From monday.com to Blocks: How Michal Lupu & Tal Haramati Are Building AI-Powered Work Apps
If you’ve ever worked with a clunky workflow tool and thought, “There’s gotta be a better way to do this,” you’re exactly who Blocks was built for.
Meet Blocks, a new platform founded by Michal Lupu (CEO) and Tal Haramati (CTO)—two names you might recognize from their time scaling monday.com from its scrappy early days all the way to IPO. Back then, they watched the no-code movement democratize software creation, letting non-engineers design apps that made their work lives easier.
Now, they believe we’re on the cusp of something even bigger.
“We saw no-code open the door,” Michal told us, “but AI is about to kick it wide open. Software won’t just organize your tasks anymore—it’ll do them.”
And that’s exactly the vision behind Blocks.
What is Blocks?
At its core, Blocks is a collaborative workspace where teams can build custom work apps and AI agents just by describing what they need. You don’t need to know how to code. You don’t even need to know how to wire up a database. Just say it, and Blocks’ AI builder, Ella, translates your plain-language description into a fully functioning app or smart agent.
Every app you build in Blocks runs on three foundational layers:
- AI Agents – The muscle behind the scenes. These agents don’t just chat with you; they act. They can send emails, schedule meetings, run web searches, crunch data, generate reports, even integrate with Slack, Google Workspace, and CRMs.
- Data – Your single source of truth. Blocks stores and connects your team’s work data in one place, keeping everything clean and organized.
- UI – Custom interfaces for every role. Whether you’re a sales rep, HR lead, or operations manager, you see exactly the info you need—no more drowning in irrelevant dashboards.
Individually, these pieces are powerful. But when you combine them? That’s where the magic happens.
Instead of static tools, Blocks creates living systems that automate, adapt, and actively move work forward.
Why It Matters
Most “no-code” tools stop at building. You create a project tracker, a CRM, or a form builder—and then you still have to manually run it. Blocks flips that script.
Imagine your sales dashboard not just logging calls, but also:
- Automatically sending follow-up emails.
- Scheduling your next check-in.
- Updating your CRM without you lifting a finger.
Or your HR onboarding system handling PTO tracking, benefits enrollment, and role-specific training flows—all through a mix of AI agents designed to feel like specialized team members.
This isn’t just about saving time. It’s about multiplying your impact without multiplying your hours.
A Peek at the Agents
To make it even more approachable, Blocks comes with a lineup of prebuilt AI “specialists” you can customize:
- Maya (Executive Assistant): Keeps your calendar, manages communication, and keeps you on task.
- Atlas (AI Researcher): Turns data chaos into insights you can actually act on.
- Olive (Customer Success): Ensures your customers stay happy and engaged.
- Nina (Sales Manager): Tracks deals, forecasts revenue, and pushes leads down the funnel.
- Leo (Creative Director): Produces content and keeps your brand consistent.
You can tweak their personalities, define goals, and even decide how they “think.” They’re like teammates who never sleep, never forget, and never complain about Slack notifications at 2 a.m.
How It’s Different From Other Platforms
Plenty of no-code platforms exist—Airtable, Bubble, Notion, Webflow—you name it. So why Blocks?
Because it’s not just an app builder. And it’s not just an AI chatbot.
Blocks merges app building and AI agent automation into a single platform. That means instead of building a form and then bolting on a Zapier workflow, you build the entire living system in one go. That’s a pretty big leap.
Templates and Marketplace
Not sure where to start? Blocks has you covered.
The platform features a template marketplace full of community-built apps—everything from:
- HR onboarding systems
- Client intake forms
- Social media content generators
- Real estate CRMs
- Event managers
You can install, customize, and launch them in minutes. It’s like having an app store for workplace tools, except instead of passive software, each app comes loaded with its own set of smart, action-taking agents.
Trust, Privacy & Scale
Of course, when you’re talking about AI and data, one big question pops up: Is this secure?
Blocks anticipated that. The platform comes with enterprise-grade security baked in—think role-based permissions, private data controls, and a dedicated Trust Center to make sure your workflows don’t just run smoothly, but safely.
And because the founders scaled monday.com to IPO, they know how to build for growth. Blocks isn’t just for startups or side projects—it’s designed to scale with your company, no matter how complex your workflows get.
The Founders’ Why
So why did Michal and Tal build Blocks in the first place?
After nearly a decade at monday.com, they watched how no-code reshaped work. But as powerful as those tools were, they noticed a pattern: teams were still stuck operating their tools instead of letting the tools operate for them.
AI changed the equation. But most teams didn’t have the technical chops—or budget—to build AI-powered workflows from scratch.
That’s where Blocks comes in: a platform that democratizes AI development the same way no-code democratized software development.
The Big Picture
Blocks isn’t just another productivity app. It’s aiming to be the bridge between how we used to build tools (no-code) and how we’ll build them in the future (AI-first).
If it works, it won’t just save you from busywork—it’ll change what work feels like. Instead of chasing checklists, you’ll be steering systems that run themselves.
That’s the dream: work apps that don’t just organize your tasks, but actually get them done.
And honestly? That’s pretty exciting.
So the question is—what will you build first?
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