I Vibe Coded Time-Saving Tools for Boomers, Aging Parents; Safer, Happier

https://www.businessinsider.com/retirement-aging-ai-vibe-coding-chatgpt-openclaw-tech-gemini-2026-4

Publish Date: 2026-04-08 05:02:00

This as-told-to essay is based on conversations with Bill Atienza, 29, who is a startup founder in California, and one of his former clients, Phil Hargrove, 80. Atienza founded an AI-powered on-demand technology support platform that operated until 2023. He continued working with clients to improve technology and become more familiar with AI. Hargrove shared more about his relationship with Atienza. These interviews have been edited for length and clarity.

Loading audio narration…

In the past, it took months or years to create software, but now it takes me, or another person my age, less than an hour to create a vibe-coded app. For many older people, AI has been doing tasks for them with a single click or conversation.

After two years of college, I got a job at the Apple Store. On the side, older people would ask me if I could come over to their house and pay me $20 to fix something. It got to the point where I was actually making more money doing that than working at the Apple Store, so I quit my job there.

I started to recruit all my friends who I used to work with to found Hailo, a technology support platform. I encountered so many baby boomers whose problems were so simple to Gen Zers like me. One of the most common problems among the older generation is that, if they want to log into their Facebook, they don’t know how to reset the password and will usually just call their kids. But many are empty nesters, and at that point, they will just hire anyone, usually people my age.

…

Source