll be messy early on, but those who learn how to balance freedom with structure will win big.

New Zealand’s mid-market businesses - especially in manufacturing, logistics, F&B, and agriculture - are perfect candidates for vibe coding adoption. Why?

By teaching teams how to “vibe code” solutions for themselves by adopting a Product Manager mindset, companies can cut costs, speed up experimentation, and stay competitive without big budgets.

The next phase of NZ’s knowledge economy won’t just rely on developers or managers, it will need AI-fluent product thinkers. People who can identify a pain point, prompt an AI to build a solution, and test it fast.

This is good for NZ. It democratises innovation, allowing small and mid-sized companies - the backbone of our economy - to compete with global players by being faster, leaner, and more creative.

Don't get me wrong. Vibe coding isn’t a silver bullet, but it’s fast becoming a core skill every business should explore. At the very least to streamline back-office processes.

The old blockers - cost and complex coding - are gone. These tools are cheap, lightning-fast, and open to anyone willing to experiment.

Run a 48-hour prototype sprint. Build something real. Solve one pain point.

The winners will be the companies where every employee can build, test, and adapt at speed because speed is the competitive edge in today's AI era.