Jack Dorsey, the co-founder of Twitter (now X), is embracing his avian theme again—this time with Goose, a new open-source AI agent-building platform from his fintech giant Block (parent of Square, Cash App, and Tidal). Announced on January 28, 2025, Goose aims to democratize AI development by letting developers create agents that automate tasks across software, productivity, and beyond.
What is Goose?
Goose is a free, modular framework under Apache 2.0 that simplifies building AI agents using any large language model (LLM)—whether open-source (DeepSeek) or proprietary (OpenAI, Google, Anthropic).
Key Features:
- Multi-LLM Flexibility: Mix and match models for optimal performance.
- Real-Time Automation: Operates within dev environments to edit code, run tests, and manage dependencies.
- Anthropic Collaboration: Integrates with Anthropic’s Model Context Protocol (MCP) for tool interoperability.
- Privacy-First: Self-host on-premises or in private clouds—no data sent to Block’s servers.
Why Goose Stands Out
1. Developer-Centric Design
Goose automates tedious coding tasks like:
- Migrating codebases (e.g., Ruby to Kotlin).
- Generating unit tests or API scaffolds.
- Boosting code coverage and performance benchmarks.
- Managing feature flags and dependency injections.
“Engineers save hours on repetitive work, freeing time for creativity,” says Block CTO Dhanji Prasanna.
2. Beyond Engineering
While initially focused on software, Block envisions Goose streamlining:
- Creative workflows (music production via Tidal).
- Ecommerce personalization (Square integrations).
- Cross-App Automation: Sync tools like Slack and Google Drive to summarize meetings or track tasks.
3. Open-Source Ecosystem
- Developers can build custom interfaces or integrate Goose into existing systems.
- “Users don’t wait for us—they innovate themselves,” notes Block VP Jackie Brosamer.
Privacy & Security
As a financial giant, Block prioritizes data safety:
- No Middleware: Goose operates locally—no data routed through Block.
- Self-Hosting: Deploy agents where your data resides, minimizing exposure.
The Bigger Vision
Goose isn’t a revenue play. Instead, Block aims to fuel an open AI ecosystem where community-driven tools enhance its financial products. “We’ll build products that work seamlessly with these agents,” explains AI lead Bradley Axen.
Get Started:
- Access Goose on GitHub for installation guides.
Reference: VB
