Zed 1.0... GPUI, Rust, and the future of native apps with Mikayla Maki

Mikayla Maki, software engineer at Zed, digs into what makes this Rust-built code editor tick... from GPUI, their GPU-accelerated UI framework with a Tailwind-inspired API, to CRDTs powering real-time live collaboration without merge conflicts. She talks about the Zed 1.0 release, their approach to AI, how the team builds popular features directly into core instead of relying on extensions, and why Rust might be the best language for agentic coding. Plus: native app comeback, GPUI on mobile, and where the framework is heading.

Links

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikayla-maki

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/rad.gendervibes.online

GitHub: https://github.com/mikayla-maki

Resources

Zed 1.0 announcement: https://zed.dev/blog/zed-1-0

DeltaDB / Sequoia Series B post: https://zed.dev/blog/sequoia-backs-zed

ACP overview: https://zed.dev/acp

GPUI engineering post: https://zed.dev/blog/leveraging-rust-and-the-gpu-to-render-user-interfaces-at-120fps

Builder.io "Is Zed ready for AI power users in 2026?": https://www.builder.io/blog/zed-ai-2026

Mikayla's RustConf 2025 talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpEU9DNbXA4