Jack Dorsey is a prominent American entrepreneur and philanthropist who co-founded Twitter, the popular social media platform that allows users to send and receive short messages known as tweets. He was born on November 19, 1976, in St. Louis, Missouri, and developed an interest in programming and technology at a young age.
Dorsey’s entrepreneurial journey began when he built dispatch software for taxi companies in St. Louis during his teenage years. He later moved to New York City to study computer science and business at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.
In 2006, Dorsey co-founded Twitter and served as its CEO until 2008. He returned as CEO in 2015 and held the position until 2021. Under his leadership, Twitter became a widely used platform for communication and social networking, with over 330 million active users as of 2021.
In addition to Twitter, Dorsey co-founded Square, a mobile payments company, in 2009. Square’s flagship product is a small, square-shaped card reader that allows merchants to accept credit card payments using a smartphone or tablet. The company went public in 2015 and has expanded into other areas of financial services, including small business loans.
Dorsey has received numerous accolades throughout his career. In 2008, Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world, and in 2012, he was recognized as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.
Apart from his work in technology, Dorsey is also known for his philanthropic efforts. In 2016, he pledged to donate one-third of his wealth to charity, with a focus on funding research into universal basic income and supporting entrepreneurship in underprivileged communities.
Despite his success, Dorsey has faced criticism over the years for Twitter’s handling of issues such as hate speech and misinformation on the platform. He resigned as Twitter’s CEO in 2021 but remains involved with the company as a member of its board of directors.
In addition to his philanthropic work, Dorsey has also been involved in politics and social activism. He served on the board of directors of the non-profit organization, The Electronic Frontier Foundation, which advocates for internet freedom and privacy. Dorsey has also been an outspoken supporter of net neutrality and has criticized government surveillance programs.
Dorsey’s management style has also come under scrutiny, with some critics accusing him of being too focused on innovation at the expense of the user experience. In response to this criticism, Dorsey has emphasized the importance of user feedback and has pledged to make Twitter a safer and more inclusive platform.
Despite the challenges he has faced, Dorsey remains one of the most influential figures in the tech industry. His innovative ideas and commitment to social causes have made him a role model for aspiring entrepreneurs and activists around the world.