Even the leader of a popular AI coding platform acknowledges that Silicon Valley tends to overestimate what the technology can achieve.

During a recent episode of the 20VC podcast, Avishai Abrahami, CEO of Wix, discussed the acquisition of Base44 and weighed in on whether AI will soon replace conventional software development and human roles.

Abrahami expressed skepticism about rapid full automation. He noted it would be appealing to envision Base44 and Wix each operating with a thousand staff members while the rest of the work shifts to AI agents, but he doubts this outcome is realistic in the near term. He believes the industry assigns too much capability to current AI systems.

The executive pointed out that AI continues to struggle with many tasks that require fine-grained precision and attention to detail.

Abrahami also highlighted limitations in vibe coding specifically. Wix acquired Base44 for $80 million last year and has since committed an additional $120 million to develop the platform further.

He explained that creating complex applications remains difficult with visual editing tools, describing the process as frustrating. No amount of refinement, he said, would allow someone to fully build something on the scale of Shopify through vibe coding alone.

The company explored purchasing ready-made AI customer support solutions multiple times but ultimately decided to develop its own system after finding existing products inadequate. Abrahami added that replacing human support staff with AI is not a current priority.

He stated he is not overly worried about large language models displacing white-collar positions across the board, noting that the systems still produce frequent errors and lack sufficient intelligence for many roles.

These remarks come after a challenging period for Wix, during which its stock price has dropped nearly 50 percent amid broader investor concerns about AI-driven website tools threatening established businesses.

Despite these pressures, Wix stands apart from many peers because Base44 has delivered double-digit revenue increases even as the wider software sector faces headwinds.