In a conversation with the co-founders of Zed, Nathan, Max, and Antonio discuss their vision for enhancing collaboration in software development. They aim to create a more fluid and integrated collaboration experience than the current tools like GitHub, Slack, and screen sharing, which often introduce friction and inefficiencies. Zed's approach emphasizes real-time collaboration and asynchronous workflows, aiming to unify code editing and communication in a single tool. The founders highlight the importance of maintaining a shared environment for coding, which allows seamless transitions between independent work and synchronous interactions. They reflect on the value of collaboration in fostering better code quality and interpersonal relationships, and they express a desire to make collaborative coding as natural as existing forms of interaction in digital environments. Their vision also includes the potential for Zed to influence the broader software development lifecycle, though they acknowledge that cultural adoption of these tools will play a crucial role in their success.