Jack Dorsey, co-founder and former CEO of Twitter, has admitted that the social media platform is faring poorly under the stewardship of Elon Musk. Dorsey made the comments in response to a question from a user of Bluesky, a federated and open social networking protocol partially funded by Dorsey.
While he acknowledged that Twitter had few options as a public company that would’ve ended well, Dorsey also blamed the board for forcing the sale to Musk. He stated that he didn’t think Musk was the “best possible steward” and that Twitter “never would’ve survived as a public company.”
Dorsey also clarified his now-infamous tweet claiming that “Elon is the singular solution I trust,” saying that he meant specifically for the outcome of taking Twitter private. He took issue with accusations that he “sold out” in selling the company to Musk, noting that public companies are subject to sale and acquisition given the right market conditions.
No. Nor do I think he acted right after realizing his timing was bad.
Jack Dorsey
Nor do I think the board should have forced the sale. It all went south. But it happened and all we can do now is build something to avoid that ever happening again. So I’m happy Jay and team and nostr devs exist and building it.
Washington Post writer Will Oremus attempted to frame Dorsey’s comments as him avoiding blame himself, which Dorsey strongly objected to, noting that he has previously apologized for his role in Twitter’s fate.
In addition to lamenting Twitter’s current state, Dorsey also shared his opinion that market conditions combined with the state of the company at the time meant it was destined for manipulation by activist investors and private equity firms angling to take it over.
Dorsey’s comments provide insight into his perspective on Twitter’s history and the factors that led to its current state. While he acknowledges the role of the board in forcing the sale to Musk, he also suggests that the company’s fate was largely determined by market conditions and its own state at the time.
His statements may also shed light on his current priorities, including his involvement in the development of Bluesky and efforts to avoid a similar outcome for social media platforms in the future.
In addition to his comments on Musk and Twitter, Dorsey also talked about the importance of open protocols and decentralized technology in social media. This is a core tenet of Bluesky, the app he partially funded and supports, which is built on a federated and open social networking protocol.
Dorsey argued that social media should not be owned by any one company or individual, but rather should be built on open protocols that allow for interoperability and decentralization. He pointed to the success of email, which is built on open protocols and allows for communication across different services and platforms, as an example of how open protocols can enable innovation and collaboration.
Dorsey’s comments come at a time when there is growing interest in decentralized and open-source technologies, particularly in the wake of controversies around social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Many advocates believe that decentralized technologies can help address issues like censorship, data privacy, and content moderation, while also enabling more diverse and innovative social media experiences.
Bluesky is still in the early stages of development, but Dorsey and his team hope that it will be a model for a more open and decentralized social media ecosystem. Dorsey’s comments suggest that he sees this as an important goal, not just for Bluesky, but for the future of social media as a whole.