Open Source Startup Podcast E171: How Companies Like Block Build Viral Open Source Projects
Apr 3, 2025
Manik Surtani, Head of Open Source at Block, and Bradley Axen, Principal Engineer, share their insights on launching successful open source projects. They delve into the formation of Block's Open Source Programs Office, emphasizing community engagement and transparent practices. They discuss the innovative Goose project, which automates coding tasks and evolves through user collaboration. The duo also highlights challenges in integrating open source with AI, showcasing its significance in enhancing productivity and addressing real-world applications.
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Block's Open Source Strategy
- Block's Open Source Program Office focuses on more than just governance.
- It aims to establish an open-source-first culture and actively collaborates with external communities.
Open Sourcing Guidelines
- Open-source commodity infrastructure and avoid business logic initially.
- Gradually open-source elements closer to the business for transparency.
Goose's Origin
- Goose originated from Bradley Axen's frustration with copying and pasting from LLMs.
- It evolved from a programming tool to a general-purpose agent framework.