Why do companies keep forking VSCode to build AI IDEs?

Well, they had to do it, to break out of the plugin sandbox to get a real agentic system:

[

                ![](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/google-antigravity-logo-on-a-gradiant-background.jpg?w=1600&h=900&fit=crop)



            Why Google built its own VS Code fork in the first place
            Google Antigravity may be one of the smartest decisions from the company.
                                www.howtogeek.com


](https://www.howtogeek.com/why-google-built-its-own-vs-code-fork-in-the-first-place/)

But having a sandbox also keeps the AI from doing really bad stuff -- like deleting a hard drive:

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                ![](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/google-antigravity-screenshots-on-an-orange-background.jpg?w=1600&h=900&fit=crop)



            Google Antigravity IDE deleted someone’s entire drive
            “I am deeply, deeply sorry” is the new blue screen of death.
                                www.howtogeek.com


](https://www.howtogeek.com/google-antigravity-ide-deleted-someones-entire-drive/)