Software development is becoming a collaboration between developers and AI systems.
Most AI developer tools operate on prompts and static snapshots of code. But real software development happens inside large, evolving codebases that change continuously through edits, refactors, discussions, and collaboration.
We are building AI systems that operate inside that environment.
Zed today is a code editor built from scratch in Rust with GPU acceleration and real-time multiplayer collaboration. Every keystroke and edit can be shared instantly between collaborators, creating a shared workspace where developers and increasingly AI systems can work together.
We are also building DeltaDB, a system that records the operational history of software development. It captures edits, discussions, and AI interactions as they happen. This creates a foundation for AI systems that can reason not just about code, but about how that code evolves over time.
Much of this work involves designing systems that help AI understand large, evolving codebases. This includes providing the right context and evaluating whether its suggestions actually improve the software.
The work sits at the intersection of AI systems, developer tools, and distributed collaboration. We are exploring how software gets built when AI becomes part of the development environment itself.
Some questions we are exploringMany of these questions do not yet have established answers. Part of the work is designing and testing new approaches in real developer workflows.
How should AI reason about codebases that are constantly evolving rather than static repositories?
How can streams of development activity such as edits, refactors, and discussions provide useful context for models?
What does it mean for AI to operate inside a real-time collaborative environment where multiple developers are editing the same project?
How should AI systems make suggestions without interrupting developer flow?
How do we evaluate whether AI systems are genuinely helping developers understand and evolve complex software systems?
Designing systems that allow AI to participate directly in developer workflows
Building infrastructure that connects language models with the editor and developer tools
Developing context systems that help models reason about large codebases
Designing evaluation frameworks for AI-assisted development
Improving the reliability, latency, and cost efficiency of AI features
Working closely with editor and infrastructure engineers to ship ideas quickly
Pair programming with teammates to explore ideas and refine systems together
Experience building production systems powered by large language models
Strong understanding of model behavior, prompting, and evaluation
Experience integrating AI capabilities into real software products
Strong backend or systems programming experience
Interest in developer tools and programming environments
Ability to collaborate closely with other engineers
Experience with Rust, or willingness to learn
Building AI coding assistants or developer tools
Designing evaluation systems for LLM-driven products
Working with large codebases, compilers, or programming environments
Experience with tool-using or agent-style models
Experience with Rust
Zed is open source and built in public by the team behind Atom and Tree-sitter.
The editor is written in Rust with GPU acceleration for every frame. When you type or move the cursor, pixels respond instantly. That responsiveness keeps you in flow.
Zed is multiplayer by default, allowing developers to work together in the same codebase in real time. Much of our work happens through pair programming, with engineers collaborating directly inside the editor.
We ship improvements weekly and work closely with a community that cares deeply about the craft of developer tools.
Location: Remote (American or European time zones)
Skills Required
- Experience building production systems powered by large language models
- Strong understanding of model behavior, prompting, and evaluation
- Experience integrating AI capabilities into real software products
- Strong backend or systems programming experience
- Interest in developer tools and programming environments
- Ability to collaborate closely with other engineers
- Experience with Rust, or willingness to learn
- Building AI coding assistants or developer tools
- Designing evaluation systems for LLM-driven products
- Working with large codebases, compilers, or programming environments
- Experience with tool-using or agent-style models
- Experience with Rust
Zed Industries Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Zed Industries and has not been reviewed or approved by Zed Industries.
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Flexible Benefits — Fully remote work and work-from-anywhere options are standard. Flexible working hours provide autonomy over schedules.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Unlimited PTO is offered, with encouragement to take time as needed. Time-off flexibility supports work-life balance.
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Healthcare Strength — Comprehensive health insurance is included as a core benefit. Health coverage is positioned as part of a premium benefits package.
Zed Industries Insights
What We Do
We’re Zed Industries, a small and passionate team with a vision for building the world’s best text editor—for you, and for your team. Zed isn’t our first editor. It’s the culmination of more than a decade of experience building tools for developers. We created the hackable text editor, Atom, and the pioneering software platform that launched an entirely new generation of desktop apps, Electron. We also built Tree-sitter, an advanced syntax parsing framework used by the most popular editors in the world. Building tools that matter is in our DNA. Now, we’re building something new again with that same drive and a new vision. We believe the best software is handcrafted, with unparalleled attention to detail. We believe software development is better when it’s a shared experience. We believe there’s a better way to write software—and this is just the start of the adventure.
