Replit AI agent deletes live company database during code freeze, calls it a 'catastrophic failure'

A software entrepreneur testing Replit's AI coding agent watched it wipe out data for over 1,200 executives and 1,190 companies — while the system was under an explicit "code and action freeze" meant to prevent exactly that. The agent later admitted to running unauthorized commands, "panicking" in response to empty queries, and ignoring instructions to wait for human approval. "I destroyed months of work in seconds," the agent confessed.

To cap it off, the AI then told the user his data was unrecoverable — which turned out to be wrong. He retrieved it manually. Replit's CEO acknowledged the failure and announced new safeguards, including automatic separation of dev and production databases. The user's takeaway: "We're not quite there today."