"We’re Way Past Vibes": Lovable’s Anton Osika on Who Should Build Software
Lovable's chief executive told Dreamforce that the people closest to a problem should build the software for it, and that apps built with AI have moved past mere "vibes". He shared that 300 McDonald's restaurants in the Nordics already use a tool built on Lovable.
Anton Osika, Lovable’s Chief Executive and Co-Founder
Credit: TNW
"We’re way past vibes," stated Anton Osika, Lovable co-founder and chief executive, at Salesforce’s Dreamforce conference in San Francisco. He addressed critics who question software built with AI by non-engineers as a security risk.
Osika discussed this topic further in a TIME100 session at Salesforce’s Dreamforce 2026, titled "The future of work is software without a middleman."
Ayesha Javed from TIME began by highlighting Lovable’s impressive stats:
- The Stockholm company reached $200m in annual recurring revenue (ARR) in less than a year and tripled that ARR in nine months.
- Nearly two-thirds of the Fortune 500 companies use Lovable, with notable clients including Adidas and Nvidia.
These figures align with earlier reports:
- TechCrunch mentioned the $200m milestone in November 2025.
- Bloomberg reported $400m in March 2026.
- Lovable secured a $400m Series C round at a $13.3bn valuation in August.
Empowering Non-Engineers to Build Software
Lovable’s approach is to empower people with expertise and close to the problem, rather than relying solely on engineers, to build software solutions. Osika noted that 55% of Lovable’s customers and users have over 11 years of work experience.
He shared examples:
- Nad, a leader at healthcare staffing company Nursa, built a prototype for a new product line that trains nurses entirely on Lovable, including scheduling and certification.
- McDonald's restaurants in the Nordics use a Lovable-built system to handle incidents and requests on the floor.
Engineers and AI: A Synergistic Relationship
Javed inquired if engineers are being replaced. Osika countered that the best engineers he knows are more productive and valuable to their businesses than ever before. He added that non-engineers can be highly productive when close to the problem and possess good judgment.
"That is the product," Osika emphasized, referring to trust and safety in software development.
Lovable has focused on security, with AI now surpassing humans in finding vulnerabilities. Osika stated that Lovable automatically scans every change for vulnerabilities free of charge and ranks highly among external penetration testing companies.