Dorsey, Jack (Jack Patrick Dorsey)

Early years and education

Jack Patrick Dorsey was born to Tim and Marcia Dorsey. His father worked as an engineer for a spectrometer company, and his mother was a homemaker. As a child, Jack was fascinated by computers and began programming at around the age of 14. One of his early projects was a program to track cab and emergency services, inspired by his interest in city maps and logistics. Dorsey attended Bishop DuBourg High School, a Catholic high school. After graduation, he enrolled at the University of Missouri at Rolla, but soon transferred to New York University. He never earned a degree, however, dropping out about a semester before graduation to focus on entrepreneurial projects.

The founding of Twitter

Dorsey got the idea for Twitter back in the early 2000s when he was thinking about how people could share short statuses in real time. In 2006, he founded Twitter Inc. along with Biz Stone, Noah Glass and Evan Williams. Dorsey posted his first Twitter message on March 21, 2006, “just setting up my twttr”. He became the company's first CEO. Under his leadership, Twitter quickly gained popularity as a tool for instant news sharing, communication and marketing. In 2008, Dorsey stepped down as Twitter's CEO due to internal disagreements, but remained chairman of the board of directors.

Base Square (now Block)

In 2009, Dorsey focused on a new project, Square (renamed Block in 2021). This is a fintech company offering payment acceptance solutions to small businesses. The Square Reader product - a small card reader that connects to a smartphone - allowed entrepreneurs to easily accept payments from bank cards. Block also actively developed other areas: Cash App, services for cryptocurrencies and e-commerce tools.

Returning to Twitter

In 2015, Dorsey returned as Twitter's CEO while remaining CEO of Square. In his new phase of leadership, he focused on simplifying the interface and fighting fake news and toxicity on the social network. In November 2021, Dorsey stepped down as Twitter's CEO again, handing the helm over to Parag Agrawal.

Personal life and interests

Dorsey is known for his ascetic lifestyle and interest in meditation, yoga and Stoic philosophy. He practices vipassana meditation and is passionate about traveling and healthy eating. Dorsey is also frequently involved in charitable and educational initiatives. He has an active interest in blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies, believing them to be an important part of the future of finance.

Legacy and impact

Dorsey has had a significant impact on the development of social media and the fintech industry. Twitter has become an integral part of the global media ecosystem, and Block is a key player in digital payments.

Early hobbies and first career steps

Interest in logistics and communications: As a teenager, Jack developed software to coordinate cabs and ambulances. His fascination with maps and city information flows later transformed into the idea of “real-time statuses,” which became the basis for Twitter. First startups: Before Twitter, Dorsey worked as a freelance developer and was involved in dispatch-related startups. In the early 2000s, he moved to California and started working at Odeo, Evan Williams' podcasting company. It was from Odeo that Twitter grew.

Twitter: details of its creation and first crises

First prototype: The project started as an internal service for Odeo employees. It was simple: short text messages up to 140 characters long sent to the group.
Rise in popularity: The platform quickly became known for its role in covering global events such as protests, elections and emergencies (e.g. tweets from the scene of accidents or revolutions).
Criticism: Twitter has often been criticized for insufficient content moderation, spreading misinformation, and interfering in elections. During Donald Trump's presidency, the platform became the scene of heated political debates. Dorsey was summoned to the US Congress to testify on the regulation of social networks.

Square (Block): development and innovation

The idea: Square was born out of Dorsey's observation of how difficult it was for small businesses to accept bank cards. In 2009, he teamed up with Jim McKelvey to create Square Reader, a simple card reader.
Expansion: The company grew into a large fintech ecosystem. In 2013, Square became a publicly traded company.
Cash App: One of Block's most successful products is a mobile app for P2P money transfers and investments.
Cryptocurrencies: Dorsey actively promotes bitcoin, believing it to be the “currency of the internet.” He invests in blockchain infrastructure projects and defends decentralization.

Personal lifestyle and way of thinking

Daily routine: Dorsey is known for his strict habits: wakes up at 5 a.m., meditates for an hour in the morning and evening, walks to work (sometimes up to 8 km), practices cold baths and occasional fasting.
Vipassana: Regularly goes on 10-day incommunicado retreats.
Philosophy: Inspired by Stoicism, minimalism and Eastern philosophy. Likes to quote Marcus Aurelius and Seneca.

Scandals and criticism

Dual CEO: When Dorsey simultaneously headed both Twitter and Square, investors criticized him for “spreading his focus.”
Criticism over moderation: Accusations of censorship and simultaneous indecision to combat misinformation. The decision to block Donald Trump's account in January 2021 was one of the most high-profile.
Accusations of mismanagement: Some staffers felt Dorsey was more of a “spiritual leader” than an active operational manager.

Philanthropy and Investments

In 2020, Dorsey said he would donate $1 billion dollars (about 28% of his fortune at the time) to fight COVID-19, support girls, and develop universal basic income. All of the foundation's spending was tracked publicly via Google Sheets.
Supports blockchain and human rights projects.