# zed: the idea

> the fast-editor-as-collaboration-layer idea — the lineage from engelbart through atom, what zed proved, what stalled, and what delta is for.

## lineage

- 1968 — engelbart's nls and xanadu: the mother of all demos and the mother of all unbuilt software — sobo explicitly cites engelbart's nls/augment vision and doug's lost collaboration paradigm in the first zed post, and 'xanadu was waiting for agents' puts delta in the docuverse lineage. (sources: [first blog post](https://zed.dev/blog/crdts), [sobos ted nelson essay](https://zed.dev/blog/agentic-xanadu))
- 2011–2022 — atom and electron: the first attempt — hackability plus usability on a webview shell, which delivered electron to the world and the performance ceiling to its own authors. 'we created electron to create atom, but i can't imagine a worse application for electron than a code editor.' (sources: [atom public beta, by nathansobo](https://atom-editor.cc/blog/2014/02/26/introducing-atom), [mit open-sourcing incl](https://web.archive.org/web/20170424022832/http:/blog.atom.io/2014/05/06/atom-is-now-open-source.html), [definitive atom→zed postmortem interview](https://zed.dev/blog/we-have-to-start-over), [github announces atom archive for dec 15, 2022](https://web.archive.org/web/20220805153654/https:/github.blog/2022-06-08-sunsetting-atom/))
- 2013– — tree-sitter: the parser that outlived its editor — brunsfeld's incremental glr engine went to github.com, neovim, helix, and emacs, and became zed's syntax layer and extension-grammar format. (sources: [tree-sitter initial commit](https://github.com/tree-sitter/tree-sitter/commit/84c5bceb818127fd7728655fb209a1be92e53fde), [brunsfeld galois talk](https://galois.com/blog/2017/12/tree-sitter-new-parsing-system-programming-tools/), [brunsfeld on tree-sitter in zed](https://zed.dev/blog/syntax-aware-editing), [wasm/wit extension architecture](https://zed.dev/blog/zed-decoded-extensions))
- 2017 — teletype and crdts: the collaboration primitive — teletype's custom string-wise crdt proved real-time multi-cursor editing in production; 'conversations should happen close to code' became zed's founding assumption. (sources: [teletype beta](https://github.blog/news-insights/product-news/introducing-teletype-for-atom-code-collaboratively-in-real-time/), [qcon sf unveiling](https://www.infoq.com/news/2017/11/atom-teletype-collaboration/), [first blog post](https://zed.dev/blog/crdts))
- 2017–2019 — xray and memo: the failed rehearsal — xray's rust core and client/server crdt architecture died at github, but its memo side-project ('an operation-based version control system that tracks changes at the level of individual keystrokes') is the direct ancestor of deltadb eight years later. (sources: [xray: rust-core experimental editor](https://github.com/atom-archive/xray), [github has decided not to move forward](https://github.com/atom-archive/xray/blob/master/README.md), [memo = crdt vcs at keystroke level](https://github.com/atom-archive/xray/blob/master/docs/updates/2018_05_28.md), [deltadb detail](https://zed.dev/blog/introducing-deltadb))
- 2016 → 2025 — lsp → acp: the protocol precedent — lsp unbundled language intelligence from monolithic ides; acp applies the same move to agents. zed's stated strategy is to be the neutral surface rather than the deepest bundled model. (sources: [acp + gemini cli](https://zed.dev/blog/bring-your-own-agent-to-zed), [acp coverage](https://www.theregister.com/software/2025/08/28/google-zed-fight-vs-code-lock-in-with-agent-client-protocol/1500705), [agents as extensions](https://zed.dev/blog/agent-extensions))
- 2018–2021 — the rust-native stack: the native-stack conviction — raph levien's rust ui writing and xi-editor experience as the cited nudge; gpu-rendered immediate-mode rust (gpui) as the only way to 'pixels on the next refresh of your display — every time.' (sources: [definitive atom→zed postmortem interview](https://zed.dev/blog/we-have-to-start-over), [gpui 120fps gpu-ui rationale](https://zed.dev/blog/videogame), [gpui ownership/data flow (sobo)](https://zed.dev/blog/gpui-ownership), [introducing zed manifesto landing page](https://web.archive.org/web/20220608165127/https://zed.dev/))

## what zed proved

- the native editor works: a native, gpu-rendered editor can be built and loved — 'hundreds of thousands of developers' daily at 1.0 (self-reported), ~90k github stars, a two-year-long 'windows when?' demand curve, and 2,153 hn points for the 1.0 post. the speed claim is the moat. (sources: [zed 1](https://zed.dev/blog/zed-1-0), [created 2021-02-20](https://github.com/zed-industries/zed), [2,153 pts/690 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47949027), [548 pts/365 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45594920))
- the open-source flywheel: open source is the distribution and the hiring engine — 1,576 points at relicensing, the registry grew to ~1,500 extensions in two years, the debugger shipped as a community-led effort, and 'hired through github' converted contributors into employees. (sources: [1,576 pts/601 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39119835), [~1,119 registry / ~1,562 tracked extensions](https://github.com/HelgeSverre/gh-packages-zed), [dap debugger launch](https://zed.dev/blog/debugger), [hiring-from-contributors program](https://zed.dev/blog/hired-through-github-part-1))
- agents come to the neutral surface: the neutral-surface bet works — google initiated contact for acp, jetbrains adopted it, claude code and codex and opencode and cursor all run inside zed. when the model vendors fight, the editor can host them all. (sources: [acp + gemini cli](https://zed.dev/blog/bring-your-own-agent-to-zed), [jetbrains acp collaboration](https://zed.dev/blog/jetbrains-on-acp), [claude code beta in zed](https://zed.dev/blog/claude-code-via-acp), [codex via acp](https://zed.dev/blog/codex-is-live-in-zed), [zed 1](https://zed.dev/blog/zed-1-0))
- the craft is credible: the team keeps its own credential — the people who built atom's collaboration stack wrote the crdt papers' production sequel, and the engineering blog ('zed decoded') became a respected rust publication independent of the product. (sources: [official bios + roster (~40 people)](https://zed.dev/team), [async rust deep-dive w/ video](https://zed.dev/blog/zed-decoded-async-rust), [211 pts/88 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39981945), [sobo essay](https://zed.dev/blog/software-craftsmanship-in-the-era-of-vibes))
- the post-commit world exists: the second half of the plan exists in code — deltadb and delta shipped to public beta with pull requests disabled on the company's own repo: '33 of us have landed 570 changes to main' (self-reported). the memo idea from 2018 is a running product. (sources: [deltadb detail](https://zed.dev/blog/introducing-deltadb), [delta private beta](https://zed.dev/blog/introducing-delta), [delta public beta](https://zed.dev/blog/delta-public-beta))

## what stayed unfinished

- collaboration in the editor: collaboration inside the editor didn't stick — 'very few people leverage collab today' (company admission), the chat panel was removed wholesale, and channels survive as the office the team itself runs, not the product users adopted. (sources: [windows sign-in reprompt](https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/issues/40072), [chat feature removed](https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/pull/37789), [company runs all-hands inside zed channels](https://zed.dev/blog/zed-is-our-office), [delta private beta](https://zed.dev/blog/introducing-delta))
- the extension gap: the extension gap persists — a deliberately conservative wasm api produced ~1,119 listed extensions mid-2026 against vs code's tens of thousands; 'my one plugin isn't there' remains the standard switching objection. (sources: [~1,119 registry / ~1,562 tracked extensions](https://github.com/HelgeSverre/gh-packages-zed), [wasm/wasmtime + tree-sitter hybrid extension design](https://zed.dev/blog/language-extensions-part-1), [wasm/wit extension architecture](https://zed.dev/blog/zed-decoded-extensions))
- free ai: free ai didn't survive contact with the bill — free beta → at-cost billing → prompt bundles → token pass-through in eighteen months, each step read by some users as a smaller version of the same bait-and-switch. (sources: [usage-based billing for high-volume users](https://zed.dev/blog/zed-ai-billing), [$10 pro](https://zed.dev/blog/pricing-change-llm-usage-is-now-token-based), [182 pts/197 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45362425), [irwin: token pass-through economics](https://zed.dev/blog/not-building-ai-for-the-money))
- gpui for everyone: gpui as a standalone framework stays aspirational — apache-2 and documented, but unpublished as a supported crate; the community (gpui-component, loungy, zedis, termy) builds on it anyway, which is evidence for and against the 'ui framework for everyone' claim. (sources: [gpui framework site](https://gpui.rs/), [gpui third-party app catalog (loungy, zedis, termy, etc](https://github.com/feigeCode/awesome-gpui), [longbridges gpui component library](https://github.com/longbridge/gpui-component), [gpui ownership/data flow (sobo)](https://zed.dev/blog/gpui-ownership))
- the ai trust ledger: the ai-direction argument never fully closed — disable_ai shipped as a genuine concession, yet zedless exists and 'not much of an actual refutation' was the hn verdict on the economics defense. (sources: [disable_ai setting](https://zed.dev/blog/disable-ai-features), [privacy/local-first fork](https://github.com/zedless-editor/zedless/), [skeptical hn reception](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48034150), [ai-free mode wry coverage](https://www.theregister.com/software/2025/07/30/zed-code-editor-hears-your-prayers-rolls-out-ai-free-mode/883444))

## the agent-era turn

- (for) the whole history points one direction — teletype's crdt collaboration, xray's operation-based memo, channels, acp, and deltadb are one fifteen-year project. the company isn't pivoting toward the agent era; the agent era finally caught up to what they were building. (sources: [teletype beta](https://github.blog/news-insights/product-news/introducing-teletype-for-atom-code-collaboratively-in-real-time/), [memo = crdt vcs at keystroke level](https://github.com/atom-archive/xray/blob/master/docs/updates/2018_05_28.md), [deltadb detail](https://zed.dev/blog/introducing-deltadb), [sobos ted nelson essay](https://zed.dev/blog/agentic-xanadu))
- (against) the collaboration record cuts the other way — the team that argued 'conversations should happen close to code' watched 'very few people leverage collab today,' removed chat, and moved the bet to a separate app. delta is a relaunch, not a continuation. (sources: [windows sign-in reprompt](https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/issues/40072), [chat feature removed](https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/pull/37789), [delta private beta](https://zed.dev/blog/introducing-delta), [627 pts/331 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45916196))
- (for) the neutral-surface strategy is correctly calibrated for a model-vendor knife fight — acp means zed doesn't have to out-model openai or anthropic, just out-host everyone. jetbrains adopting the protocol is the strongest external validation yet. (sources: [acp + gemini cli](https://zed.dev/blog/bring-your-own-agent-to-zed), [jetbrains acp collaboration](https://zed.dev/blog/jetbrains-on-acp), [zed 1](https://zed.dev/blog/zed-1-0), [acp coverage](https://www.theregister.com/software/2025/08/28/google-zed-fight-vs-code-lock-in-with-agent-client-protocol/1500705))
- (against) the economics are still unproven — the editor is free, ai tokens were sold at a loss until token billing, business seats are six months old, and delta's paid plans don't exist yet. sequoia's $32m is a bet on the second half of the plan, not a verdict on it. (sources: [irwin: token pass-through economics](https://zed.dev/blog/not-building-ai-for-the-money), [1,100 contributors](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250820782241/en/Zed-Raises-%2432M-Series-B-Led-by-Sequoia-to-Scale-Collaborative-AI-Coding-Vision), [zed for business launch](https://zed.dev/blog/zed-for-business), [delta public beta](https://zed.dev/blog/delta-public-beta))
- (nuance) the moat may be the stack rather than the editor — if deltadb wins, delta matters more than zed; if it doesn't, zed is an excellent editor in a market where the giants give editors away. the company's own framing already separates the two bets. (sources: [deltadb detail](https://zed.dev/blog/introducing-deltadb), [delta private beta](https://zed.dev/blog/introducing-delta), [crdt explanation](https://www.techtimes.com/articles/318322/20260613/zed-opens-deltadb-waitlist-crdt-version-control-records-every-edit-not-just-commits.htm), [150k active developers each month (self-reported)](https://sequoiacap.com/article/partnering-with-zed-the-ai-powered-code-editor-built-from-scratch))
- (against) the trust ledger is the real ceiling — telemetry, cla, arbitration, token pricing, and feature removals each passed, but they compound into the question every 'can i switch yet' thread asks. zedless is the ledger made executable. (sources: [privacy/local-first fork](https://github.com/zedless-editor/zedless/), [contributor license and feedback agreement text](https://zed.dev/cla), [chat feature removed](https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/pull/37789), [182 pts/197 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45362425))
- (for) the strongest evidence for delta is that the company runs on it — 'zed is our office' made the dogfooding literal, and disabling pull requests on delta's own repo is a risk no marketing team would fake. (sources: [company runs all-hands inside zed channels](https://zed.dev/blog/zed-is-our-office), [delta public beta](https://zed.dev/blog/delta-public-beta), [third-party delta coverage](https://thenewstack.io/zed-delta-github-alternative/))

## successors

- [delta](https://delta.dev): the idea's own successor — the collaboration thesis grown into a separate product where threads replace pull requests. if it works, zed becomes the on-ramp, not the destination. (sources: [delta private beta](https://zed.dev/blog/introducing-delta), [delta public beta](https://zed.dev/blog/delta-public-beta), [delta product site](https://delta.dev))
- [cursor](https://cursor.com): the opposite bet running at full speed — fork vs code, bundle the model, own the agent. the reference incumbent zed's neutral-surface strategy is defined against; cursor now also speaks acp. (sources: [zed 1](https://zed.dev/blog/zed-1-0), [683 pts/406 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45116688))
- [vs code + github](https://code.visualstudio.com): the incumbent stack zed has to displace twice — the editor monopoly atom's own electron enabled, plus the commit/pr workflow delta is built to replace. atom alumni now staff both sides. (sources: [mit open-sourcing incl](https://web.archive.org/web/20170424022832/http:/blog.atom.io/2014/05/06/atom-is-now-open-source.html), [sunset coverage](https://techcrunch.com/2022/06/08/github-sunsets-atom-the-software-dev-environment-it-launched-in-2011/), [definitive atom→zed postmortem interview](https://zed.dev/blog/we-have-to-start-over))
- [warp](https://www.warp.dev): the road not taken — sobo's three-month employer built the agent workbench inside the terminal instead of the editor. same 'rebuild the tool for agents' impulse, different surface. (sources: [sobos full founding narrative (xray→2019→warp→mar 2022 dogfood)](https://zed.dev/blog/this-week-at-zed-1))
- [zedless](https://github.com/zedless-editor/zedless/): the community fork as successor-with-an-asterisk — the editor thesis stripped of the company's services layer: no telemetry, no cla, no rugpulls. what gpl was always for. (sources: [privacy/local-first fork](https://github.com/zedless-editor/zedless/), [556 pts/322 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44964916))
- [jetbrains + acp](https://www.jetbrains.com): the protocol succeeding without zed — if acp becomes lsp-for-agents across the industry, the neutral-surface win outgrows the editor that minted it. (sources: [jetbrains acp collaboration](https://zed.dev/blog/jetbrains-on-acp), [acp + gemini cli](https://zed.dev/blog/bring-your-own-agent-to-zed))

## open questions

- the series b valuation is undisclosed — sequoia led $32m at an unknown price; crunchbase news reports 'over $42m' total but no post-money figure.
- adoption is self-reported — '150k monthly active developers' comes from sequoia's blog, 'hundreds of thousands daily' from the 1.0 post; no independent measurement exists.
- does delta's 'threads replace prs' survive contact with real teams — 33 employees landing 570 changes on their own repo is evidence of dogfooding, not of the market?
- is the revenue model pro + business + delta plans enough to clear a $42m+ raise — or does the open editor stay subsidized by services that haven't yet proven their take rate?
- the warp ip separation is undocumented — how did the codebase sobo carried into warp for three months come back out clean?
- collab adoption inside zed stayed low — does the delta re-platforming fix a product problem or a demand problem that will follow it?
- does acp commoditize zed — if every editor speaks the protocol and the agents belong to the model vendors, what is the editor's durable position?
- the extension gap is structural — a sandboxed wasm api may never host the plugin surface vs code users expect; is 'conservative api' a strategy or a ceiling?

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/the-idea


Published by @ben in profile revision 1.
Original document: https://hraness.com/zed/the-idea
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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'we created electron to create atom, but i can't imagine a worse application for electron than a code editor.'","era":"2011–2022","id":"lin-atom","name":"atom and electron","sourceIds":["src-hp-atom-intro","src-hp-atom-oss","src-hp-zed-start-over","src-ci-atom-sunset"]},"originalUrl":"https://hraness.com/zed/the-idea","sourceIds":["source-160fb2dc72205bfb9068","source-5c85b6e328da996c46d8","source-e2b799eee212ef0094c5","source-d3f6cde8c2ae3bbb5925"]},{"id":"record-06030d0be7ac8b8ec483","kind":"zed-idea-lineage","label":"tree-sitter","original":{"contribution":"the parser that outlived its editor — brunsfeld's incremental glr engine went to github.com, neovim, helix, and emacs, and became zed's syntax layer and extension-grammar format.","era":"2013–","id":"lin-tree-sitter","name":"tree-sitter","sourceIds":["src-hp-ts-commit","src-hp-galois-treesitter","src-hp-zed-syntax-aware","src-hp-zed-extensions-decoded"]},"originalUrl":"https://hraness.com/zed/the-idea","sourceIds":["source-104e9376beb811c47118","source-c14a86ec479a178d0e75","source-7c5529c0bd7c8f2615f4","source-9c44f75dd5b99896093a"]},{"id":"record-1880a4b7d97fefb25b3d","kind":"zed-idea-lineage","label":"teletype and crdts","original":{"contribution":"the collaboration primitive — teletype's custom string-wise crdt proved real-time multi-cursor editing in production; 'conversations should happen close to code' became zed's founding assumption.","era":"2017","id":"lin-teletype","name":"teletype and crdts","sourceIds":["src-hp-teletype","src-hp-infoq-teletype","src-hp-zed-crdts"]},"originalUrl":"https://hraness.com/zed/the-idea","sourceIds":["source-7011e74d4b91d41daa66","source-2142f64f33561451a5a9","source-ff16741c07bff2c694cd"]},{"id":"record-b587693694760fe13b1c","kind":"zed-idea-lineage","label":"xray and memo","original":{"contribution":"the failed rehearsal — xray's rust core and client/server crdt architecture died at github, but its memo side-project ('an operation-based version control system that tracks changes at the level of individual keystrokes') is the direct ancestor of deltadb eight years later.","era":"2017–2019","id":"lin-xray-memo","name":"xray and memo","sourceIds":["src-ci-xray","src-hp-xray-readme","src-hp-xray-update","src-hp-zed-deltadb"]},"originalUrl":"https://hraness.com/zed/the-idea","sourceIds":["source-ac125f6bdd14737b9b41","source-c27d180cd721c576b36e","source-13e118307cfd7499efe4","source-b1eaf0c240eb91f6ad9b"]},{"id":"record-cc004e6bc7ece9cc4986","kind":"zed-idea-lineage","label":"lsp → acp","original":{"contribution":"the protocol precedent — lsp unbundled language intelligence from monolithic ides; acp applies the same move to agents. zed's stated strategy is to be the neutral surface rather than the deepest bundled model.","era":"2016 → 2025","id":"lin-lsp-acp","name":"lsp → acp","sourceIds":["src-hp-zed-acp","src-hp-register-acp","src-hp-zed-agent-ext"]},"originalUrl":"https://hraness.com/zed/the-idea","sourceIds":["source-3313f1a2152843b33046","source-b8da52dc3a8acdf6dac6","source-e3659ec3d16b9931343b"]},{"id":"record-07212257ba8e30605efd","kind":"zed-idea-lineage","label":"the rust-native stack","original":{"contribution":"the native-stack conviction — raph levien's rust ui writing and xi-editor experience as the cited nudge; gpu-rendered immediate-mode rust (gpui) as the only way to 'pixels on the next refresh of your display — every time.'","era":"2018–2021","id":"lin-native-stack","name":"the rust-native stack","sourceIds":["src-hp-zed-start-over","src-ci-videogame-gpui","src-hp-zed-gpui-ownership","src-hp-zed-introducing-2022"]},"originalUrl":"https://hraness.com/zed/the-idea","sourceIds":["source-e2b799eee212ef0094c5","source-c2133aa117334d4b93e6","source-cbe83a45ab27cd714954","source-6854ebb7032c88d66bcb"]},{"id":"record-93ec812dbf40f256905e","kind":"zed-idea-open-questions","label":"the series b valuation is undisclosed — sequoia led $32m at an unknown price; crunchbase news reports 'over $42m' total but no post-money figure.","original":{"text":"the series b valuation is undisclosed — sequoia led $32m at an unknown price; crunchbase news reports 'over $42m' total but no post-money figure."},"originalUrl":"https://hraness.com/zed/the-idea","sourceIds":[]},{"id":"record-0346b77a7790f8e46243","kind":"zed-idea-open-questions","label":"adoption is self-reported — '150k monthly active developers' comes from sequoia's blog, 'hundreds of thousands daily' from the 1.0 post; no independent measurement exists.","original":{"text":"adoption is self-reported — '150k monthly active developers' comes from sequoia's blog, 'hundreds of thousands daily' from the 1.0 post; no independent measurement exists."},"originalUrl":"https://hraness.com/zed/the-idea","sourceIds":[]},{"id":"record-83b71851b1b008d1cd73","kind":"zed-idea-open-questions","label":"does delta's 'threads replace prs' survive contact with real teams — 33 employees landing 570 changes on their own repo is evidence of dogfooding, not of the market?","original":{"text":"does delta's 'threads replace prs' survive contact with real teams — 33 employees landing 570 changes on their own repo is evidence of dogfooding, not of the market?"},"originalUrl":"https://hraness.com/zed/the-idea","sourceIds":[]},{"id":"record-4188cc5496c8735e8e5a","kind":"zed-idea-open-questions","label":"is the revenue model pro + business + delta plans enough to clear a $42m+ raise — or does the open editor stay subsidized by services that haven't yet proven their take rate?","original":{"text":"is the revenue model pro + business + delta plans enough to clear a $42m+ raise — or does the open editor stay subsidized by services that haven't yet proven their take rate?"},"originalUrl":"https://hraness.com/zed/the-idea","sourceIds":[]},{"id":"record-206b2c1d1c92cbe2eff3","kind":"zed-idea-open-questions","label":"the warp ip separation is undocumented — how did the codebase sobo carried into warp for three months come back out clean?","original":{"text":"the warp ip separation is undocumented — how did the codebase sobo carried into warp for three months come back out clean?"},"originalUrl":"https://hraness.com/zed/the-idea","sourceIds":[]},{"id":"record-aaf69a921caabf312eac","kind":"zed-idea-open-questions","label":"collab adoption inside zed stayed low — does the delta re-platforming fix a product problem or a demand problem that will follow it?","original":{"text":"collab adoption inside zed stayed low — does the delta re-platforming fix a product problem or a demand problem that will follow it?"},"originalUrl":"https://hraness.com/zed/the-idea","sourceIds":[]},{"id":"record-b23633ed50f71738e85a","kind":"zed-idea-open-questions","label":"does acp commoditize zed — if every editor speaks the protocol and the agents belong to the model vendors, what is the editor's durable position?","original":{"text":"does acp commoditize zed — if every editor speaks the protocol and the agents belong to the model vendors, what is the editor's durable position?"},"originalUrl":"https://hraness.com/zed/the-idea","sourceIds":[]},{"id":"record-a5d011a783acb293101e","kind":"zed-idea-open-questions","label":"the extension gap is structural — a sandboxed wasm api may never host the plugin surface vs code users expect; is 'conservative api' a strategy or a ceiling?","original":{"text":"the extension gap is structural — a sandboxed wasm api may never host the plugin surface vs code users expect; is 'conservative api' a strategy or a ceiling?"},"originalUrl":"https://hraness.com/zed/the-idea","sourceIds":[]},{"id":"record-271e3e3e1a031527adba","kind":"zed-idea-proved","label":"the native editor works","original":{"detail":"a native, gpu-rendered editor can be built and loved — 'hundreds of thousands of developers' daily at 1.0 (self-reported), ~90k github stars, a two-year-long 'windows when?' demand curve, and 2,153 hn points for the 1.0 post. the speed claim is the moat.","id":"clm-proved-native","sourceIds":["src-hp-zed-10","src-hp-gh-zed-repo","src-ci-hn-zed-1-0","src-ci-hn-windows"],"title":"the native editor works"},"originalUrl":"https://hraness.com/zed/the-idea","sourceIds":["source-9d6d1b0fcfbb163b1d54","source-69d3f4b8695b54fcce03","source-101e8156590ce612a922","source-327091314ee6dba9b640"]},{"id":"record-f36587bcde758a726ca4","kind":"zed-idea-proved","label":"the open-source flywheel","original":{"detail":"open source is the distribution and the hiring engine — 1,576 points at relicensing, the registry grew to ~1,500 extensions in two years, the debugger shipped as a community-led effort, and 'hired through github' converted contributors into employees.","id":"clm-proved-oss-flywheel","sourceIds":["src-ci-hn-zed-open-source","src-hp-ghext-tracker","src-ci-debugger","src-hp-zed-hired-gh1"],"title":"the open-source flywheel"},"originalUrl":"https://hraness.com/zed/the-idea","sourceIds":["source-3b51ee7a1bd8b106ff27","source-335be0c9128cb6cfa326","source-e49db740480048c513f8","source-b5201c7ef317d9e4c82f"]},{"id":"record-e921169e4ec9e72a2be7","kind":"zed-idea-proved","label":"agents come to the neutral surface","original":{"detail":"the neutral-surface bet works — google initiated contact for acp, jetbrains adopted it, claude code and codex and opencode and cursor all run inside zed. when the model vendors fight, the editor can host them all.","id":"clm-proved-acp","sourceIds":["src-hp-zed-acp","src-hp-zed-jetbrains-acp","src-hp-zed-claude-code","src-hp-zed-codex","src-hp-zed-10"],"title":"agents come to the neutral surface"},"originalUrl":"https://hraness.com/zed/the-idea","sourceIds":["source-3313f1a2152843b33046","source-962c08be4137872f243e","source-d814054e5499f85b7b83","source-d3697d72719eab0fd0a3","source-9d6d1b0fcfbb163b1d54"]},{"id":"record-e769de894d317d37b2f0","kind":"zed-idea-proved","label":"the craft is credible","original":{"detail":"the team keeps its own credential — the people who built atom's collaboration stack wrote the crdt papers' production sequel, and the engineering blog ('zed decoded') became a respected rust publication independent of the product.","id":"clm-proved-craft","sourceIds":["src-hp-zed-team","src-ci-zed-decoded-async","src-ci-hn-async-rust","src-hp-zed-craftsmanship"],"title":"the craft is credible"},"originalUrl":"https://hraness.com/zed/the-idea","sourceIds":["source-8338fc8f0b5a04b0a867","source-17626833242a03b0f32b","source-f9332b15b51417776c8a","source-82c476a7b5341d98687c"]},{"id":"record-cb2b142da86c449e729f","kind":"zed-idea-proved","label":"the post-commit world exists","original":{"detail":"the second half of the plan exists in code — deltadb and delta shipped to public beta with pull requests disabled on the company's own repo: '33 of us have landed 570 changes to main' (self-reported). the memo idea from 2018 is a running product.","id":"clm-proved-delta","sourceIds":["src-hp-zed-deltadb","src-hp-zed-delta","src-hp-zed-delta-public"],"title":"the post-commit world exists"},"originalUrl":"https://hraness.com/zed/the-idea","sourceIds":["source-b1eaf0c240eb91f6ad9b","source-da3ae6d4dd42306c9587","source-2687d4ddaa3bf8588b52"]},{"id":"record-cc54b66efcd3126b6676","kind":"zed-idea-stalled","label":"collaboration in the editor","original":{"detail":"collaboration inside the editor didn't stick — 'very few people leverage collab today' (company admission), the chat panel was removed wholesale, and channels survive as the office the team itself runs, not the product users adopted.","id":"clm-stalled-collab","sourceIds":["src-ci-gh-signin-issue","src-ci-gh-remove-chat","src-ci-zed-office","src-hp-zed-delta"],"title":"collaboration in the editor"},"originalUrl":"https://hraness.com/zed/the-idea","sourceIds":["source-4c037bbb714d9da82eec","source-ce36cc5f3be335ef5e12","source-0e416df65a78b648674c","source-da3ae6d4dd42306c9587"]},{"id":"record-d8aa29706c9d7855f7d0","kind":"zed-idea-stalled","label":"the extension gap","original":{"detail":"the extension gap persists — a deliberately conservative wasm api produced ~1,119 listed extensions mid-2026 against vs code's tens of thousands; 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````