---
title: The Nov 2025 Vibe Coding Ghost Revolution
date: 2026-03-23T11:21:42+05:30
categories:
  - coding
  - llms
description: The much-hyped return of dormant programmers through vibe coding appears far smaller in observable public data than the narrative suggests.
keywords: [vibe coding, GitHub, software trends, hype analysis, developer behavior, AI adoption]
---

![](https://sanand0.github.io/datastories/github-usage-increase/sketchnote.avif)

I kept hearing that with the [Nov 2025 release](https://simonwillison.net/2026/Jan/4/inflection/) of Opus 4.5 and GPT 5.2 Codex, [ex-coders](https://www.entrepreneur.com/business-news/this-ai-tool-is-helping-disempowered-ceos-with-a-major-problem-finally-feel-unleashed) [were](https://aimagazine.com/news/google-and-klarnas-ceos-are-vibe-coding-should-you-be) [sprinting](https://technologymagazine.com/news/google-ceo-why-vibe-coding-makes-software-exciting-again) [back to coding](https://www.jpmorgan.com/insights/technology/artificial-intelligence/vibe-coding-a-guide-for-startups-and-founders).

On a sample of ~1,700 developers on GitHub, exactly _ten_ fit the "dormant returner" profile.

Here are a couple of examples:

[![](https://files.s-anand.net/images/2026-03-23-github-tlwolsten.webp)](https://github.com/tlwolsten)

[![](https://files.s-anand.net/images/2026-03-23-github-rjwalters.webp)](https://github.com/rjwalters)

But they're the exception. I could find only **TEN** out of 1,700 developers who returned. I also found a few who exited:

[![](https://files.s-anand.net/images/2026-03-23-github-bocaletto-luca.webp)](https://github.com/bocaletto-luca)

To be fair, the vibe coding revolution _is_ real, but maybe we are (I am) mis-interpreting it.

1. There are lots of new non-developers joining GitHub. Anecdotally, [Naveen Gattu](https://github.com/gattun-git) (finally!!) and Ankor Rai
2. A few high-profile ex-developers are returning and are very active. Anecdotally, [Sebastian Siemiatkowski](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sebastian_Siemiatkowski)
3. But the majority of the developers who were less active last year remain less active.

[Read the full analysis](https://sanand0.github.io/datastories/github-usage-increase/).