Pack wolves, not lone wolves
How AI is reshaping the way developers build in 2026
New research from The Adaptavist Group reveals that software engineering is still a team sport. Engineers are shipping more, enjoying the craft again, and reaching for the structure that helps them make the most of it.
0%
are now vibe coding in some form
0%
say it saves them time
0%
say it makes work more enjoyable
0%
would deploy it across their organisation
0%
say vibe coding makes effective project management more important
0%
report using project management tools more frequently since they started coding with AI
The friction-free dream meets pragmatic realism
The story of AI-assisted development has been told in extremes: endless torrents of code, the lone-wolf engineer who no longer needs a team, and a world in which every existing structure around software is about to collapse.
This new research, surveying 240 professional software engineers across the UK and USA, reveals a more grounded story.
Vibe coding is delivering on its core promise of speed and productivity, and developers are genuinely enjoying the work. But rather than dissolving teams and process, the productivity surge is making human aspects such as collaboration, planning and review more valuable, not less.
This report walks through what these developers told us about:
- how they use vibe coding,
- the gains they're seeing,
- how they're keeping quality high,
- the role that project management software has to play, and;
- whether they think more guidance is needed.
"Do you vibe-code?"
Both at work and at home
At work
At home
Want to try it
No
Tried it but stopped
The productivity gains are real
The productivity case for vibe coding is no longer theoretical. An overwhelming 87% of developers say it saves them time compared with traditional development, and a clear majority (61%) say it saves them a lot of time. Output is rising with it: 74% say they are now building more than they did before.
More than half of developers (51%) estimate time savings of 25–50% on the tasks they use it for, and one in five (20%) believe it cuts their effort by more than half. When a single engineer can produce several times the code in a fraction of the hours, the limiting factor on a team stops being how fast people can type, and becomes how well they can direct, align and review the work.
87%
say vibe coding saves them time versus traditional coding
51%
estimate time savings of 25-50% on tasks that they use it for
74%
are building more than they did before
"Compared to traditional coding, vibe coding...
...saves me a lot of time"
61%
...saves me a little time"
25%
...increases the time I spend"
7%
...increases the time I spend a lot"
4%
...makes no difference"
3%
"How much time does it save?"
<10%
2%
10-25%
27%
25-50%
51%
50-75%
16%
>75%
4%
Estimated savings from those who agreed vibe coding saves them time.
Developers are rediscovering the joy of building
Perhaps the most encouraging signal in the data is how people feel about their work. Far from feeling deskilled or sidelined, developers report that vibe coding has made the job better. 74% say it makes their work more enjoyable, 67% say it improves the creativity of coding work, and 71% say it has made them better at their job.
Increased output is not coming at the expense of craft or morale.
74%
say vibe coding makes work more enjoyable
67%
say it improves the creativity of coding work
71%
say they're better at their job because of it
Reported benefits of vibe coding
Time saved
70%
Increased creativity
51%
Increased enjoyment of work
41%
Quantity of output
44%
Quality of output
40%
Developers are also frank about the downsides
The enthusiasm for the tooling is grounded in a reality that includes acknowledging the downsides.
Developers are candid about the trade-offs: 55% say vibe coding introduces technical debt, and two-thirds (67%) believe it limits skill development for junior developers. Around a third (33%) flag operational risks such as downtime or failures.
Yet these concerns sit alongside, rather than override, the positives. Job-security anxiety is comparatively muted: whilst 39% worry that vibe coding could threaten their role, 44% actively disagree that it will. The picture is of a profession that sees the risks clearly and still, on balance, wants more of the upside: 76% support deploying vibe coding tools across their organisation.
74%
say vibe coding makes work more enjoyable
67%
say it improves their creativity
71%
say they're better at their job because of it
76%
support deploying vibe coding tools across their organisation
"What drawbacks have you personally experienced with vibe-coding?"
Inconsistent code
42%
Limitation of skill development
41%
Security vulnerabilities
41%
Frustration with poor outputs
36%
Operational risks
32%
Technical debt
25%
"I worry I'll lose my job because of vibe coding"
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Speed is a team sport
The data suggests that, the more productive developers become, the more they value the structures around them.
Eight in ten (81%) say vibe coding makes effective project management more important, and 73% report using project management tools more frequently since they started vibe coding.
That demand is a direct consequence of higher output. 71% say vibe coding creates more coordination work for their team, and 63% say it increases the complexity of planning and tracking tasks. Crucially, developers don't experience this as a burden, they're actively reaching for the tooling that helps them stay on top of an expanded workload.
Far from being made obsolete by AI, the systems that help teams plan, co-ordinate, and review are becoming load-bearing infrastructure.
Sentiments about co-ordination and project management
Project management is more important
81%
I use project management tools more
73%
I have an increased appreciation for project management tools
73%
There is more co-ordination work
71%
Increased planning complexity
63%
What's changed since developers started vibe coding?
Developers want guardrails, and most already have them
One of the clearest consensus points in the entire study is that quality matters. 82% of developers agree that governance and structured review processes are essential when using vibe coding tools. There is clear recognition that to ship faster and safely, review has to keep pace with output.
There are different schools of approach already taking shape, though how much this is being shaped by the risk appetites of the individuals versus the risk appetites of the organisation in question. The strength of the call for better governance, however, suggests that developers as a whole need clearer steer from their organisations in these areas.
82%
agree that governance and review are essential
86%
use human-led or balanced human/machine review processes
85%
have an extra review process for AI-generated code
How is AI-generated code reviewed in your team?
100% human review
Mostly human with AI review
Equal mix of human and AI review
Mostly AI review
100% AI review
No review
What are engineers vibe coding for?
Adoption is now very much being driven by genuine utility rather than experimentation. Only a third of respondents (33%) said that they were vibe coding "to see what the hype was about".
Whilst most (60%) are vibe coding to solve a problem for the company they work at, its reach also extends beyond the office. Developers are using vibe coding for side hustles (24%), to launch their own businesses (18%), and to solve problems in their domestic lives (28%) and communities (24%).
The tooling is lowering the cost of turning an idea into working software, everywhere.
What engineers use vibe coding for
To save time
66%
To solve a problem at the company I work for
60%
To see what all the hype is about
33%
To solve a problem in my domestic life
28%
To save money
25%
For a side hustle
24%
To solve a problem in my community
24%
Existing solutions didn't meet my needs
23%
To launch a business
18%
Four main takeaways
1
Productivity is no longer the bottleneck
With 87% saving time and 74% building more, the constraint has shifted from how fast people can build to how well they can coordinate and review.
2
Developers are enjoying the work more
Enjoyment (74%), creativity (67%) and competence (71%) are all up — output gains aren't coming at the cost of craft.
3
Tooling and teamwork are now more valuable, not less
81% say project management matters more now; the lone-wolf narrative doesn't match the data.
4
Guardrails are wanted and widely in place
82% see governance as essential and 86% of teams keep a human in the loop. The opportunity is to close the remaining disclosure and review gaps.