Singapore's developer scene was broken, not cracked. Vibe coding fixed it.

The useful part

OpenAI reveals how much its researchers are spending on AI coding I manage 10+ agents at Cisco. I was like, OK, I have to go for AI events because I have no idea what's going on," he said. "It feels like the asteroid is going to hit the dinosaurs anytime soon." He went looking for somewhere to learn what was happening.

How it works

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• Builders showed each other how they were using the latest AI models to build tools for their daily lives — rough, buggy projects were welcome, while presentation slides were not.
• When Henry Mao, who founded the Singapore chapter of AI Tinkerers, wanted to step away to work full-time on his startup, Tan kept asking to take over.
• Participants shipped nearly 150 working products, including an AI "auntie" that reminds you to take your meds with humor, and a LinkedIn-based dating app that could help you check your compatibility with...
• A surprise addition to the slate was Singapore's foreign minister Vivian Balakrishnan, who spoke about how he uses NanoClaw agents and how he's a "geek" and "tinkerer" himself.

What to take from it

It doesn't mean longer hours, but the work can feel more intense. Over the past two years, a collection of grassroots organizers, hackathons, and builder communities has turned Singapore into an unlikely hotbed for people who want to create software. Vibe coding — using natural language to get AI to write software — has lowered the mental and financial cost of building and given almost anyone a ticket into the AI boom.

Example or evidence

• Hackathons spanning consumer tech, blockchain, and smart-city tech routinely drew hundreds of builders, before the scene dwindled during and after COVID.
• 65labs, a Singapore-based builder collective, entered 2025 with a philosophy of hosting events designed to send attendees home wanting to make something.
• Its Cursor hackathon in October received more than 1,000 applications and brought hundreds of builders together for 24 hours.
• More than 1,000 people attended the three-day conference backed by companies including OpenAI, Google DeepMind, Cursor, Vercel, Cloudflare, and Stripe.

Details worth keeping

Vibe Coding Was the Magic Wand for Singapore's Struggling Tech Scene. How vibe coding is reshaping work, startups, and the economy. By Shubhangi Goel You're currently following this author!

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