Meet Manik Surtani, Block's Head of Open Source

When Manik Surtani joined Block as Head of Open Source, he brought more than two decades of experience building and leading open source communities. From his early days contributing to JBoss Cache to leading product strategy at Red Hat, Manik has been at the forefront of enterprise open source.

Now, he’s bringing that expertise to Block’s Open Source Program Office, where he’s shaping how we engage with and contribute to open source communities.

A Career Built on Open Source

Manik’s journey in open source began in the early 2000s when he started contributing to JBoss Cache, a distributed caching system. That early experience taught him fundamental lessons about community building, technical leadership, and the power of collaborative development.

“Open source taught me that the best software comes from diverse perspectives,” Manik explains. “When you open up your code and your decision-making process, you get contributions from people you’d never have access to otherwise.”

At Red Hat, Manik led product strategy for middleware and cloud services, helping enterprise customers adopt open source technologies at scale. He saw firsthand how open source could transform industries and enable innovation that proprietary software couldn’t match.

Why Block?

When asked why he joined Block, Manik points to the company’s commitment to economic empowerment and its growing investment in open source.

“Block is at an interesting inflection point,” he says. “The company has always used open source, but now there’s a strategic commitment to giving back and being a good citizen in open source communities.”

That commitment is evident in Block’s recent initiatives:

• Launching the Open Source Program Office
• Releasing goose, an open source AI agent framework
• Joining the Kotlin Foundation
• Sponsoring the Open Source Initiative

Building Block’s Open Source Strategy

As Head of Open Source, Manik is responsible for:

Community Engagement

“We want to be known as a company that contributes meaningfully to open source,” Manik says. “That means more than just releasing code—it means participating in communities, supporting maintainers, and helping projects thrive.”

Strategic Open Sourcing

Not every project should be open source, and Manik helps teams make informed decisions about when and how to open source their work.

“The question isn’t ‘Can we open source this?’ but ‘Should we, and if so, how do we do it responsibly?’” he explains. “That includes thinking about maintenance, community building, and long-term sustainability.”

Developer Experience

Manik is passionate about making it easier for Block engineers to contribute to open source, both within Block projects and in external communities.

“We’re removing friction,” he says. “That means better tooling, clearer policies, and support for engineers who want to contribute to open source.”

Policy and Advocacy

Through the new Open Source Policy Lab, Manik is working on policy issues that affect open source ecosystems.

“Open source faces real challenges around sustainability, security, and governance,” he notes. “We can help address these challenges by bringing together different stakeholders and developing practical solutions.”

Lessons from Two Decades in Open Source

When asked what he’s learned from his years in open source, Manik shares several insights:

Community First

“Technology is important, but community is everything,” he says. “The most successful open source projects aren’t necessarily the most technically sophisticated—they’re the ones with the healthiest communities.”

Transparency Builds Trust

“Open source is as much about process as it is about code,” Manik explains. “When you’re transparent about your decision-making, your roadmap, and your challenges, you build trust with your community.”

Sustainability Requires Investment

“We need to talk honestly about sustainability,” he says. “Open source maintainers are burning out, and we need better models for supporting the people who build the software we all depend on.”

Diversity Drives Innovation

“The best ideas come from diverse teams,” Manik notes. “Open source gives us access to perspectives we’d never have in a closed development model.”

What’s Next for Block Open Source

Looking ahead, Manik sees several priorities:

Growing the goose Ecosystem

“goose has incredible potential,” he says. “We’re investing in the community, supporting contributors, and building the ecosystem around it.”

The Goose Grant Program is one example of this investment.

Expanding Our Contributions

“We want to contribute more to the projects we depend on,” Manik explains. “That means not just using open source, but actively maintaining and improving it.”

Building Bridges

“Open source thrives when different communities work together,” he says. “We’re building relationships with other companies, foundations, and communities to advance shared goals.”

Advancing Policy

“Through the Policy Lab, we’re tackling hard problems around licensing, security, and sustainability,” Manik notes. “These aren’t problems any one company can solve, but together we can make progress.”

Advice for Aspiring Open Source Leaders

For those looking to build careers in open source, Manik offers this advice:

Start Contributing: “Don’t wait for permission. Find a project you care about and start contributing. Even small contributions matter.”

Build Relationships: “Open source is about people. Invest time in building relationships with maintainers and other contributors.”

Think Long-Term: “Sustainable contributions beat heroic sprints. Find a pace you can maintain and commit to showing up consistently.”

Learn in Public: “Share what you’re learning. Write blog posts, give talks, help others. Teaching is one of the best ways to learn.”

Stay Curious: “Technology changes fast. Stay curious, keep learning, and don’t be afraid to explore new areas.”

Join Us

Block’s Open Source Program Office is growing, and we’re looking for people who share our passion for open source.

Whether you’re interested in contributing to our projects, joining our team, or partnering with us on open source initiatives, we’d love to hear from you.

Visit block.xyz/open-source to learn more.

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Want to work with Manik and the Open Source team? Check out our open positions.