They very clearly weren't talking about nerds in general but rather nerds who care about software.
replyThis resonates with me. I'm a Mechanical Engineer who loves the process of coding. I did take an intro to business class in undergraduate though, and my professor said one thing that has stuck with me for 30+ years - 'The fundamental goal of a business is to make profit now and in the future'. Vibe coded slop might get some traction and make money now, but high quality code will reduce technical debt and allow it to be made in the future. So, in some ways, both camps are right. The PM/Manager/VP want to make money now, but if they completely disregard the nerdy engineer, they will sabotage their future.
replyI see a disconnect between these two camps that will probably cause a lot of chaos in the near future. Those that figure it out will thrive.
But also time to market matters.
replyWhile Company A is building their product in perfect hand-coded Rust with zero defects, Company B is on their third iteration of vibe'd "slop" and getting actual customer feedback - which helps them iterate further.
It's mostly a matter whether Company B is smart enough to refactor the code to a stabler and more maintainable form or do they run headlong into a vibeslop wall.