Twitter co-founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey was seen in New York on Monday in a rare outing for the tech mogul, who spends most of his time in San Francisco.
Dorsey donned a casual pair of Birkenstock sandals as he stepped out with members of his entourage holding a large bottle of water.
The sighting comes as he is in the process of launching a new social media platform to rival Twitter, where he was CEO until November 2021 – before Musk’s acquisition.
Although he initially encouraged Musk to buy Twitter, Dorsey recently took issue with the world’s second-richest man, saying last month that “everything went south” and that Musk “should have walked away” from Twitter. the agreement.
Twitter co-founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey was seen in New York on Monday
Dorsey was pictured with members of his entourage as they walked through a New York City crosswalk
Dorsey donning a casual outfit and Birkenstock shoes walking down a New York crosswalk with members of her entourage
Although he initially encouraged Musk’s acquisition of Twitter, Dorsey recently said that “everything went south” and that he “should have gone.” Musk is pictured on May 15
Dorsey’s new service has attracted high-profile figures including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Chrissy Teigen.
Bluesky, which has many similarities to Twitter, is the latest in a long line of apps – including Mastodon – seeking to upstage after Musk’s takeover last year.
Dorsey’s project is unique, however, in that it started as a side project on Twitter in 2019 and was heralded as a new take on social media, particularly when it comes to content moderation.
In 2022, it became independent and established as a standalone platform.
Unlike Twitter, which is structured like a traditional company with centralized management and decision makers, Bluesky is apparently a “decentralized” social media network collectively run by its users.
The result, according to Dorsey and other Bluesky founders, is that decisions about who gets banned or moderated are made collectively rather than by individuals, as is the case with Elon Musk’s Twitter.
Dorsey hinted at the importance of these apps in messages to Musk even before Twitter changed hands last year.
In the texts, Dorsey told Musk that a “new platform is needed.” It can’t be a business. That’s why I left [Twitter].’
Dorsey’s appearance in New York is a rarity given his preference for California
The Twitter CEO had the company of friends as he stepped out in New York on Monday
Bluesky was released in beta in February, and potential users must join a waiting list to create an account before its full launch.
In December, he expanded on his views on the state of Twitter in a blog post.
“Of course, governments want to shape and control the public conversation and will use every method at their disposal to do so, including the media,” he wrote.
“And the power a company wields to do the same is only growing.” It is essential that people have tools to resist this, and that those tools ultimately belong to people.
“Allowing a government or a few companies to own the public conversation is a path to centralized control,” he added.
“I don’t believe a centralized system can do content moderation on a global scale. It can only be done through ranking and relevance algorithms, the more localized the better .
Dorsey recently confirmed a Bluesky user’s speculation that the name relates to Twitter’s bird mascot, with the idea that blue skies can set the bird free.
Bluesky is currently in its infancy – users can post short messages up to 300 characters and images, but there is currently no support for videos or direct messages
Bluesky launched in beta in February, but before the full launch potential users will need to join a waitlist if they want to join.
The platform is also in its infancy – users can post short messages up to 300 characters and images, but there is currently no support for videos or direct messages.
Dorsey, Jeremie Miller, the inventor of the Jabber/XMPP communications protocol, and Jay Graber, CEO of Bluesky, are members of its board of directors.
Bluesky’s launch will roughly coincide with that of another text-based social media platform by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, which is expected sometime this summer.
The new Meta platform will allow users to transfer their Instagram profiles to an equivalent text-based platform.
Dorsey’s appearance in New York is a rarity given his preference for California, where he owns a $22 million mansion.
According to a Forbes ranking, he is worth over $4.2 billion.
