Correctness before cleverness. A feature that works reliably on the slow path is better than a clever optimization that misbehaves under load. The editor should never lose your work.
Latency before features. If a keystroke adds noticeable lag, the feature responsible for it is wrong. The editor stays out of the way.
Open source before lock-in. Every component Neo Zed runs — editor, cloud, worker, website — is published. Self-hosting is a supported configuration, not a privilege reserved for paying customers.
Independence. The fork exists so users have a way to run the editor that does not depend on a single vendor remaining interested in the project.