Block introduces an AI developer: 15% of code is now generated automatically
Fintech giant Block, led by Jack Dorsey, has taken a decisive step toward automating development. The company has launched an internal AI tool called Builderbot, which already generates about 15% of all software code. This is not just another assistant—it is a full-fledged agent orchestrator integrated into the corporate environment.
Builderbot operates through Slack: a developer mentions the bot in a chat and formulates a task. The system independently analyzes bug reports, suggests fixes, or creates new features. The key difference from standard AI assistants is access to Block's entire codebase. Thanks to this, an engineer from the Cash App team can make changes to Square services without even being familiar with their architecture. The bot automatically picks up tasks from Jira, creates branches in the repository, writes code, and submits a Pull Request.
The scale is impressive: Builderbot performs over 200,000 operations per day and closes about 1,500 merge requests weekly. As Block's head of AI capabilities Brad Axen noted, "What used to take months now takes days. The bot handles the routine and environment setup, allowing engineers to focus on solving complex problems."
It is important to emphasize: Builderbot works exclusively with source code and system configurations. It has no access to customer data or payment information—security remains a priority.
Technically, the tool is built on the open-source framework goose, which Block contributed to the Agentic AI Foundation. During development, the company also collaborated with Anthropic on the Model Context Protocol (MCP).
Block believes that the shift from "writing code with AI" to "native engineering processes based on neural networks" will become the main trend in the IT industry. And I agree with this: we are witnessing a paradigm shift where AI ceases to be just a tool and becomes a full-fledged member of the development team. However, it is worth remembering that automation does not eliminate the need for skilled engineers—it merely shifts their focus from routine to architecture and innovation.