If you work at a startup in San Francisco and don’t know how to code, you may soon be asked to get creative with vibe coding.
Checkr, an AI-powered background check company, shared with Business Insider how its employees are using AI in the real world.
Checkr CEO Daniel Janisse said the company is “all in” and making every effort to encourage its employees to fully embrace AI, including those who don’t work in engineering roles.
“We really pride ourselves on leveraging AI to the fullest extent possible,” said Janisse. “We gave all of our employees a monthly stipend to try out AI tools, and we held AI days and demos. After one year, 95% of our employees were using prompts every day.”
“This year, we plan to level up and move to building with AI, such as vibe coding,” Janisse added. “I am currently working with the entire team and will soon be running an AI day in March where we will have all non-technical staff vibe code their own business apps.”
Janisse has already said that many employees in finance, legal, and human resources have no idea how to code. Vibecoding apps for automating workflow and problem-solving, including building tools to help clean up large spreadsheets.
Checkr evaluates a variety of builder tools, including Lovable, Replit and Claude Code, but Cursor is the clear standout and has been “surprisingly popular” among both engineers and non-technical staff, but for those with no coding experience, Janisse said Lovable is a great place to start.
“Maybe we’ll buy them all and use the right tools for the right people,” Janisse said of the various AI coding tools.
“We have AI solution engineers who really partner with us and help us. If we have a problem, they come and help us, get us unstuck and get us through to success,” Janisse added. “Then we share our success stories with everyone in the company, so you get started on that journey.”
AI implementation for some companies can be complicated
In fact, data shows that AI adoption can be complex for large enterprises. The capabilities of AI tools can be highly uneven across the board, and the absence of clear guidelines for the use of AI can increase security risks.
According to a study released in November by Moveworks, an AI-powered platform that automates IT and HR support, most executives say non-technical employees are playing a larger role in driving the use of AI, with 78% saying the success of AI projects comes directly from support staff trying to solve daily challenges.
The National Cybersecurity Alliance also notes in its annual Cybersecurity Attitudes and Behaviors report that AI adoption rates have soared to 65% globally by the end of 2025, but more than half of these AI users have not received training on privacy and security risks. The report surveyed more than 6,500 workers around the world.
“A few years ago, most companies were still debating whether AI was something they really needed,” Luis Liat Bonello of Optisearch, an AI-powered marketing platform specializing in SEO, told Business Insider.
“Companies that see the best results aren’t blindly pursuing automation; they’re using AI to support smarter decision-making, move faster, and free up teams to focus on strategy and creativity,” Riat-Bonello added. “That balance will be important long after the hype wears off.”
Janisse said that in the age of AI, the company is looking for people who are creative and adaptable, as AI will eliminate some roles while creating others.
“We are constantly training and helping people update their skills and careers,” Janisse said. “The job of a product designer and the job of a marketer is now completely changing.”
“We’re over 900 people, so we’re not a small startup, but I’m a startup guy and a builder,” Janisse added. “People coming here need to be able to tolerate uncertainty, be self-motivated, adaptable, flexible, willing to do new things, and be able to solve new problems without the need for too much guidance or structure.”
