Рубрика: AI

A war of words between Zoho’s Sridhar Vembu and YC’s Garry Tan over vibe coding has opened a broader debate about its practicality for large-scale software development.

The Y Combinator president claimed that Zoho-type SaaS is on borrowed time and can soon be replaced by custom tools built by non-technical teams on Replit, Emergent Labs or Taskade.

“Why pay $30/seat/month for over-bundled SaaS when soon even nontech ops people can vibe-code a custom solution in a weekend?” Tan quipped. Vembu did not hold back and challenged Tan that he would “outlast and outshine” his vibe coding companies.

“If our business were the first to be competed away by vibe-coded apps, why are we seeing such rapid customer growth (exceeding 50%) right now?” he wrote. Vembu added that essential software categories remain untouched by vibe coding tools. “Why don’t we see vibe-coded email or spreadsheet, accounting app, or messaging apps yet?”

He argued that security, privacy and compliance are central to any long-term productivity gains. “Without those guarantees, vibe coding just piles up tech debt faster and faster until the whole thing collapses,” the Indian SaaS company founder added.

Some users on X also found a humorous side to the debate. “I will vibe code a cheaper Replit, Emergent Labs and Taskade replacement,” a user posted on X.

There have been multiple recent cases in which vibe coding tools have malfunctioned. A photographer using Google’s Antigravity tool reported on Reddit that the AI had erased his entire Windows D: drive after automatically generating and running a command.

The scepticism isn’t limited to Vembu. Abhinav Girdhar, founder and CEO of Appy Pie, told AIM that vibe coding remains limited in its current form. “At the moment, vibe coding works best for prototypes, workflow automations, and well-bounded features. For enterprise-grade systems with high scalability or regulatory needs, vibe coding can accelerate development but not fully own it,” he said.

While it can speed up development, Girdhar said that organisations still need engineers to define architecture, maintain quality, and ensure long-term stability. According to him, the near future will likely see hybrid models where AI handles repetitive logic and human teams focus on system design, integrations, and governance.

Similarly, Deepak Dhanak, co-founder of Rocket.new, an AI-native platform, told AIM that he believes the debate is fundamentally misunderstood. He said that the conversation is being framed as a binary where vibe coding either replaces SaaS or gets dismissed as a toy. In his view, this framing is simply wrong.

Vibe Coding Is a New Layer — Not a Replacement

Dhanak said that vibe coding does not change the fundamentals of software development. He says the underlying work, such as infra, databases, testing, deployment, and scaling, still remains. The only change is that AI now brings all these layers into a single interface instead of scattering them across multiple tools.

The real issue, Dhanak argued, isn’t vibe coding and prompting itself but the uneven quality of platforms in the space. Some AI coding tools are so lightweight that he calls them toys, useful only for quick prototypes and nowhere near production-grade.

He stressed that the limitations of vibe coding become clearer in the context of backend systems.

Dhanak says the backend remains the real engine of any business — the place where core data lives, workflows run, governance happens, and payments or transactions are processed. “It is definitely going to take some time for the current technology to reach a point where you can vibe code your backend,” he said.

Zoho is Not Going Anywhere

Experts believe that the SaaS company could simply add vibe coding capabilities on top of its existing services, allowing customers to customise and personalise their tools as needed.

“Vibe coding lowers the barrier for new entrants, which could pressure established vendors. But for companies offering tightly integrated ecosystems—like Zoho—this shift can actually be an advantage. They can embed AI-driven customisation directly into their platforms, making it easier for customers to tailor apps without external developers,” Girdhar said.

At the same time, Dhanak said that the future of SaaS will look very different as customers demand more control and personalisation. Instead of buying full-fledged SaaS applications, enterprises may increasingly rely on backend APIs and build their own front-end layers using vibe coding tools.

He explained that the ideal setup is one in which Zoho provides the backend via APIs, while customers build their own front-end applications on top of it. This kind of model, he believes, will push SaaS toward API-first consumption rather than traditional app-based subscriptions.

Notably, Zoho recently announced a series of AI enhancements to its low-code application development platform, Zoho Creator. The tool enables users to build and refine applications using written prompts, process diagrams, or business specification documents.

The feature is powered by Zoho’s AI engine, Zia, which aims to reduce the time required to launch applications and make the development process more accessible.

Bharath Kumar, head of marketing and customer experience at Zoho Creator, in a previous interaction with AIM, said the company wants to empower developers rather than threaten their work. “What AI is helping with boils down to just two fundamental things—it is either helping you do things faster, or it is helping you do things at a better quality.”

What about Technical Debt?

On the much-discussed issue of technical debt, Dhanak acknowledged the concern but argued that the problem largely stems from the use of undisciplined or generic tools. He warns that many new AI coding platforms lack a clear architectural philosophy, inevitably leading to mounting debt.

Girdhar shared a similar view, noting that technical debt becomes a real issue when AI-generated code initially works but becomes difficult to modify or extend. “Long-term sustainability will depend on two things: whether AI systems become better at producing standardised, interpretable structures, and whether organisations invest in governance around AI-generated code,” he said.

The post Sorry, Garry! YC’s Vibe-Coding Startups ‘Aren’t Replacing Zoho’ Anytime Soon appeared first on Analytics India Magazine.

Yandex, one of the world’s most recognisable technology companies, has spent more than two decades building products across search, mobility, food delivery, entertainment, and AI. It also runs the Yandex Cup, a competition that has grown into a key global event for programming talent.

During a recent conversation, Dima Masyuk, CEO of Search and Advertising at Yandex, discussed the company’s engineering heritage, competitive strategy, the evolution of its AI ecosystem, and the growing influence of countries like Brazil and India in the global innovation landscape.

How does Yandex’s 24-year technology heritage shape its competitive approach today?

Dima Masyuk: Our history isn’t only about the number of years — it’s about the achievements that came with them. We remain the only company in the world to have outperformed Google in fair competition in a local market. Users can freely choose either search engine, yet we hold a larger share of the market.

Over the years, we built a uniquely diversified ecosystem almost entirely in-house, without major acquisitions. It includes a leading ride-hailing service, a food-delivery platform with more than a million orders a day, the largest travel and hotel booking service in our region, and multiple other high-impact content and service platforms.

To support all this, we’ve grown one of the world’s strongest machine-learning and AI teams. This capability now drives our efforts to build AI-first products and transform existing ones using the newest generation of AI technologies. That’s the priority for any major tech company today, and it’s certainly ours as well.

What makes the Yandex Cup stand out among global programming competitions?

Dima Masyuk: We have one of the strongest traditions in competitive programming. In many top Olympiads and competitions, local teams win more than half of the time — sometimes closer to three-quarters. It’s a national tradition, similar to our excellence in chess.

As a leading IT company, we support this culture. We’ve hosted the Yandex Cup for many years, attracting enormous talent and feeding a self-reinforcing cycle: talented participants enrich the competition, and the competition attracts even more exceptional people.

This year, we received more than 20,000 applications, including over 2,000 from India, across six tracks: Machine Learning, Front-End, Back-End, Algorithms, Mobile Development, and Analytics. We’re truly inspired by the scale and the level of attention it receives globally.

How closely do the Yandex Cup’s challenges mirror real engineering problems?

Dima Masyuk: Competitive programming differs from industrial-scale development, but the intellectual rigour required — the ambition to win, the precision, the creativity — is precisely the mindset needed in highly competitive technological environments.

All our apps operate in markets where users can freely download alternatives. That creates extremely high competition. The mindset of striving to stand out among 20,000+ participants is similar to what we face when building products that must compete with thousands of AI apps and digital services.

So, while the tasks are framed for competition, they mirror the analytical thinking, efficiency, and problem-solving we rely on every day. In many ways, we see ourselves as a modern mathematical school — a place where engineering and competitive reasoning meet.

Yandex recently merged its advanced AI assistant with a chat experience under the Alice AI ecosystem. How does this align with the company’s overall AI vision?

Dima Masyuk: For decades, our goal has always been to bring the newest technologies to users, whether that was building internet services 20 years ago, platforms a decade ago, mobility and gig-economy services, or streaming products more recently. Today, we’re entirely focused on the new era of generative AI.

What sets us apart is our commitment to building technology with a human touch. That philosophy helped us succeed not only in competition but also in creating products people genuinely love. Over the years, Alice has become part of daily life for millions. It’s installed in roughly one in five households in Russia.

This isn’t only due to utility — it’s because people feel that the product has personality, emotion, and warmth. AI today interacts directly with our intellectual, emotional, and decision-making processes. It participates in what makes us human. Our ambition to combine cutting-edge technology with humanity comes together naturally in AI.

Could you share examples of social and ethical innovation at Yandex?

Dima Masyuk: Technology must help solve real human challenges — not only save time or money. Issues in health, the environment, and global safety require meaningful innovation.

One example is our open-source AI tool that detects early signs of infant cerebral palsy with more than 90% accuracy. It reduces evaluation times from days to minutes, dramatically improving the chances for early intervention. The tool is freely available on GitHub.

Another example is our AI-powered service for monitoring volcanic ash movement, designed to help protect communities and ecosystems. These projects reflect our passion for combining technological strength with a responsibility to improve human life.

What message would you give to aspiring innovators and participants in Yandex competitions?

Dima Masyuk: Innovation is one of the most powerful forces shaping human progress. Those who pursue new technologies with passion and courage not only contribute to global improvement but also receive genuine gratitude from the millions who benefit from their work.

It’s one of the most meaningful ways to apply yourself in life.

How do you see Brazil’s role in the global innovation landscape?

Dima Masyuk: Brazil has a remarkable combination of creativity and determination. For years, many of us have been inspired by Brazilian companies — from gaming studios like Wildfire to fintech innovators like Nubank.

That mix of imagination and practicality is precisely what we hope to support and reflect through the Yandex Cup. We look forward to welcoming more Brazilian participants into this global community of problem-solvers.

India’s AI ecosystem is expanding rapidly. What role do you see India playing in global AI?

Dima Masyuk: India is known worldwide for exceptional engineering talent — and leadership. Today, talent is the rarest and most essential resource in AI. India plays a significant role in driving this global revolution.

While global AI players make remarkable advances, I believe local engineers and companies can create solutions uniquely relevant to their own cultures, economies, and communities. I strongly encourage Indian developers and students to build something significant for local users — while also contributing to the global AI movement. That’s precisely the spirit we try to cultivate in our initiatives.

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Snowflake and Anthropic have entered a multi-year, $200 million partnership to bring agentic AI capabilities to more than 12,600 global enterprises, the companies announced on December 4.

The expanded agreement makes Anthropic’s Claude models available across Snowflake via Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud Vertex AI and Microsoft Azure, while establishing a joint go-to-market effort focused on deploying AI agents at scale.

The companies said the partnership allows enterprises to use Claude to analyse both structured and unstructured data within Snowflake’s governed environment. According to Snowflake, thousands of customers already process trillions of Claude tokens each month through Snowflake Cortex AI.

“Enterprises have spent years building secure, trusted data environments, and now they want AI that can work within those environments without compromise,” said Dario Amodei, CEO and co-founder of Anthropic. “This partnership brings Claude directly into Snowflake, where that data already lives.”

Sridhar Ramaswamy, CEO of Snowflake, said the deal reflects the depth of collaboration between the two companies. “The combined power of Claude and Snowflake is raising the bar for how enterprises deploy scalable, context-aware AI on top of their most critical business data.”

The partnership enables enterprises to build and deploy AI agents capable of multi-step reasoning. Snowflake said Claude can identify the data required for a task, pull it from across a company’s Snowflake environment, and deliver answers with more than 90% accuracy on complex text-to-SQL tasks, based on internal benchmarks. The companies said this is intended to help regulated industries move AI pilots into production.

Snowflake Intelligence, powered by Claude Sonnet 4.5, will allow business users to query structured and unstructured data using natural language. Through Snowflake Cortex AI Functions, customers can also run multimodal workloads—across text, images, audio and tabular data—using SQL.

Cortex Agents will let enterprises build custom multi-agent systems that retrieve and reason over data, supported by governance features in Snowflake Horizon Catalog.

Meanwhile, on December 3, the company reported revenue of $1.21 billion for the third quarter of fiscal 2026, a 29% increase from a year earlier, as it continued to expand its AI-focused data offerings.

Product revenue for the quarter ended October 31, 2025, reached $1.16 billion, also up 29% year-over-year. The company’s net revenue retention rate stood at 125%.

Snowflake said it now has 688 customers generating more than $1 million in 12-month product revenue, a 29% rise from last year. The company also reported 766 Forbes Global 2000 customers, a 4% increase over the same period.

Meanwhile, Anthropic is reportedly working on its initial public offering, which would value the company at more than $300 billion, 40% of OpenAI’s valuation. Amodei recently told the DealBook Summit audience that the company expects to end the year with revenue between $8 billion and $10 billion.

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Aakrit Vaish, co-founder of Haptik, and Pratyush Choudhury, a former principal investor at Together Fund, have launched a new fund called Activate, targeting $75 million. According to the announcement, this fund focuses on supporting early-stage founders in India who are deep technical innovators.

Announcing on X on Wednesday, he said, “We believe AI in India will be built by technical crack teams. Activate is created for such founders, engaging with them well before company formation and investing $500k-$3 million at inception.”

I moved back to India in 2013 with a simple mission: to build AI for the country.
Since then, I've been incredibly fortunate to build Haptik, invest in 100+ startups, co-create TEAM for Mumbai and contribute to our sovereign AI strategy through the IndiaAI Mission. Today, all of… pic.twitter.com/OgruUnBOPf

— Aakrit Vaish (@aakrit) December 3, 2025

The fund has engaged a number of limited partners from India and the US, including Vinod Khosla of Khosla Ventures, CEO of Preplexity Aravind Srinivas, Ashish Vaswani of Essential AI, Dhaval Shroff of Tesla AI, VP of AI in Meta Manohar Paluri, OpenAI’s Shyamal Anadkat, Peak XV’s Shailendra Singh, Srikanth Velamakanni from Fractal, and Vijay Shekhar Sharma from PayTM, among various others, concentrated on the AI ecosystem.

Activate’s strategy centers on four key principles: velocity for rapid product launch and refinement, depth for extensive domain expertise, taste for strong judgment in decision-making, and influence for the ability to create global solutions, the website said.

The firm has also detailed five layers of value on its website, identifying India’s AI prospects. These layers include AI applications, infrastructure tools, foundational models, rapid computing, and physical infrastructure such as data centres and cooling systems.

Activate is in the process of making its initial investments. As angel investors, the founders have previously supported companies like Composio, Sri Mandir, Spry, ZuAI, Emergent, Park+, Rapidclaims, and Spendflo.

Vaish, who previously founded Haptik, saw the company acquired by Reliance Jio in 2019. Choudhury has a background in AWS and has been an active participant in the GenAI community throughout the Asia Pacific region.

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Novo Nordisk India has partnered with Healthify to launch an AI-driven, dietitian-led Patient Support Program (PSP) designed to support individuals living with obesity through structured lifestyle guidance.

The initiative aims to enhance the patient experience, strengthen long-term adherence, and integrate evidence-based lifestyle management alongside obesity medications, including GLP-1 therapies, which have seen a surge in prescription volume in recent years.

Healthify’s proprietary AI ecosystem, anchored by its conversational intelligence engine, Ria, assists users throughout their treatment cycles by analysing their nutrition patterns, providing real-time recommendations, and offering adaptive guidance as their medication and lifestyle needs evolve.

By combining this AI layer with Healthify’s network of more than 500 dietitians and coaches, the PSP delivers a hybrid model of care that brings scale, personalisation, and clinical consistency to India’s growing population of people living with obesity.

The program aligns with a rising need for holistic obesity care. As more patients begin GLP-1 treatments, clinicians are increasingly emphasising structured lifestyle interventions, such as personalised nutrition planning, exercise routines, sleep monitoring, and progress tracking, to ensure sustainable weight management.

The Healthify–Novo Nordisk PSP integrates these elements into a single, AI-orchestrated experience, enabling patients to track their habits, understand their metabolic responses, and maintain adherence through proactive nudges and data-driven insights.

This partnership allows us to bring AI-enabled, dietitian-guided personalised care to more patients across India, and the insights we gather here will help shape future global programs,” said Tushar Vashisht, Co-founder & CEO of Healthify.Recently, Ria 3.0 was released, showing the evolution of Healthify’s AI stack and moving beyond older voice assistants that relied on transcribing speech before generating a response. Operating natively in audio allows the system to detect emotions, handle diverse accents, support code-mixed languages, and respond with minimal latency.

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