# E171: How Companies Like Block Build Viral Open Source Projects

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/open-source-startup-podcast/e171-how-companies-like-block-build-viral-open-source-projects
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/open-source-startup-podcast/e171-how-companies-like-block-build-viral-open-source-projects.md
Podcast: [Open Source Startup Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/open-source-startup-podcast)
Published: 2025-04-03T17:34:15+00:00
Episode link: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ossstartuppodcast/episodes/E171-How-Companies-Like-Block-Build-Viral-Open-Source-Projects-e312g6g
Audio file: https://anchor.fm/s/3eab794c/podcast/play/100794000/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2025-3-3%2F5efc9a42-87ea-33cb-3baa-4167c8ca515e.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/open-source-startup-podcast/episodes/e171-how-companies-like-block-build-viral-open-source-projects
Duration seconds: 2408

## Resource

Learn how Block scales open source impact by transitioning from infrastructure-focused projects to high-visibility AI agents like Goose. Discover the strategic value of an Open Source Programs Office in driving both internal productivity and external community growth.

## Highlights
- Main idea: An Open Source Programs Office (OSPO) should move beyond legal compliance to actively driving business value through infrastructure and tooling
- Practical takeaway: Use internal engineering needs as a testing ground for open source projects to build a high-quality feedback loop before public launch
- Failure mode: Avoid limiting open source contributions strictly to non-business logic; the most impactful projects often sit at the intersection of infrastructure and core business
- Main idea: The success of an open source project like Goose relies on an extensible architecture that allows the community to build their own connectors and adapters
- Practical takeaway: Treat AI agents as productivity multipliers that can significantly increase engineering throughput if the interface is made accessible

## Topics

Open Source Strategy, Open Source Programs Office, AI Agents, Goose, Software Engineering Productivity, Infrastructure, Community Building, Block

## Chapters
- 1:00 — The Evolution of Block's Open Source Strategy: Manik Surtani discusses his transition from Red Hat to Block and how the company moved from consuming open source to establishing a formal Open Source Programs Office.
- 4:00 — Defining the Role of an OSPO: A look at the responsibilities of an Open Source Programs Office, moving beyond legal safety to strategic technical leadership.
- 7:00 — Selecting Open Source Projects: The criteria for choosing which projects to open source, focusing on infrastructure that touches the business without compromising core logic.
- 13:05 — Building Community through Transparency: How being open about development processes and future plans attracts high-quality contributors and builds a self-sustaining ecosystem.
- 16:00 — The Development of Goose: The technical journey of building Goose, including the massive architectural shift from Python to Rust to improve performance.
- 22:00 — Driving Adoption via Extensibility: How an extensible framework allows for a massive internal rollout, moving from a small engineering team to thousands of active users at Block.
- 34:05 — The ROI of Working in the Open: Discussing the long-term payoffs of open source, including improved software quality, better recruitment, and community-driven innovation.

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## Transcript

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