During his talk at TechCrunch Disrupt, ex-Twitter CEO Dick Costolo was asked by an audience member whether HBO’s popular satire “Silicon Valley” would make a comeback. Costolo, who was a contributor to the show, essentially said no (at timestamp 38:17).

He mentioned that while the writers discuss it often, they choose not to pursue it because the current reality of Silicon Valley is so strange that it can’t be effectively parodied.  

A fresh example is a startup named Clad Labs that emerged from Y Combinator this week. Clad’s offering is so unconventional that it was mistaken for an April Fools’ prank in November. 

But it is a legitimate product, founder Richard Wang informed TechCrunch. The product is named “Chad: The Brainrot IDE.” It is yet another vibe coding integrated development environment — IDE refers to the software developers utilize for coding — but with a unique twist. While the AI coding tool completes its task, the developer is free to engage in their preferred brainrot activities within a section of the IDE. 

Or, as stated on the company’s site: “Gamble while you code. Watch TikToks. Swipe on Tinder. Play minigames. This isn’t a prank — it’s Chad IDE, and it’s tackling the biggest productivity issue in AI-driven development that nobody’s addressing.” 

The founders claim their IDE boosts productivity by facilitating “context switching.” They argue that by engaging in brainrot activities within the IDE itself, once the AI completes its task, users can immediately return to work instead of getting distracted by their phone or browser. 

Response on X was varied. Some users believed it was a fake satire, while others regarded it as a clever — or a poor — concept.

Whether loved or loathed, everyone had an opinion, including Jordi Hays, co-host of the tech-positive podcast TBPN. Hays wrote a post about the product titled, “Rage Baiting is for Losers.” In this post, he commented on Chad IDE: “On one side it’s amusing. On the other side, what’s the purpose of this and why is it associated with the official YC account?” 

He contended that products like Chad IDE and Cluely have shifted rage bait from a mere marketing tactic to a “product strategy” and that “it really shouldn’t be.” He encouraged YC to educate founders that “rage baiting is for losers.” 

This advice is particularly intriguing coming from a founder who successfully harnessed viral marketing without relying on rage. Hays and his spouse Sarah created Party Round, a fundraising startup that became known for their playful marketing tactics like releasing NFT versions of notable “helpful” VCs. (Party Round rebranded to Capital and was acquired by Rho in 2024.) 

Wang explained to TechCrunch that what critics misunderstand about his brainrot IDE is that it wasn’t designed as rage bait. The founders aspire for it to become a genuinely beloved AI vibe coder for developers of consumer apps. Their goal is to provide these users with a consumer app-like atmosphere within an IDE.

Although the product is genuine, it has yet to be made public.

”We’re currently in a closed beta,” Wang stated. At the moment, Chad is working to build a “community” of users who appreciate the concept. Clad Labs aims to make the product accessible to the public soon, but for now, participants need an invitation from someone currently in the beta.

There’s no doubt that a certain kind of developer would enjoy Chad. Yet, regardless of what the future holds for this product, one thing remains certain: It is almost impossible to parody Silicon Valley these days.