Jack Dorsey, the co-founder of Twitter, has announced his departure from the board of Bluesky, the decentralized social media platform he originally conceived and funded in 2019 during his tenure as Twitter’s CEO.
Bluesky confirmed Dorsey’s departure in a post on the platform, expressing gratitude for his contributions to the project’s initiation and funding. However, neither Bluesky nor Dorsey provided specific reasons for his exit.
Speculation surrounding Dorsey’s departure intensified after he briefly responded with a “no” to a query about his current status on Bluesky’s board. Dorsey’s recent activity on X, a social network where he promoted grants for open interest protocols and referred to the platform owned by Elon Musk as “freedom technology,” also drew attention. Notably, Dorsey significantly reduced his follow list on X, retaining only Musk, Stella Assange, and Edward Snowden.
Dorsey’s decision to maintain Musk on his follow list, alongside his endorsement of X, suggests a possible reconciliation between the two tech figures. This comes after Dorsey publicly criticized Musk’s management of X last year.
Bluesky, announced by Dorsey in late 2019, aimed to establish an open and decentralized standard for social media. Despite its delayed launch, Bluesky entered beta testing in March 2023 and became available to the public on February 7, 2024, amassing around 5.6 million users.
Meanwhile, Dorsey’s company Block has shifted its focus from chip design to developing a full Bitcoin mining system. Block has unveiled a standalone three-nanometer Bitcoin mining chip and is collaborating with a leading semiconductor foundry to finalize its design. Dorsey’s involvement in the cryptocurrency space extends beyond Block, as he previously served as the CEO of Square Inc., a financial services company that embraced Bitcoin early on.
Dorsey’s personal interest in Bitcoin is evident, as he has advocated for its adoption and potential to revolutionize the financial industry. Under his leadership, Square enabled users to buy, sell, and hold Bitcoin directly within the Cash App, demonstrating his commitment to advancing cryptocurrency adoption.
