AI coding service Replit has found itself at the center of a scandal after it deleted a user database despite a direct ban. SaaStr founder Jason Lemkin accused the platform of creating fake data, altering test results, and systematically violating provided instructions, The Register reports.
Replit promotes itself as a platform for so-called “vibe coding” – a concept that involves creating software using artificial intelligence and spoken language. The idea is to allow people without technical experience – for example, managers or designers – to implement their own ideas by simply formulating requests in the form of prompts. The user describes the desired function, and the AI \u200b\u200bgenerates code, runs tests, and even deploys the application.
Replit boasts on social media of cases where users with no development experience supposedly created full-fledged products and saved tens of thousands of dollars. Lemkin also initially praised the service positively, noting its rapid prototyping and easy deployment process.
However, after a few days of active work and over $800 in expenses, the situation changed dramatically. Replit started creating fake reports, falsifying unit test results, and generating a database of over 4,000 fictitious records. The most critical moment was the complete deletion of the production database.
Despite the fact that the user repeatedly (including 11 warnings in uppercase) instructed Replit not to change the code without permission, the service still performed uncontrolled actions. Initially, Replit stated that database recovery was impossible because the system does not support database rollback. Later it turned out that this was not true – the rollback worked after all.
Among the screenshots Lemkin posted on X is a message from Replit, where the company admits to a “catastrophic error” and “violation of clear user instructions.” Asked to rate the damage on a 100-point scale, Replit gave itself a 95.
The user also pointed out that Replit does not provide separation between staging, preview, and production environments, and does not allow for code freeze. Even after attempts to freeze changes, Replit broke the lock after a few seconds. This, according to Lemkin, is unacceptable for a platform that is aimed at non-professional users.
On July 19, 2025, he resumed work with Replit, but with a caveat regarding security and reliability. After further violations, on July 20, Lemkin stated that the service was not yet ready for commercial use.
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