OccupySaaS project uses AI to clone Auth0 and Salesforce with open-source tools

A user-led software revolt called OccupySaaS has emerged, aiming to combat rising subscription costs, price hikes, and declining software quality. Using modern AI tools, developers are working to create clean-room, open-source reimplementations of popular proprietary services.

• The project currently targets Auth0 and Salesforce, aiming to replace them with fresh open-source alternatives named ZeroAuthy and SalesCompel.
• Development relies strictly on public documentation, APIs, and open standards without decompiling proprietary binaries.
• The Go programming language is chosen for its ability to compile dependencies into a single, easily deployable binary.

The Mechanics of AI-Powered Software Cloning

Because hosted software runs entirely on company servers as a black box, developers cannot decompile binary files. Instead, these open-source reimplementations are built meticulously by referencing available documentation, development kit behaviors, and API specifications.

Creating software this way presents unique challenges. To act as a proper drop-in replacement, the new software must replicate not just expected outputs, but also extant API bugs to ensure full compatibility, much like traditional video game emulators.

Strict Development Ethics and Technology Choice

OccupySaaS places a strong emphasis on clean-room development ethics. The project rules strictly forbid using any decompiled code, confidential information or source code from previous employers, and trademarked user interface assets.

Go was chosen over Rust primarily because it allows developers to easily compile and link all dependencies into a single binary. This eliminates the need for complex installers, making the software ideal for Docker containers and self-hosting environments.

Implications for the Software Industry

Beyond Auth0 and Salesforce, the OccupySaaS initiative intends to target document management, issue tracking, observability, and customer support tools, likely aiming at products like Confluence, Jira, and Zendesk.

Spearheaded by experienced software engineer Thomas Meadows, the project acts as a manifesto against per-seat licensing models that tax business growth. Thanks to the Apache 2.0 license, anyone is free to self-host or even build managed services around these open-source replacements