Public dossier section · @ben

people

This is @ben's profile revision 1. The original date and editorial confidence below are attributed to its publisher, not independent verification.

Original credited author: Hraness

AI-drafted at Ben Guo's direct request and credited to Hraness; every claim links to its cataloged source.

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Published text

zed: people

sobo, brunsfeld, scandurra, and the bench — who they are, what they wrote, and what the company's essays keep arguing.

the people

nathan sobo (ceo, @nathansobo): cofounder and ceo. joined github in december 2011 to build atom — previously the author of treetop, a ruby peg parsing dsl — led the atom team until 2018, co-led teletype, and drove the xray rewrite. the 2017 journaling session — 'we have to start over' — is the company's origin story. left github at the end of 2020 for ~3 months at warp, then founded zed industries in spring 2021. based in the boulder, co area (inferred from businesswire datelines). (sources: official bios + roster (~40 people), atom-editor.cc, sobos full founding narrative (xray→2019→warp→mar 2022 dogfood), definitive atom→zed postmortem interview, 1,100 contributors)
antonio scandurra (co-founder, @as-cii): cofounder. joined the atom team in 2014 as a university student after standout open-source contributions; co-architected teletype's crdt collaboration; co-built xray; then ~two years at ditto building a crdt database in rust. primary architect of gpui and zed's async/crdt internals; co-led the zeta work. (sources: official bios + roster (~40 people), gpui 120fps gpu-ui rationale, sobos full founding narrative (xray→2019→warp→mar 2022 dogfood))
max brunsfeld (co-founder, @maxbrunsfeld): cofounder. ex-pivotal labs; joined the atom team in 2013 and created tree-sitter that november — the parser that now underpins github.com, neovim, helix, and zed itself. drove atom 1.0; wired tree-sitter into github's semantic analysis before leaving to start zed; wrote the wasm extension architecture and the windows-port and edit-prediction-provider posts. (sources: official bios + roster (~40 people), brunsfeld galois talk, tree-sitter initial commit, windows stable)
the bench (team): ~40 people on the september 2026 roster, remote across ~12 countries: mikayla maki (summer-2022 intern who built the terminal emulator, now the agent-era voice), conrad irwin (joined 2023; created ruby's pry; ex-cto of superhuman; the ai-skeptic essayist leading deltadb), richard feldman (roc creator, 'elm in action,' software unscripted), rust-analyzer's kirill bulatov and team lead lukas wirth, ex-zig linker author jakub konka, piotr osiewicz, marshall bowers (extensions), anthony eid (community debugger lead turned hire), ben kunkle, agus zubiaga, cole miller, smit barmase, ben brandt, eric holk (early rust team alum), martin ye (ex-sweep), oleksiy syvokon, tom houlé, and windows platform lead '@localcc'. leadership: andrew mitchell (head of engineering, ex-hashicorp/tailscale vp eng), lena (open source), john swanson (security, ~a decade at github), morgan krey (ops), esther trapadoux (community), franciska dethlefsen (marketing), danilo leal (design), maría craig (pm). (sources: official bios + roster (~40 people), irwin: token pass-through economics, windows stable, hiring-from-contributors program, podrocket ep w/ mikayla maki on zed 1)
the alumni (team): reconstructed from linkedin and blog bylines — completeness not guaranteed. thorsten ball (swe jan 2024–jan 2025) ran the zed decoded interview series and the canonical 'we have to start over' founder postmortem; returned to sourcegraph and co-founded amp. nate butler (lead designer jul 2021–aug 2025) designed the first zed.dev site; now at github next. julia risley held community/ops bylines on the early weekly posts. (sources: ball departure post, ball bio (amp co-founder), butler: lead designer jul 2021–aug 2025, full dated blog index used for timeline cross-checks)
the backers (team): root ventures, matchstick ventures, and v1.vc at the ~$2.5m seed (no public lead); redpoint ventures (patrick chase, erica brescia) led the $10m series a with angels dylan field, tom preston-werner, spencer kimball, rahul vohra, and todd goldberg; sequoia (sonya huang, james flynn) led the $32m series b citing '150k active developers each month' (self-reported). (sources: seed $2, series a details, series a, $32m series b, 150k active developers each month (self-reported), vision manifesto + investor list (seed: root, v1)

writings

2014-02-26 — introducing atom (essay, sobo, atom blog): the atom beta announcement — the first version of the thesis zed still runs on, written in javascript instead of rust. source

"our goal is a zero-compromise combination of hackability and usability"

2017-11-15 — introducing teletype for atom (post, scandurra, github blog): the teletype beta announcement — encrypted peer-to-peer editing on a custom crdt, unveiled by sobo at qcon sf. the first time the team shipped the collaboration thesis in production. source
2022-06-08 — introducing zed (essay, sobo, zed.dev): the manifesto landing page published the day atom's sunset was announced — the four assumptions (hyper-responsiveness, real-time collaboration, conversations close to code, the disappearing editor) still live on zed.dev/about. source

"mission-critical tools should be hyper-responsive… you should see pixels on the next refresh of your display—every time" "conversations should happen close to code" "your editor should disappear"

2022-12-01 — how crdts make multiplayer text editing part of zed's dna (essay, sobo, zed blog): the first zed.dev blog post — crdts as the editor's dna, with the engelbart framing and the sixteen-year callback to sobo's original editor dream. source

"so 16 years ago, i decided to build one. it took a failed attempt, many hard lessons, and the help of some talented friends, but the tool i've been striving to create is finally emerging in the 135k lines of rust that constitute zed"

2023-01-23 — this week at zed industries: #1 (essay, sobo, zed blog): the kickoff of the 'this week at zed industries' journal — the fullest first-person founding narrative: xray's death, the 2019 restart, the warp detour, the march 2022 dogfooding switch. source

"three months in, i realized that i couldn't let go of my dream of building the ultimate editor, so i left warp to start zed"

2023-03-07 — leveraging rust and the gpu to render user interfaces at 120 fps (essay, scandurra, zed blog): the gpui reveal — rendering the editor like a video game at 120 fps, per-primitive shaders on the gpu, a rust-native ui stack owned end to end. source
2023-03-15 — introducing zed: a high-performance, multiplayer code editor. now in beta. (post, sobo, zed blog): the public-beta post — macos only, admitting the gap between the shadow shipped and the tool envisioned. source

"the beta release we're sharing today is a shadow of the tool we envision… it's time for our baby to leave the nest"

2023-03-27 — syntax-aware editing (essay, brunsfeld, zed blog): tree-sitter's creator on tree-sitter inside zed — syntax-aware editing as the payoff of the decade-old side project. source
2023-06-14 — we've decided to open source zed… on zed (post, sobo, zed blog): 'building a platform that open sources itself' — the decision announced seven months ahead of the relicensing, staged so the community could watch it happen on zed. source
2023-06-28 — introducing the assistant (post, team, zed blog): the assistant panel — an llm conversation as a plain editable buffer, the text-document ux that later defines the agent panel. source

"text is the ultimate user interface"

2024-01-17 — introducing channels (post, team, zed blog): irwin's channels launch — link-shareable collab rooms that become the company's own office and the direct ancestor of delta's shared workspaces. source
2024-01-24 — zed is now open source (essay, sobo, zed blog): the relicensing post — copyleft for the editor and server, permissive apache-2 for gpui, proprietary code meant to stay 'a tiny fraction.' sell services, not the editor. source

"we're never going to show you a banner ad in your code editor, and if we do, you can always build zed from source"

2024-01-25 — ownership and data flow in gpui (essay, sobo, zed blog): the gpui internals pair — ownership and data flow, then the metal-pipeline post with scandurra on holding 120 fps. the 'zed decoded' register applied to the company's own framework. source
2024-04-18 — extensible language support in zed — part 1 (essay, brunsfeld, zed blog): the wasm/wit extension architecture with marshall bowers — sandboxed, tree-sitter-grammar-carrying, deliberately narrower than atom's anything-goes packages: 'a more conservative approach with our apis to preserve our core values.' source
2025-02-13 — zed now predicts your next edit with zeta (post, team, zed blog): edit prediction on zeta — open weights and an open dataset on hugging face, opt-in training telemetry. the open-model answer to copilot-style prediction. source
2025-06-12 — the case for software craftsmanship in the era of vibes (essay, sobo, zed blog): 'the case for software craftsmanship in the era of vibes' — sobo's defense of the hand-built stack while the industry pivots to generated code. source
2025-07-23 — you can now disable all ai features in zed (post, team, zed blog): disable_ai: true — the setting that answers a year of requests for a global ai kill switch, covered as a concession to a real constituency. source
2025-08-20 — sequoia backs zed's vision for collaborative coding (post, sobo, zed blog): the series b post that doubles as deltadb's first public description — the memo idea from xray, resurfaced as the company's stated reason to exist. source

"a new kind of operation-based version control that incrementally tracks the evolution of your code with edit-level granularity"

2025-08-27 — bring your own agent to zed — featuring gemini cli (essay, sobo, zed blog): the acp launch — an open json-rpc protocol so external agents plug into any editor the way lsp plugged in language intelligence; google's gemini cli as reference agent. source

"just as the language server protocol unbundled language intelligence from monolithic ides"

2025-10-15 — windows when? windows now (post, brunsfeld, zed blog): 'windows when? windows now' — the ga post that closes the two-year question, on a hand-built directx 11 backend after the vulkan attempt failed. source
2025-11-13 — zed is our office (essay, team, zed blog): the dogfooding essay — the whole remote company runs all-hands inside zed channels, the collaboration thesis lived rather than marketed. source
2026-04-29 — zed is 1.0 (essay, sobo, zed blog): the 1.0 essay — over a million lines of code, 'hundreds of thousands of developers' daily (self-reported), acp agents from claude to cursor, and zed for business announced alongside. source

"1.0 doesn't mean 'done'. it also doesn't mean 'perfect'. it means we've reached a tipping point where most developers can quickly feel at home in zed"

2026-05-05 — we're not building ai features for the money (essay, team, zed blog): irwin's direct response to 'zed's focus is on ai because that's where the money's going' — the economics disclosed, the long-term bet named: monetize the collaborative workspace, not the editor. source

"we were selling tokens at a loss to most paying ai users until we switched to token-based billing"

2026-06-11 — software is made between commits (essay, sobo, zed blog): 'software is made between commits' — the deltadb thesis: every operation addressable, worktree and conversation versioned together, git-compatible. the 2018 memo idea, grown up. source

"so in 2021, we founded zed to move beyond the constraints of commits"

2026-08-12 — introducing delta (post, sobo, zed blog): the delta private-beta post — the multiplayer agent-review environment as a separate app, not a zed feature, so the editor's hundred-thousands of daily users aren't disrupted. source

"delta keeps code and conversations connected"

2026-09-01 — xanadu was waiting for agents (essay, sobo, zed blog): 'xanadu was waiting for agents' — sobo's ted nelson essay framing delta's threads inside the docuverse lineage: transclusion-era ideas whose moment arrived with agents. source
2026-09-16 — replace prs with delta — now in public beta (post, sobo, zed blog): the public-beta post — prs disabled on delta's own repo, '33 of us have landed 570 changes to main' (self-reported), threads as 'the new fundamental unit of software development.' source

"it seems like everyone is in a race to replace github right now"

2024-02-12 — we have to start over: from atom to zed (interview, sobo, zed blog): thorsten ball's three-founder postmortem — the canonical atom→zed account: sobo's 2017 journaling revelation, the pathfinder/sdf rendering detours, raph levien's rust writing as the nudge. source

"the ironic thing is that we created electron to create atom, but i can't imagine a worse application for electron than a code editor" "we have to start over, this isn't working and we're never going to get this where we want it to go. vs code has done an admirable job of getting it as far as it's gonna go"

2024-01-23 — why the big rewrite? (interview, sobo, zed blog): ball × founders on why a rewrite at all — the companion piece to the february postmortem. source
2023-03-15 — goodbye atom. hello zed. (podcast, sobo, the changelog #531): 'goodbye atom. hello zed.' — the first long-form founder interview, on beta day: mission, gpui, business model, multiplayer. source

"as atom's sun sets, zed's sun is rising. we are not done here"

2024-03-01 — zed's secret sauce (podcast, sobo, changelog & friends #33): 'zed's secret sauce' — the post-open-source check-in: extensions roadmap, community response, the 'embracing ai' segment. source
2024-05-04 — native uis without electron (podcast, sobo, software unscripted #90): 'native uis without electron' — richard feldman interviews sobo on software unscripted, a year before feldman joined the company. source
2024-06-05 — building the zed text editor (interview, sobo, developer voices): kris jenkins interviews sobo on building zed — the mid-2024 state of the stack. source
2025-05-07 — building zed's agentic editing (podcast, sobo, the changelog #640): 'building zed's agentic editing' — sobo on the agent panel, 'open source, the hard way,' and the business model, published on launch day. source
2026 — the workflow of the future with zed (podcast, sobo, syntax #1029): 'the workflow of the future with zed' — sobo on rust, gpui, and what happens to editors once agents write most of the code; the deltadb/delta pitch on the mainstream dev-podcast circuit. source
2026 — zed 1.0: gpui, rust, and the future of native apps (podcast, team, podrocket): mikayla maki on 'zed 1.0: gpui, rust, and the future of native apps' — the 2022 intern who built the terminal now carrying the agent-era story. source
2022-05-05 — collaborative coding at the speed of light (video, sobo, youtube): 'zed: collaborative coding at the speed of light' — the first public demo, promising a private alpha in the coming weeks. source
2017-12-11 — tree-sitter: a new parsing system for programming tools (talk, brunsfeld, galois tech talk): 'tree-sitter: a new parsing system for programming tools' — the galois talk given while github wired tree-sitter into github.com and atom. source

controversies

2020–2021 — the undocumented ip separation: the warp ip question — sobo took the in-progress zed codebase into warp when he joined at the end of 2020, then left ~three months later to found zed industries. how the ip was separated is not documented in any public source. reaction: treated here as a known gap, not a resolved fact — the only account is sobo's own founding narrative. (sources: sobos full founding narrative (xray→2019→warp→mar 2022 dogfood))
2023– — the contributor-to-employee pipeline: hiring through github — the 'hired through github' program turned contributors into employees (fenner, evers, eid, barmase, and others), which cuts both ways: it rewards real contributors, and it deepens the argument that the cla consolidates community work into company control. reaction: zed frames it as the open-source flywheel; critics read it beside the cla as community labor the company can relicense. both readings are on the record; the ledger keeps them separate. (sources: hiring-from-contributors program, contributor license and feedback agreement text, signed away under their cla… when vcs come knocking)

AI-drafted at Ben Guo's direct request and credited to Hraness; every claim links to its cataloged source.

Canonical page: https://hraness.com/zed/people

Original source occurrences

1,100 contributors · businesswire.com · 2025-08-20 (day) · original ID: src-ci-businesswire-32m · Other public citations of this URL
1,100 contributors; 150k devs; "not forked vs code" framing
contributor license and feedback agreement text · zed.dev · undated (unknown) · original ID: src-ci-cla · Other public citations of this URL
contributor license and feedback agreement text
disable_ai setting · zed.dev · 2025-07-23 (day) · original ID: src-ci-disable-ai · Other public citations of this URL
disable_ai setting; onboarding toggle
zeta open model · zed.dev · 2025-02-13 (day) · original ID: src-ci-edit-prediction · Other public citations of this URL
zeta open model; qwen2.5-coder-7b fine-tune
requests for global/compile-time ai kill switch · github · 2024 (year) · original ID: src-ci-gh-disable-ai-discussion · Other public citations of this URL
requests for global/compile-time ai kill switch; egress logs
signed away under their cla… when vcs come knocking · hacker news · 2025-08 (month) · original ID: src-ci-hn-cla-foss · Other public citations of this URL
"signed away under their cla… when vcs come knocking"
skeptical hn reception · hacker news · 2026-05 (month) · original ID: src-ci-hn-not-for-money · Other public citations of this URL
skeptical hn reception
sobo: spiritual successor to atom… private alpha this week · hacker news · 2022-06 (month) · original ID: src-ci-hn-sobo-atom-comment · Other public citations of this URL
sobo: "spiritual successor to atom… private alpha this week"; sublime-vibe goal; conservative extension apis
296 pts/234 comments · hacker news · 2024-02-17 (day) · original ID: src-ci-hn-start-over · Other public citations of this URL
296 pts/234 comments; a11y/gpui skepticism
2,153 pts/690 comments · hacker news · 2026-04-29 (day) · original ID: src-ci-hn-zed-1-0 · Other public citations of this URL
2,153 pts/690 comments; tos/blob debates
627 pts/331 comments · hacker news · 2025-11-13 (day) · original ID: src-ci-hn-zed-office · Other public citations of this URL
627 pts/331 comments
1,576 pts/601 comments · hacker news · 2024-01-24 (day) · original ID: src-ci-hn-zed-open-source · Other public citations of this URL
1,576 pts/601 comments; license discussion; "calming editor" praise
wasm/wasmtime + tree-sitter hybrid extension design · zed.dev · 2024-04-18 (day) · original ID: src-ci-language-extensions · Other public citations of this URL · max brunsfeld
wasm/wasmtime + tree-sitter hybrid extension design
gpui/native-app comeback · podrocket.logrocket.com · 2026 (year) · original ID: src-ci-podrocket-mikayla · Other public citations of this URL
gpui/native-app comeback; rustconf 2025 talk link
$32m series b · zed.dev · 2025-08-20 (day) · original ID: src-ci-sequoia-backs · Other public citations of this URL
$32m series b; operation-based vcs tease
crdt explanation · tech times · 2026-06-13 (day) · original ID: src-ci-techtimes-deltadb · Other public citations of this URL
crdt explanation; git-2005 framing; thursday waitlist
gpui 120fps gpu-ui rationale · zed.dev · 2023 (year) · original ID: src-ci-videogame-gpui · Other public citations of this URL · antonio scandurra
gpui 120fps gpu-ui rationale; per-primitive shaders
dx11 backend · zed.dev · 2025-08 (month) · original ID: src-ci-windows-progress · Other public citations of this URL
dx11 backend; 4 engineers; wsl/path/updater issues
company runs all-hands inside zed channels · zed.dev · 2025-11-13 (day) · original ID: src-ci-zed-office · Other public citations of this URL
company runs all-hands inside zed channels
atom-editor.cc · atom-editor.cc · 2015-06-25 (day) · original ID: src-hp-atom-10 · Other public citations of this URL
1.0; atomicity origin; sobo joined dec 2011; 350k mau
atom public beta, by nathansobo · atom-editor.cc · 2014-02-26 (day) · original ID: src-hp-atom-intro · Other public citations of this URL · nathan sobo
atom public beta, by nathansobo
as atoms sun sets, zeds sun is rising tweet quote · changelog · 2023-03-15 (day) · original ID: src-hp-changelog-531 · Other public citations of this URL
"as atom's sun sets, zed's sun is rising" tweet quote; teletype origin
sobo on agentic editing + business model · changelog · 2025-05-07 (day) · original ID: src-hp-changelog-640 · Other public citations of this URL
sobo on agentic editing + business model
zeds secret sauce · changelog · 2024-03-01 (day) · original ID: src-hp-changelog-friends33 · Other public citations of this URL
"zed's secret sauce"
kris jenkins interview · apple podcasts · 2024-06-05 (day) · original ID: src-hp-dev-voices · Other public citations of this URL
kris jenkins interview
seed $2 · everydev.ai · 2026-09 (month) · original ID: src-hp-everydev · Other public citations of this URL
seed $2.5m spring 2021; root/matchstick/v1.vc
brunsfeld galois talk · galois.com · 2017-12-11 (day) · original ID: src-hp-galois-treesitter · Other public citations of this URL · max brunsfeld
brunsfeld galois talk; github.com+atom integration in progress
zeta model + dataset on hf · huggingface.co · 2025-02 (month) · original ID: src-hp-hf-zeta · Other public citations of this URL
zeta model + dataset on hf
qcon sf unveiling · infoq.com · 2017-11 (month) · original ID: src-hp-infoq-teletype · Other public citations of this URL
qcon sf unveiling; webrtc + crdt details
podrocket ep w/ mikayla maki on zed 1 · mu.social · 2026 (year) · original ID: src-hp-mu-podrocket · Other public citations of this URL
podrocket ep w/ mikayla maki on zed 1.0
butler: lead designer jul 2021–aug 2025 · linkedin · 2026-09 (month) · original ID: src-hp-nate-linkedin · Other public citations of this URL
butler: lead designer jul 2021–aug 2025
series a · prweb.com · 2023-03-15 (day) · original ID: src-hp-prweb-series-a · Other public citations of this URL
series a; angel names; "successful alpha"; patrick chase quote; sf dateline
acp coverage · theregister.com · 2025-08-28 (day) · original ID: src-hp-register-acp · Other public citations of this URL
acp coverage; json-rpc over stdio
150k active developers each month (self-reported) · sequoiacap.com · 2025-08-20 (day) · original ID: src-hp-sequoia-partnering · Other public citations of this URL
"150k active developers each month" (self-reported); sequoia rationale
sobo on syntax: rust, gpui, deltadb/delta · syntax.fm · 2026 (year) · original ID: src-hp-syntax-1029 · Other public citations of this URL
sobo on syntax: rust, gpui, deltadb/delta
series a details · techcrunch · 2023-03-15 (day) · original ID: src-hp-techcrunch-10m · Other public citations of this URL
series a details; sobo founding quote; $40m val; $12.5m total
teletype beta · github.blog · 2017-11-15 (day) · original ID: src-hp-teletype · Other public citations of this URL · antonio scandurra
teletype beta; author scandurra
ball bio (amp co-founder) · thorstenball.com · 2026-09 (month) · original ID: src-hp-thorsten-about · Other public citations of this URL
ball bio (amp co-founder)
ball departure post · linkedin · 2025-01 (month) · original ID: src-hp-thorsten-linkedin · Other public citations of this URL
ball departure post; zed tenure jan 2024–jan 2025
third-party delta coverage · thenewstack.io · 2026-09-16 (day) · original ID: src-hp-tns-delta · Other public citations of this URL
third-party delta coverage; recap of funding
tree-sitter initial commit · github · 2013-11-06 (day) · original ID: src-hp-ts-commit · Other public citations of this URL
tree-sitter initial commit
feldman interviews sobo (pre-zed-employment) · shows.acast.com · 2024-05-04 (day) · original ID: src-hp-unscripted-90 · Other public citations of this URL
feldman interviews sobo (pre-zed-employment)
tree-sitter – a new parsing system for programming tools talk · youtube · 2018-10-14 (day) · original ID: src-hp-yt-ts-talk · Other public citations of this URL
"tree-sitter – a new parsing system for programming tools" talk
first public demo · youtube · 2022-05-05 (day) · original ID: src-hp-yt-zed-demo · Other public citations of this URL
first public demo; "private alpha in the coming weeks"
zed 1 · zed.dev · 2026-04-29 (day) · original ID: src-hp-zed-10 · Other public citations of this URL · nathan sobo
zed 1.0; >1m loc; daily-user claim; acp agent list incl. cursor
metal pipeline 120 fps (sobo + scandurra) · zed.dev · 2024-02-07 (day) · original ID: src-hp-zed-120fps · Other public citations of this URL
metal pipeline 120 fps (sobo + scandurra)
vision manifesto + investor list (seed: root, v1 · zed.dev · 2026-09-16 (day) · original ID: src-hp-zed-about · Other public citations of this URL
vision manifesto + investor list (seed: root, v1.vc, matchstick; a&b: redpoint, sequoia)
acp + gemini cli · zed.dev · 2025-08-27 (day) · original ID: src-hp-zed-acp · Other public citations of this URL
acp + gemini cli; google approached zed
irwin: token pass-through economics · zed.dev · 2026-05-05 (day) · original ID: src-hp-zed-ai-money · Other public citations of this URL · conrad irwin
irwin: token pass-through economics; long-term = deltadb monetization
assistant panel intro · zed.dev · 2023-06-28 (day) · original ID: src-hp-zed-assistant · Other public citations of this URL
assistant panel intro; "text is the ultimate user interface"
public beta post · zed.dev · 2023-03-15 (day) · original ID: src-hp-zed-beta · Other public citations of this URL · nathan sobo
public beta post; "baby to leave the nest"
ball × founders on the rewrite decision · zed.dev · 2024-01-23 (day) · original ID: src-hp-zed-big-rewrite · Other public citations of this URL · thorsten ball
ball × founders on the rewrite decision
full dated blog index used for timeline cross-checks · zed.dev · 2026-09-16 (day) · original ID: src-hp-zed-blog-index · Other public citations of this URL
full dated blog index used for timeline cross-checks
channels launch (irwin) · zed.dev · 2024-01-17 (day) · original ID: src-hp-zed-channels · Other public citations of this URL
channels launch (irwin)
sobo essay · zed.dev · 2025-06-12 (day) · original ID: src-hp-zed-craftsmanship · Other public citations of this URL
sobo essay
first blog post · zed.dev · 2022-12-01 (day) · original ID: src-hp-zed-crdts · Other public citations of this URL · nathan sobo
first blog post; "16 years ago… 135k lines of rust"; engelbart framing
delta private beta · zed.dev · 2026-08-12 (day) · original ID: src-hp-zed-delta · Other public citations of this URL · nathan sobo
delta private beta
delta public beta · zed.dev · 2026-09-16 (day) · original ID: src-hp-zed-delta-public · Other public citations of this URL · nathan sobo
delta public beta; prs off on own repo; "race to replace github"; 33 people/570 changes; free-during-beta
deltadb detail · zed.dev · 2026-06-11 (day) · original ID: src-hp-zed-deltadb · Other public citations of this URL · nathan sobo
deltadb detail; "founded zed to move beyond the constraints of commits"; first spoke fall 2025
gpui ownership/data flow (sobo) · zed.dev · 2024-01-25 (day) · original ID: src-hp-zed-gpui-ownership · Other public citations of this URL
gpui ownership/data flow (sobo)
hiring-from-contributors program · zed.dev · 2025-09-16 (day) · original ID: src-hp-zed-hired-gh1 · Other public citations of this URL
hiring-from-contributors program
introducing zed manifesto landing page · wayback machine · 2022-06-08 (day) · original ID: src-hp-zed-introducing-2022 · Other public citations of this URL · nathan sobo
"introducing zed" manifesto landing page; waitlist era
weve decided to open source zed… on zed · zed.dev · 2023-06-14 (day) · original ID: src-hp-zed-open-source-on-zed · Other public citations of this URL · nathan sobo
"we've decided to open source zed… on zed"
gpl/agpl/apache-2 split · zed.dev · 2024-01-24 (day) · original ID: src-hp-zed-oss · Other public citations of this URL · nathan sobo
gpl/agpl/apache-2 split; fireside hacks; banner-ad pledge
definitive atom→zed postmortem interview · zed.dev · 2024-02-12 (day) · original ID: src-hp-zed-start-over · Other public citations of this URL · thorsten ball
definitive atom→zed postmortem interview; sobo's 2017 moment; pathfinder/sdf detours
brunsfeld on tree-sitter in zed · zed.dev · 2023-03-27 (day) · original ID: src-hp-zed-syntax-aware · Other public citations of this URL · max brunsfeld
brunsfeld on tree-sitter in zed
official bios + roster (~40 people) · zed.dev · 2026-09-16 (day) · original ID: src-hp-zed-team · Other public citations of this URL
official bios + roster (~40 people)
sobos full founding narrative (xray→2019→warp→mar 2022 dogfood) · zed.dev · 2023-01-23 (day) · original ID: src-hp-zed-week1 · Other public citations of this URL · nathan sobo
sobo's full founding narrative (xray→2019→warp→mar 2022 dogfood)
windows stable · zed.dev · 2025-10-15 (day) · original ID: src-hp-zed-windows · Other public citations of this URL · max brunsfeld
windows stable; dx11; @localcc platform lead
sobos ted nelson essay · zed.dev · 2026-09-01 (day) · original ID: src-hp-zed-xanadu · Other public citations of this URL · nathan sobo
sobo's ted nelson essay

Structured research records

the undocumented ip separation · people-controversies · 2020–2021 (approximate)

Original location · source-a99fccf0df0fef33af49

Original structured fields

{
  "date": "2020–2021",
  "detail": "the warp ip question — sobo took the in-progress zed codebase into warp when he joined at the end of 2020, then left ~three months later to found zed industries. how the ip was separated is not documented in any public source.",
  "id": "cty-warp-ip",
  "reaction": "treated here as a known gap, not a resolved fact — the only account is sobo's own founding narrative.",
  "sourceIds": [
    "src-hp-zed-week1"
  ],
  "title": "the undocumented ip separation"
}

the contributor-to-employee pipeline · people-controversies · 2023– (approximate)

Original location · source-9e3e41daa5ed6cdfe353 · source-23347ec3a6471d1ed97d · source-be0a86f420a4df2e2fe9

Original structured fields

{
  "date": "2023–",
  "detail": "hiring through github — the 'hired through github' program turned contributors into employees (fenner, evers, eid, barmase, and others), which cuts both ways: it rewards real contributors, and it deepens the argument that the cla consolidates community work into company control.",
  "id": "cty-hired-through-github",
  "reaction": "zed frames it as the open-source flywheel; critics read it beside the cla as community labor the company can relicense. both readings are on the record; the ledger keeps them separate.",
  "sourceIds": [
    "src-hp-zed-hired-gh1",
    "src-ci-cla",
    "src-ci-hn-cla-foss"
  ],
  "title": "the contributor-to-employee pipeline"
}

nathan sobo · zed-people

Original location · source-11a590210fa58abd4c6f · source-6ff65a6d8cb12b958151 · source-a99fccf0df0fef33af49 · source-b8848f4c3741d56ff6d7 · source-e1617349b7fa81c1edd9

Original structured fields

{
  "handle": "@nathansobo",
  "id": "sobo",
  "name": "nathan sobo",
  "note": "cofounder and ceo. joined github in december 2011 to build atom — previously the author of treetop, a ruby peg parsing dsl — led the atom team until 2018, co-led teletype, and drove the xray rewrite. the 2017 journaling session — 'we have to start over' — is the company's origin story. left github at the end of 2020 for ~3 months at warp, then founded zed industries in spring 2021. based in the boulder, co area (inferred from businesswire datelines).",
  "role": "ceo",
  "sourceIds": [
    "src-hp-zed-team",
    "src-hp-atom-10",
    "src-hp-zed-week1",
    "src-hp-zed-start-over",
    "src-ci-businesswire-32m"
  ]
}

antonio scandurra · zed-people

Original location · source-11a590210fa58abd4c6f · source-a2f75cab6763fe08751c · source-a99fccf0df0fef33af49

Original structured fields

{
  "handle": "@as-cii",
  "id": "scandurra",
  "name": "antonio scandurra",
  "note": "cofounder. joined the atom team in 2014 as a university student after standout open-source contributions; co-architected teletype's crdt collaboration; co-built xray; then ~two years at ditto building a crdt database in rust. primary architect of gpui and zed's async/crdt internals; co-led the zeta work.",
  "role": "co-founder",
  "sourceIds": [
    "src-hp-zed-team",
    "src-ci-videogame-gpui",
    "src-hp-zed-week1"
  ]
}

max brunsfeld · zed-people

Original location · source-11a590210fa58abd4c6f · source-baefd9ea83e521ca619e · source-1a831a916b639b39fbe1 · source-e366a5d5d80697730661

Original structured fields

{
  "handle": "@maxbrunsfeld",
  "id": "brunsfeld",
  "name": "max brunsfeld",
  "note": "cofounder. ex-pivotal labs; joined the atom team in 2013 and created tree-sitter that november — the parser that now underpins github.com, neovim, helix, and zed itself. drove atom 1.0; wired tree-sitter into github's semantic analysis before leaving to start zed; wrote the wasm extension architecture and the windows-port and edit-prediction-provider posts.",
  "role": "co-founder",
  "sourceIds": [
    "src-hp-zed-team",
    "src-hp-galois-treesitter",
    "src-hp-ts-commit",
    "src-hp-zed-windows"
  ]
}

the bench · zed-people

Original location · source-11a590210fa58abd4c6f · source-fb1dbb8b6b0b3665edf0 · source-e366a5d5d80697730661 · source-9e3e41daa5ed6cdfe353 · source-0db92ea8bf2da0e03f65

Original structured fields

{
  "handle": null,
  "id": "team",
  "name": "the bench",
  "note": "~40 people on the september 2026 roster, remote across ~12 countries: mikayla maki (summer-2022 intern who built the terminal emulator, now the agent-era voice), conrad irwin (joined 2023; created ruby's pry; ex-cto of superhuman; the ai-skeptic essayist leading deltadb), richard feldman (roc creator, 'elm in action,' software unscripted), rust-analyzer's kirill bulatov and team lead lukas wirth, ex-zig linker author jakub konka, piotr osiewicz, marshall bowers (extensions), anthony eid (community debugger lead turned hire), ben kunkle, agus zubiaga, cole miller, smit barmase, ben brandt, eric holk (early rust team alum), martin ye (ex-sweep), oleksiy syvokon, tom houlé, and windows platform lead '@localcc'. leadership: andrew mitchell (head of engineering, ex-hashicorp/tailscale vp eng), lena (open source), john swanson (security, ~a decade at github), morgan krey (ops), esther trapadoux (community), franciska dethlefsen (marketing), danilo leal (design), maría craig (pm).",
  "role": "team",
  "sourceIds": [
    "src-hp-zed-team",
    "src-hp-zed-ai-money",
    "src-hp-zed-windows",
    "src-hp-zed-hired-gh1",
    "src-hp-mu-podrocket"
  ]
}

the alumni · zed-people

Original location · source-8dd4e8054f6a201eb77e · source-51b2e048c148e4623b65 · source-52b87b1a3d649f91effe · source-8046eeb2503d64c52952

Original structured fields

{
  "handle": null,
  "id": "alumni",
  "name": "the alumni",
  "note": "reconstructed from linkedin and blog bylines — completeness not guaranteed. thorsten ball (swe jan 2024–jan 2025) ran the zed decoded interview series and the canonical 'we have to start over' founder postmortem; returned to sourcegraph and co-founded amp. nate butler (lead designer jul 2021–aug 2025) designed the first zed.dev site; now at github next. julia risley held community/ops bylines on the early weekly posts.",
  "role": "team",
  "sourceIds": [
    "src-hp-thorsten-linkedin",
    "src-hp-thorsten-about",
    "src-hp-nate-linkedin",
    "src-hp-zed-blog-index"
  ]
}

the backers · zed-people

Original location · source-916ff1dbba9e3bec982b · source-ee8b0fc1766b4a043286 · source-b8f61bc7fd21cb5b314a · source-614dfef9874b51ef8256 · source-8088c8bc305ec8195620 · source-9f97616c151d0ffd25d7

Original structured fields

{
  "handle": null,
  "id": "backers",
  "name": "the backers",
  "note": "root ventures, matchstick ventures, and v1.vc at the ~$2.5m seed (no public lead); redpoint ventures (patrick chase, erica brescia) led the $10m series a with angels dylan field, tom preston-werner, spencer kimball, rahul vohra, and todd goldberg; sequoia (sonya huang, james flynn) led the $32m series b citing '150k active developers each month' (self-reported).",
  "role": "team",
  "sourceIds": [
    "src-hp-everydev",
    "src-hp-techcrunch-10m",
    "src-hp-prweb-series-a",
    "src-ci-sequoia-backs",
    "src-hp-sequoia-partnering",
    "src-hp-zed-about"
  ]
}

ai as a collaboration problem · zed-themes
Original location
Original structured fields
```
{
  "text": "ai as a collaboration problem"
}
```
collaboration close to code · zed-themes
Original location
Original structured fields
```
{
  "text": "collaboration close to code"
}
```
beyond commits · zed-themes
Original location
Original structured fields
```
{
  "text": "beyond commits"
}
```
open source as strategy · zed-themes
Original location
Original structured fields
```
{
  "text": "open source as strategy"
}
```
own the whole stack · zed-themes
Original location
Original structured fields
```
{
  "text": "own the whole stack"
}
```
speed as a moral obligation · zed-themes
Original location
Original structured fields
```
{
  "text": "speed as a moral obligation"
}
```
the atom reckoning · zed-themes
Original location
Original structured fields
```
{
  "text": "the atom reckoning"
}
```

introducing atom · zed-writings · 2014-02-26 (day)

Original location · source-6a3f6be97dd34a9310ff

Original structured fields

{
  "date": "2014-02-26",
  "id": "wrt-introducing-atom",
  "kind": "essay",
  "person": "sobo",
  "quotes": [
    {
      "sourceId": "src-hp-atom-intro",
      "text": "our goal is a zero-compromise combination of hackability and usability"
    }
  ],
  "sourceIds": [
    "src-hp-atom-intro"
  ],
  "summary": "the atom beta announcement — the first version of the thesis zed still runs on, written in javascript instead of rust.",
  "themes": [
    "the atom reckoning",
    "collaboration close to code"
  ],
  "title": "introducing atom",
  "traction": null,
  "url": "https://atom-editor.cc/blog/2014/02/26/introducing-atom",
  "venue": "atom blog"
}

introducing teletype for atom · zed-writings · 2017-11-15 (day)

Original location · source-ab4acdf0c5eb0025240a · source-2f8daac88290e4b93690

Original structured fields

{
  "date": "2017-11-15",
  "id": "wrt-teletype",
  "kind": "post",
  "person": "scandurra",
  "quotes": [],
  "sourceIds": [
    "src-hp-teletype",
    "src-hp-infoq-teletype"
  ],
  "summary": "the teletype beta announcement — encrypted peer-to-peer editing on a custom crdt, unveiled by sobo at qcon sf. the first time the team shipped the collaboration thesis in production.",
  "themes": [
    "collaboration close to code",
    "beyond commits"
  ],
  "title": "introducing teletype for atom",
  "traction": null,
  "url": "https://github.blog/news-insights/product-news/introducing-teletype-for-atom-code-collaboratively-in-real-time/",
  "venue": "github blog"
}

introducing zed · zed-writings · 2022-06-08 (day)

Original location · source-a53bf37896d56f82ff95 · source-9f97616c151d0ffd25d7

Original structured fields

{
  "date": "2022-06-08",
  "id": "wrt-introducing-zed",
  "kind": "essay",
  "person": "sobo",
  "quotes": [
    {
      "sourceId": "src-hp-zed-introducing-2022",
      "text": "mission-critical tools should be hyper-responsive… you should see pixels on the next refresh of your display—every time"
    },
    {
      "sourceId": "src-hp-zed-introducing-2022",
      "text": "conversations should happen close to code"
    },
    {
      "sourceId": "src-hp-zed-introducing-2022",
      "text": "your editor should disappear"
    }
  ],
  "sourceIds": [
    "src-hp-zed-introducing-2022",
    "src-hp-zed-about"
  ],
  "summary": "the manifesto landing page published the day atom's sunset was announced — the four assumptions (hyper-responsiveness, real-time collaboration, conversations close to code, the disappearing editor) still live on zed.dev/about.",
  "themes": [
    "speed as a moral obligation",
    "collaboration close to code",
    "the atom reckoning"
  ],
  "title": "introducing zed",
  "traction": "waitlist reportedly reached ~12,000",
  "url": "https://zed.dev/",
  "venue": "zed.dev"
}

how crdts make multiplayer text editing part of zed's dna · zed-writings · 2022-12-01 (day)

Original location · source-f9ba7a8bca444cd7fdf1

Original structured fields

{
  "date": "2022-12-01",
  "id": "wrt-crdts",
  "kind": "essay",
  "person": "sobo",
  "quotes": [
    {
      "sourceId": "src-hp-zed-crdts",
      "text": "so 16 years ago, i decided to build one. it took a failed attempt, many hard lessons, and the help of some talented friends, but the tool i've been striving to create is finally emerging in the 135k lines of rust that constitute zed"
    }
  ],
  "sourceIds": [
    "src-hp-zed-crdts"
  ],
  "summary": "the first zed.dev blog post — crdts as the editor's dna, with the engelbart framing and the sixteen-year callback to sobo's original editor dream.",
  "themes": [
    "collaboration close to code",
    "the atom reckoning"
  ],
  "title": "how crdts make multiplayer text editing part of zed's dna",
  "traction": null,
  "url": "https://zed.dev/blog/crdts",
  "venue": "zed blog"
}

this week at zed industries: #1 · zed-writings · 2023-01-23 (day)

Original location · source-a99fccf0df0fef33af49

Original structured fields

{
  "date": "2023-01-23",
  "id": "wrt-week1",
  "kind": "essay",
  "person": "sobo",
  "quotes": [
    {
      "sourceId": "src-hp-zed-week1",
      "text": "three months in, i realized that i couldn't let go of my dream of building the ultimate editor, so i left warp to start zed"
    }
  ],
  "sourceIds": [
    "src-hp-zed-week1"
  ],
  "summary": "the kickoff of the 'this week at zed industries' journal — the fullest first-person founding narrative: xray's death, the 2019 restart, the warp detour, the march 2022 dogfooding switch.",
  "themes": [
    "the atom reckoning",
    "own the whole stack"
  ],
  "title": "this week at zed industries: #1",
  "traction": null,
  "url": "https://zed.dev/blog/this-week-at-zed-1",
  "venue": "zed blog"
}

leveraging rust and the gpu to render user interfaces at 120 fps · zed-writings · 2023-03-07 (day)

Original location · source-a2f75cab6763fe08751c

Original structured fields

{
  "date": "2023-03-07",
  "id": "wrt-videogame",
  "kind": "essay",
  "person": "scandurra",
  "quotes": [],
  "sourceIds": [
    "src-ci-videogame-gpui"
  ],
  "summary": "the gpui reveal — rendering the editor like a video game at 120 fps, per-primitive shaders on the gpu, a rust-native ui stack owned end to end.",
  "themes": [
    "own the whole stack",
    "speed as a moral obligation"
  ],
  "title": "leveraging rust and the gpu to render user interfaces at 120 fps",
  "traction": null,
  "url": "https://zed.dev/blog/videogame",
  "venue": "zed blog"
}

introducing zed: a high-performance, multiplayer code editor. now in beta. · zed-writings · 2023-03-15 (day)

Original location · source-e30e7617266fc24beeda

Original structured fields

{
  "date": "2023-03-15",
  "id": "wrt-beta",
  "kind": "post",
  "person": "sobo",
  "quotes": [
    {
      "sourceId": "src-hp-zed-beta",
      "text": "the beta release we're sharing today is a shadow of the tool we envision… it's time for our baby to leave the nest"
    }
  ],
  "sourceIds": [
    "src-hp-zed-beta"
  ],
  "summary": "the public-beta post — macos only, admitting the gap between the shadow shipped and the tool envisioned.",
  "themes": [
    "collaboration close to code",
    "speed as a moral obligation"
  ],
  "title": "introducing zed: a high-performance, multiplayer code editor. now in beta.",
  "traction": "223 points, 171 comments on hn",
  "url": "https://zed.dev/blog/beta",
  "venue": "zed blog"
}

syntax-aware editing · zed-writings · 2023-03-27 (day)

Original location · source-02165f5884acdebdb3fd

Original structured fields

{
  "date": "2023-03-27",
  "id": "wrt-syntax-aware",
  "kind": "essay",
  "person": "brunsfeld",
  "quotes": [],
  "sourceIds": [
    "src-hp-zed-syntax-aware"
  ],
  "summary": "tree-sitter's creator on tree-sitter inside zed — syntax-aware editing as the payoff of the decade-old side project.",
  "themes": [
    "own the whole stack"
  ],
  "title": "syntax-aware editing",
  "traction": null,
  "url": "https://zed.dev/blog/syntax-aware-editing",
  "venue": "zed blog"
}

we've decided to open source zed… on zed · zed-writings · 2023-06-14 (day)

Original location · source-bef9a7d3bc582b7d84aa

Original structured fields

{
  "date": "2023-06-14",
  "id": "wrt-open-source-on-zed",
  "kind": "post",
  "person": "sobo",
  "quotes": [],
  "sourceIds": [
    "src-hp-zed-open-source-on-zed"
  ],
  "summary": "'building a platform that open sources itself' — the decision announced seven months ahead of the relicensing, staged so the community could watch it happen on zed.",
  "themes": [
    "open source as strategy"
  ],
  "title": "we've decided to open source zed… on zed",
  "traction": null,
  "url": "https://zed.dev/blog/open-sourcing-zed-on-zed",
  "venue": "zed blog"
}

introducing the assistant · zed-writings · 2023-06-28 (day)

Original location · source-00788dd5591215d8ad9a

Original structured fields

{
  "date": "2023-06-28",
  "id": "wrt-assistant",
  "kind": "post",
  "person": "team",
  "quotes": [
    {
      "sourceId": "src-hp-zed-assistant",
      "text": "text is the ultimate user interface"
    }
  ],
  "sourceIds": [
    "src-hp-zed-assistant"
  ],
  "summary": "the assistant panel — an llm conversation as a plain editable buffer, the text-document ux that later defines the agent panel.",
  "themes": [
    "ai as a collaboration problem"
  ],
  "title": "introducing the assistant",
  "traction": null,
  "url": "https://zed.dev/blog/assistant",
  "venue": "zed blog"
}

introducing channels · zed-writings · 2024-01-17 (day)

Original location · source-6f1b23eaaa240d19aba0

Original structured fields

{
  "date": "2024-01-17",
  "id": "wrt-channels",
  "kind": "post",
  "person": "team",
  "quotes": [],
  "sourceIds": [
    "src-hp-zed-channels"
  ],
  "summary": "irwin's channels launch — link-shareable collab rooms that become the company's own office and the direct ancestor of delta's shared workspaces.",
  "themes": [
    "collaboration close to code"
  ],
  "title": "introducing channels",
  "traction": null,
  "url": "https://zed.dev/blog/channels",
  "venue": "zed blog"
}

zed is now open source · zed-writings · 2024-01-24 (day)

Original location · source-cfaf542523184df94302 · source-930ced1aa5c655493a7f

Original structured fields

{
  "date": "2024-01-24",
  "id": "wrt-open-source",
  "kind": "essay",
  "person": "sobo",
  "quotes": [
    {
      "sourceId": "src-hp-zed-oss",
      "text": "we're never going to show you a banner ad in your code editor, and if we do, you can always build zed from source"
    }
  ],
  "sourceIds": [
    "src-hp-zed-oss",
    "src-ci-hn-zed-open-source"
  ],
  "summary": "the relicensing post — copyleft for the editor and server, permissive apache-2 for gpui, proprietary code meant to stay 'a tiny fraction.' sell services, not the editor.",
  "themes": [
    "open source as strategy"
  ],
  "title": "zed is now open source",
  "traction": "1,576 points, 601 comments on hn",
  "url": "https://zed.dev/blog/zed-is-now-open-source",
  "venue": "zed blog"
}

ownership and data flow in gpui · zed-writings · 2024-01-25 (day)

Original location · source-d272b95b1950e844ce06 · source-ed597e960e27f6e0c0e0

Original structured fields

{
  "date": "2024-01-25",
  "id": "wrt-gpui-ownership",
  "kind": "essay",
  "person": "sobo",
  "quotes": [],
  "sourceIds": [
    "src-hp-zed-gpui-ownership",
    "src-hp-zed-120fps"
  ],
  "summary": "the gpui internals pair — ownership and data flow, then the metal-pipeline post with scandurra on holding 120 fps. the 'zed decoded' register applied to the company's own framework.",
  "themes": [
    "own the whole stack",
    "speed as a moral obligation"
  ],
  "title": "ownership and data flow in gpui",
  "traction": null,
  "url": "https://zed.dev/blog/gpui-ownership",
  "venue": "zed blog"
}

extensible language support in zed — part 1 · zed-writings · 2024-04-18 (day)

Original location · source-b963fb29b3c99f21ee95 · source-1dcd9447c853579832a9

Original structured fields

{
  "date": "2024-04-18",
  "id": "wrt-language-extensions",
  "kind": "essay",
  "person": "brunsfeld",
  "quotes": [],
  "sourceIds": [
    "src-ci-language-extensions",
    "src-ci-hn-sobo-atom-comment"
  ],
  "summary": "the wasm/wit extension architecture with marshall bowers — sandboxed, tree-sitter-grammar-carrying, deliberately narrower than atom's anything-goes packages: 'a more conservative approach with our apis to preserve our core values.'",
  "themes": [
    "own the whole stack",
    "the atom reckoning"
  ],
  "title": "extensible language support in zed — part 1",
  "traction": null,
  "url": "https://zed.dev/blog/language-extensions-part-1",
  "venue": "zed blog"
}

zed now predicts your next edit with zeta · zed-writings · 2025-02-13 (day)

Original location · source-e2c5eae4dc44db1ed651 · source-d38084097093e7e02339

Original structured fields

{
  "date": "2025-02-13",
  "id": "wrt-edit-prediction",
  "kind": "post",
  "person": "team",
  "quotes": [],
  "sourceIds": [
    "src-ci-edit-prediction",
    "src-hp-hf-zeta"
  ],
  "summary": "edit prediction on zeta — open weights and an open dataset on hugging face, opt-in training telemetry. the open-model answer to copilot-style prediction.",
  "themes": [
    "ai as a collaboration problem",
    "open source as strategy"
  ],
  "title": "zed now predicts your next edit with zeta",
  "traction": "516 points, 290 comments on hn",
  "url": "https://zed.dev/blog/edit-prediction",
  "venue": "zed blog"
}

the case for software craftsmanship in the era of vibes · zed-writings · 2025-06-12 (day)

Original location · source-245965459a345d03a340

Original structured fields

{
  "date": "2025-06-12",
  "id": "wrt-craftsmanship",
  "kind": "essay",
  "person": "sobo",
  "quotes": [],
  "sourceIds": [
    "src-hp-zed-craftsmanship"
  ],
  "summary": "'the case for software craftsmanship in the era of vibes' — sobo's defense of the hand-built stack while the industry pivots to generated code.",
  "themes": [
    "own the whole stack",
    "speed as a moral obligation"
  ],
  "title": "the case for software craftsmanship in the era of vibes",
  "traction": null,
  "url": "https://zed.dev/blog/software-craftsmanship-in-the-era-of-vibes",
  "venue": "zed blog"
}

you can now disable all ai features in zed · zed-writings · 2025-07-23 (day)

Original location · source-01285f0dc869f4817323 · source-559dc2ef7c41c3b1cb36

Original structured fields

{
  "date": "2025-07-23",
  "id": "wrt-disable-ai",
  "kind": "post",
  "person": "team",
  "quotes": [],
  "sourceIds": [
    "src-ci-disable-ai",
    "src-ci-gh-disable-ai-discussion"
  ],
  "summary": "`disable_ai: true` — the setting that answers a year of requests for a global ai kill switch, covered as a concession to a real constituency.",
  "themes": [
    "ai as a collaboration problem"
  ],
  "title": "you can now disable all ai features in zed",
  "traction": "577 points, 269 comments on hn",
  "url": "https://zed.dev/blog/disable-ai-features",
  "venue": "zed blog"
}

sequoia backs zed's vision for collaborative coding · zed-writings · 2025-08-20 (day)

Original location · source-614dfef9874b51ef8256 · source-e1617349b7fa81c1edd9

Original structured fields

{
  "date": "2025-08-20",
  "id": "wrt-sequoia-backs",
  "kind": "post",
  "person": "sobo",
  "quotes": [
    {
      "sourceId": "src-ci-sequoia-backs",
      "text": "a new kind of operation-based version control that incrementally tracks the evolution of your code with edit-level granularity"
    }
  ],
  "sourceIds": [
    "src-ci-sequoia-backs",
    "src-ci-businesswire-32m"
  ],
  "summary": "the series b post that doubles as deltadb's first public description — the memo idea from xray, resurfaced as the company's stated reason to exist.",
  "themes": [
    "beyond commits",
    "open source as strategy"
  ],
  "title": "sequoia backs zed's vision for collaborative coding",
  "traction": "450 points, 325 comments on hn",
  "url": "https://zed.dev/blog/sequoia-backs-zed",
  "venue": "zed blog"
}

bring your own agent to zed — featuring gemini cli · zed-writings · 2025-08-27 (day)

Original location · source-dd56664a3d9be92053f2 · source-77ee2f5560b322bf04d9

Original structured fields

{
  "date": "2025-08-27",
  "id": "wrt-acp",
  "kind": "essay",
  "person": "sobo",
  "quotes": [
    {
      "sourceId": "src-hp-zed-acp",
      "text": "just as the language server protocol unbundled language intelligence from monolithic ides"
    }
  ],
  "sourceIds": [
    "src-hp-zed-acp",
    "src-hp-register-acp"
  ],
  "summary": "the acp launch — an open json-rpc protocol so external agents plug into any editor the way lsp plugged in language intelligence; google's gemini cli as reference agent.",
  "themes": [
    "ai as a collaboration problem",
    "open source as strategy"
  ],
  "title": "bring your own agent to zed — featuring gemini cli",
  "traction": "175 points on hn",
  "url": "https://zed.dev/blog/bring-your-own-agent-to-zed",
  "venue": "zed blog"
}

windows when? windows now · zed-writings · 2025-10-15 (day)

Original location · source-e366a5d5d80697730661 · source-8757c7149fd549b4af97

Original structured fields

{
  "date": "2025-10-15",
  "id": "wrt-windows",
  "kind": "post",
  "person": "brunsfeld",
  "quotes": [],
  "sourceIds": [
    "src-hp-zed-windows",
    "src-ci-windows-progress"
  ],
  "summary": "'windows when? windows now' — the ga post that closes the two-year question, on a hand-built directx 11 backend after the vulkan attempt failed.",
  "themes": [
    "own the whole stack"
  ],
  "title": "windows when? windows now",
  "traction": "548 points, 365 comments on hn",
  "url": "https://zed.dev/blog/zed-for-windows-is-here",
  "venue": "zed blog"
}

zed is our office · zed-writings · 2025-11-13 (day)

Original location · source-53f6f9a21eaf59da6cd6 · source-eacf70c1d3b5915a7502

Original structured fields

{
  "date": "2025-11-13",
  "id": "wrt-zed-office",
  "kind": "essay",
  "person": "team",
  "quotes": [],
  "sourceIds": [
    "src-ci-zed-office",
    "src-ci-hn-zed-office"
  ],
  "summary": "the dogfooding essay — the whole remote company runs all-hands inside zed channels, the collaboration thesis lived rather than marketed.",
  "themes": [
    "collaboration close to code"
  ],
  "title": "zed is our office",
  "traction": "627 points, 331 comments on hn",
  "url": "https://zed.dev/blog/zed-is-our-office",
  "venue": "zed blog"
}

zed is 1.0 · zed-writings · 2026-04-29 (day)

Original location · source-3e52389587b42b143427 · source-74ae3ab2b91dc4d710c5

Original structured fields

{
  "date": "2026-04-29",
  "id": "wrt-zed-10",
  "kind": "essay",
  "person": "sobo",
  "quotes": [
    {
      "sourceId": "src-hp-zed-10",
      "text": "1.0 doesn't mean 'done'. it also doesn't mean 'perfect'. it means we've reached a tipping point where most developers can quickly feel at home in zed"
    }
  ],
  "sourceIds": [
    "src-hp-zed-10",
    "src-ci-hn-zed-1-0"
  ],
  "summary": "the 1.0 essay — over a million lines of code, 'hundreds of thousands of developers' daily (self-reported), acp agents from claude to cursor, and zed for business announced alongside.",
  "themes": [
    "speed as a moral obligation",
    "ai as a collaboration problem"
  ],
  "title": "zed is 1.0",
  "traction": "2,153 points, 690 comments on hn — the largest zed thread ever",
  "url": "https://zed.dev/blog/zed-1-0",
  "venue": "zed blog"
}

we're not building ai features for the money · zed-writings · 2026-05-05 (day)

Original location · source-fb1dbb8b6b0b3665edf0 · source-7c7e5f0fa23cd295a0ee

Original structured fields

{
  "date": "2026-05-05",
  "id": "wrt-not-for-money",
  "kind": "essay",
  "person": "team",
  "quotes": [
    {
      "sourceId": "src-hp-zed-ai-money",
      "text": "we were selling tokens at a loss to most paying ai users until we switched to token-based billing"
    }
  ],
  "sourceIds": [
    "src-hp-zed-ai-money",
    "src-ci-hn-not-for-money"
  ],
  "summary": "irwin's direct response to 'zed's focus is on ai because that's where the money's going' — the economics disclosed, the long-term bet named: monetize the collaborative workspace, not the editor.",
  "themes": [
    "ai as a collaboration problem",
    "beyond commits"
  ],
  "title": "we're not building ai features for the money",
  "traction": "skeptical hn reception",
  "url": "https://zed.dev/blog/not-building-ai-for-the-money",
  "venue": "zed blog"
}

software is made between commits · zed-writings · 2026-06-11 (day)

Original location · source-810463f1c66dcbec7e4d · source-2b8217c49492c3c1b6dd

Original structured fields

{
  "date": "2026-06-11",
  "id": "wrt-deltadb",
  "kind": "essay",
  "person": "sobo",
  "quotes": [
    {
      "sourceId": "src-hp-zed-deltadb",
      "text": "so in 2021, we founded zed to move beyond the constraints of commits"
    }
  ],
  "sourceIds": [
    "src-hp-zed-deltadb",
    "src-ci-techtimes-deltadb"
  ],
  "summary": "'software is made between commits' — the deltadb thesis: every operation addressable, worktree and conversation versioned together, git-compatible. the 2018 memo idea, grown up.",
  "themes": [
    "beyond commits",
    "collaboration close to code"
  ],
  "title": "software is made between commits",
  "traction": "529 points, 314 comments on hn",
  "url": "https://zed.dev/blog/introducing-deltadb",
  "venue": "zed blog"
}

introducing delta · zed-writings · 2026-08-12 (day)

Original location · source-6ab21187dd66df37e33e

Original structured fields

{
  "date": "2026-08-12",
  "id": "wrt-delta",
  "kind": "post",
  "person": "sobo",
  "quotes": [
    {
      "sourceId": "src-hp-zed-delta",
      "text": "delta keeps code and conversations connected"
    }
  ],
  "sourceIds": [
    "src-hp-zed-delta"
  ],
  "summary": "the delta private-beta post — the multiplayer agent-review environment as a separate app, not a zed feature, so the editor's hundred-thousands of daily users aren't disrupted.",
  "themes": [
    "beyond commits",
    "ai as a collaboration problem"
  ],
  "title": "introducing delta",
  "traction": null,
  "url": "https://zed.dev/blog/introducing-delta",
  "venue": "zed blog"
}

xanadu was waiting for agents · zed-writings · 2026-09-01 (day)

Original location · source-8cc277276f3d3b0577d0

Original structured fields

{
  "date": "2026-09-01",
  "id": "wrt-xanadu",
  "kind": "essay",
  "person": "sobo",
  "quotes": [],
  "sourceIds": [
    "src-hp-zed-xanadu"
  ],
  "summary": "'xanadu was waiting for agents' — sobo's ted nelson essay framing delta's threads inside the docuverse lineage: transclusion-era ideas whose moment arrived with agents.",
  "themes": [
    "beyond commits",
    "ai as a collaboration problem"
  ],
  "title": "xanadu was waiting for agents",
  "traction": null,
  "url": "https://zed.dev/blog/agentic-xanadu",
  "venue": "zed blog"
}

replace prs with delta — now in public beta · zed-writings · 2026-09-16 (day)

Original location · source-80242d003c5dd324f54d · source-e1cf7a00ad9f160d8571

Original structured fields

{
  "date": "2026-09-16",
  "id": "wrt-delta-public",
  "kind": "post",
  "person": "sobo",
  "quotes": [
    {
      "sourceId": "src-hp-zed-delta-public",
      "text": "it seems like everyone is in a race to replace github right now"
    }
  ],
  "sourceIds": [
    "src-hp-zed-delta-public",
    "src-hp-tns-delta"
  ],
  "summary": "the public-beta post — prs disabled on delta's own repo, '33 of us have landed 570 changes to main' (self-reported), threads as 'the new fundamental unit of software development.'",
  "themes": [
    "beyond commits"
  ],
  "title": "replace prs with delta — now in public beta",
  "traction": null,
  "url": "https://zed.dev/blog/delta-public-beta",
  "venue": "zed blog"
}

we have to start over: from atom to zed · zed-writings · 2024-02-12 (day)

Original location · source-b8848f4c3741d56ff6d7 · source-c9322731e3a2f41f9814

Original structured fields

{
  "date": "2024-02-12",
  "id": "wrt-start-over",
  "kind": "interview",
  "person": "sobo",
  "quotes": [
    {
      "sourceId": "src-hp-zed-start-over",
      "text": "the ironic thing is that we created electron to create atom, but i can't imagine a worse application for electron than a code editor"
    },
    {
      "sourceId": "src-hp-zed-start-over",
      "text": "we have to start over, this isn't working and we're never going to get this where we want it to go. vs code has done an admirable job of getting it as far as it's gonna go"
    }
  ],
  "sourceIds": [
    "src-hp-zed-start-over",
    "src-ci-hn-start-over"
  ],
  "summary": "thorsten ball's three-founder postmortem — the canonical atom→zed account: sobo's 2017 journaling revelation, the pathfinder/sdf rendering detours, raph levien's rust writing as the nudge.",
  "themes": [
    "the atom reckoning",
    "own the whole stack"
  ],
  "title": "we have to start over: from atom to zed",
  "traction": "296 points, 234 comments on hn",
  "url": "https://zed.dev/blog/we-have-to-start-over",
  "venue": "zed blog"
}

why the big rewrite? · zed-writings · 2024-01-23 (day)

Original location · source-f985c352072035e3610d

Original structured fields

{
  "date": "2024-01-23",
  "id": "wrt-big-rewrite",
  "kind": "interview",
  "person": "sobo",
  "quotes": [],
  "sourceIds": [
    "src-hp-zed-big-rewrite"
  ],
  "summary": "ball × founders on why a rewrite at all — the companion piece to the february postmortem.",
  "themes": [
    "the atom reckoning",
    "own the whole stack"
  ],
  "title": "why the big rewrite?",
  "traction": null,
  "url": "https://zed.dev/blog/why-the-big-rewrite",
  "venue": "zed blog"
}

goodbye atom. hello zed. · zed-writings · 2023-03-15 (day)

Original location · source-538d005dfb2a84ee9cc5

Original structured fields

{
  "date": "2023-03-15",
  "id": "wrt-changelog-531",
  "kind": "podcast",
  "person": "sobo",
  "quotes": [
    {
      "sourceId": "src-hp-changelog-531",
      "text": "as atom's sun sets, zed's sun is rising. we are not done here"
    }
  ],
  "sourceIds": [
    "src-hp-changelog-531"
  ],
  "summary": "'goodbye atom. hello zed.' — the first long-form founder interview, on beta day: mission, gpui, business model, multiplayer.",
  "themes": [
    "the atom reckoning",
    "collaboration close to code"
  ],
  "title": "goodbye atom. hello zed.",
  "traction": null,
  "url": "https://changelog.com/podcast/531",
  "venue": "the changelog #531"
}

zed's secret sauce · zed-writings · 2024-03-01 (day)

Original location · source-245d0b75ad53ee4adb81

Original structured fields

{
  "date": "2024-03-01",
  "id": "wrt-friends-33",
  "kind": "podcast",
  "person": "sobo",
  "quotes": [],
  "sourceIds": [
    "src-hp-changelog-friends33"
  ],
  "summary": "'zed's secret sauce' — the post-open-source check-in: extensions roadmap, community response, the 'embracing ai' segment.",
  "themes": [
    "open source as strategy"
  ],
  "title": "zed's secret sauce",
  "traction": null,
  "url": "https://changelog.com/friends/33",
  "venue": "changelog & friends #33"
}

native uis without electron · zed-writings · 2024-05-04 (day)

Original location · source-dc48c1c02ebb8be8a0e3

Original structured fields

{
  "date": "2024-05-04",
  "id": "wrt-unscripted-90",
  "kind": "podcast",
  "person": "sobo",
  "quotes": [],
  "sourceIds": [
    "src-hp-unscripted-90"
  ],
  "summary": "'native uis without electron' — richard feldman interviews sobo on software unscripted, a year before feldman joined the company.",
  "themes": [
    "own the whole stack"
  ],
  "title": "native uis without electron",
  "traction": null,
  "url": "https://shows.acast.com/software-unscripted/episodes/664fde448c77cc0013b33384",
  "venue": "software unscripted #90"
}

building the zed text editor · zed-writings · 2024-06-05 (day)

Original location · source-ea1cd22ea9cb92693bd4

Original structured fields

{
  "date": "2024-06-05",
  "id": "wrt-dev-voices",
  "kind": "interview",
  "person": "sobo",
  "quotes": [],
  "sourceIds": [
    "src-hp-dev-voices"
  ],
  "summary": "kris jenkins interviews sobo on building zed — the mid-2024 state of the stack.",
  "themes": [
    "own the whole stack"
  ],
  "title": "building the zed text editor",
  "traction": null,
  "url": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/building-the-zed-text-editor-with-nathan-sobo/id1687271887?i=1000657937802",
  "venue": "developer voices"
}

building zed's agentic editing · zed-writings · 2025-05-07 (day)

Original location · source-1ac5839d2657ccd70300

Original structured fields

{
  "date": "2025-05-07",
  "id": "wrt-changelog-640",
  "kind": "podcast",
  "person": "sobo",
  "quotes": [],
  "sourceIds": [
    "src-hp-changelog-640"
  ],
  "summary": "'building zed's agentic editing' — sobo on the agent panel, 'open source, the hard way,' and the business model, published on launch day.",
  "themes": [
    "ai as a collaboration problem",
    "open source as strategy"
  ],
  "title": "building zed's agentic editing",
  "traction": null,
  "url": "https://changelog.com/podcast/640",
  "venue": "the changelog #640"
}

the workflow of the future with zed · zed-writings · 2026 (year)

Original location · source-3968ec61dafbc36ca5c6

Original structured fields

{
  "date": "2026",
  "id": "wrt-syntax-1029",
  "kind": "podcast",
  "person": "sobo",
  "quotes": [],
  "sourceIds": [
    "src-hp-syntax-1029"
  ],
  "summary": "'the workflow of the future with zed' — sobo on rust, gpui, and what happens to editors once agents write most of the code; the deltadb/delta pitch on the mainstream dev-podcast circuit.",
  "themes": [
    "beyond commits",
    "ai as a collaboration problem"
  ],
  "title": "the workflow of the future with zed",
  "traction": null,
  "url": "https://www.syntax.fm/show/1029/the-workflow-of-the-future-with-zed",
  "venue": "syntax #1029"
}

zed 1.0: gpui, rust, and the future of native apps · zed-writings · 2026 (year)

Original location · source-0db92ea8bf2da0e03f65 · source-c6ebd9415aa9c365c0a4

Original structured fields

{
  "date": "2026",
  "id": "wrt-podrocket-maki",
  "kind": "podcast",
  "person": "team",
  "quotes": [],
  "sourceIds": [
    "src-hp-mu-podrocket",
    "src-ci-podrocket-mikayla"
  ],
  "summary": "mikayla maki on 'zed 1.0: gpui, rust, and the future of native apps' — the 2022 intern who built the terminal now carrying the agent-era story.",
  "themes": [
    "own the whole stack"
  ],
  "title": "zed 1.0: gpui, rust, and the future of native apps",
  "traction": null,
  "url": "https://podrocket.logrocket.com/zed-1-0-gpui-rust-future-native-apps-mikayla-maki",
  "venue": "podrocket"
}

collaborative coding at the speed of light · zed-writings · 2022-05-05 (day)

Original location · source-cd781c95b15bc87db4c9

Original structured fields

{
  "date": "2022-05-05",
  "id": "wrt-first-demo",
  "kind": "video",
  "person": "sobo",
  "quotes": [],
  "sourceIds": [
    "src-hp-yt-zed-demo"
  ],
  "summary": "'zed: collaborative coding at the speed of light' — the first public demo, promising a private alpha in the coming weeks.",
  "themes": [
    "speed as a moral obligation",
    "collaboration close to code"
  ],
  "title": "collaborative coding at the speed of light",
  "traction": null,
  "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXT73bBr83s",
  "venue": "youtube"
}

tree-sitter: a new parsing system for programming tools · zed-writings · 2017-12-11 (day)

Original location · source-baefd9ea83e521ca619e · source-ba171b09f4be6c41d4b3

Original structured fields

{
  "date": "2017-12-11",
  "id": "wrt-galois-talk",
  "kind": "talk",
  "person": "brunsfeld",
  "quotes": [],
  "sourceIds": [
    "src-hp-galois-treesitter",
    "src-hp-yt-ts-talk"
  ],
  "summary": "'tree-sitter: a new parsing system for programming tools' — the galois talk given while github wired tree-sitter into github.com and atom.",
  "themes": [
    "own the whole stack"
  ],
  "title": "tree-sitter: a new parsing system for programming tools",
  "traction": null,
  "url": "https://galois.com/blog/2017/12/tree-sitter-new-parsing-system-programming-tools/",
  "venue": "galois tech talk"
}