Technology and Science22 July, 20262 min read
Jack Dorsey’s Block Launches Buzz Group Chat Platform To Challenge Slack And GitHub
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Block launches Buzz, an open-source group chat platform to challenge Slack and GitHub Buzz is model-agnostic, decentralized, self-sovereign, open source, and includes AI agents
Buzz takes on Slack
Jack Dorsey’s Block unveiled Buzz, a group chat platform announced on Tuesday as a challenger to Slack and GitHub, positioning humans and AI agents in the same conversations. Dorsey wrote on X that Buzz is “model-agnostic, decentralized, self-sovereign, and open source,” and the app is described as “a new native workspace for human and agent teams.” Buzz is built to merge multiple workflows into one workspace, with an interface that looks like Slack while adding native AI agents and the ability to manage GitHub projects in the same window.
“Buzz is a group chat platform for the workplace that puts humans and their AI agents in the same conversations.”
Block said Buzz was built on decentralized social networking Nostr protocol, and the platform is presented as reducing teams’ reliance on platforms like Slack and GitHub. The free desktop app is available now for macOS, Windows, and Linux, with the app code uploaded to GitHub.
Open source and Nostr
Block said Buzz is built on decentralized social networking Nostr protocol, and the interface is described as feeling familiar to anyone used to modern team communication tools. Block also said “The interface will feel familiar to anyone who’s used a modern team communication tool,” and it added that “Every company is going to need a place where humans and agents work together.” TechCrunch reported that because Buzz is open source, developers can make their own Buzz instance feel more customized to their team’s workflows by using full access to the source code.
The Asian outlet 디지털투데이 said developers can access the full source code and directly modify or add features, while also noting Buzz is still in an early stage and that it is too soon for organizations already built around Slack to move immediately. Buzz’s code is posted on GitHub, and the free desktop app is currently available for macOS, Windows 11 and Linux, according to 디지털투데이.
Competitors and next steps
Buzz arrives as other entrepreneurs pursue AI-native alternatives to Slack, including Paradigm partner and CTO Georgios Konstantopoulos, who recently unveiled Centaur. TechCrunch quoted Konstantopoulos writing on X that “There’s a lot of room for improvement for agents that live in Slack and can do more work than just coding for teams,” and it added that in the enterprise setting “you’ll want to self-host for security and control.” TechCrunch also framed Buzz as admitting it is in its “early stages,” warning it is probably not a good idea to port a team over just yet.
“Buzz itself admits that it is in its ‘early stages,’ so it’s probably not a good idea to port your team over just yet.”
Crypto Briefing said Buzz combines channels, threads, direct messages, voice, media sharing, code repositories and automated workflows, and it described the open source workspace as letting employees and AI agents share channels, workflows, code repositories and cryptographic identities. Across the coverage, Buzz is repeatedly tied to a decentralization pitch—model-agnostic, decentralized, self-sovereign, and open source—while Block’s stated goal is to reduce dependence on Slack and GitHub.