As he stepped down as Twitter CEO for the second and final time in November 2021, Jack Dorsey wrote that being founder-led marks the failure of a company. Earlier this year, he tweeted that Twitter becoming a company was his biggest regret and that it should be a protocol. All along, Dorsey had been building a decentralised social media alternative to Twitter and Facebook, which he is now testing as Musk takes control of the platform that he developed.
Quietly started testing his new creation
As the world focused on the big Twitter acquisition last week, Dorsey started enlisting users for the beta phase of Bluesky Social, his new online platform. After the initial announcement, 30,000 people came on board, and more can sign up as beta users before Bluesky is launched. It promises more independence for developers to build and more freedom for users, by giving them increased control over algorithms.
How Bluesky plans to transform social media?
Funded by Twitter under Dorsey since 2019, Bluesky is powered by AT Protocol, which creates a federated social network, where people can build their own autonomous apps with data and infrastructure of one central platform. They can have a larger say in the algorithm, which means users can decide how data is presented, and can also move content from one app to another. The platform which aims to rival existing social networks including now Musk-led Twitter, is a product of Dorsey’s vision to create something which isn’t owned by a company or state.
Had revealed plans to Musk?
Private texts between Dorsey and Musk revealed earlier in court also showed how the Twitter co-founder left to create a new platform, which can’t be a firm. He even told Musk that Twitter should have an open-source protocol such as Signal, instead of an advertising model.
A different vision from the start
Before stepping down in 2021, Dorsey had previously been forced to leave the CEO’s post back in 2008, just two years after he launched Twitter. According to journalist Nick Bilton’s book Hatching Twitter, Dorsey wasn’t an ideal boss since he would leave for art class while the others worked on projects. But after staying on the board, Dorsey made a comeback as Twitter’s CEO in 2015 for his second and last stint.
