Skip to content

The most surprising thing about building apps with your spouse

2025-10-27 · Short · Ali · recording, 2:02 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Tools, apps and tech · mode: Reflection and life update · tags: AI, His own products discussed, Family

Asked what surprised him most about building apps with his wife, Ali says building an app is not trivial despite the vibe-coding narratives: it takes months of iteration with an experienced developer, while AI tools such as Lovable help mainly at the mock-up stage.

What is said

The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).

00:00:00 — What building apps together taught: an app is not trivial; AI helps with mock-ups

  • ★★★ One of the most surprising things Ali has learned building apps with his wife is that building an app is not trivial: despite the vibe-coding narratives, it takes months of genuine iteration with an experienced full-stack developer. — 00:00:00 · Izzy Sealey
  • ★★ An app made in a day, Ali says, is really full of bugs and will not stand the test of time once users get their hands on it. — 00:00:29
  • ★★ Ali says he has been trying and failing to build apps since about 2015. — 00:00:58
  • ★★★ Mock-ups are where vibe coding helps, Ali says: where people once drew boxes on a napkin, in Photoshop, Sketch or Figma, tools like Lovable now vibe-code a mock-up that gives an immediate feel of how the app could work. — 00:00:58
  • ★★ The hard part of an app, Ali says, is making it work without bugs and perform for hundreds to hundreds of thousands of users; there is much more to it than putting it into Lovable. — 00:01:33
  • ★ As AI keeps getting better, Ali allows that building an app may get much quicker over time. (hedged) — 00:01:33

Threads in this video

  • refine · Should you build an app as a business? — One of the most surprising things Ali has learned building apps with his wife is that building an app is not trivial: despite the vibe-coding narratives, it takes months of genuine iteration with an experienced full-stack developer. (00:00:00)

Mentioned

Central: Lovable · vibe coding

Also: Adobe Photoshop · Figma · Sketch

Only in the description or credits: Izzy Sealey

← Previous: What to do if you're too ambitious · Next → The Secret Skill Everyone Needs in 2025