Jack Dorsey
Born 1976 · Age 49
American entrepreneur; co‑founder of Twitter (now X) and co‑founder & longtime CEO/chairman of Square (now Block, Inc.); founder of Bluesky and developer/advocate of multiple Bitcoin and decentralization projects.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in St. Louis, Missouri
Jack Patrick Dorsey born to Timothy G. Dorsey and Marcia A. Dorsey (née Smith); raised Catholic; partly of Italian descent on mother's side.
Wrote taxi-dispatch software as a teenager
At about age 15 Dorsey wrote dispatching software used by taxicab companies; early interest in dispatch-routing inspired later ideas.
Enrolled at University of Missouri–Rolla
Began college studies at Missouri University of Science and Technology (then University of Missouri–Rolla); attended two-plus years.
Transferred to New York University (NYU)
Transferred to NYU; the idea that became Twitter originated while studying at NYU.
Moved to California to work on dispatching software
Moved to the Bay Area and continued building dispatch and related web systems; worked on dispatch projects for couriers, taxis, emergency services.
Started dispatching company in Oakland
Founded a company (Oakland) to dispatch couriers, taxis, and emergency services via the web; explored other projects like medical device networks.
Conceived web-based realtime status / short-message idea
In July 2000 Dorsey conceived a web-based realtime status / short message service inspired by dispatching, LiveJournal and instant messaging.
Joined Odeo / worked with Evan Williams and Biz Stone
Joined Odeo (podcasting company) where he pitched the short-status idea and collaborated with Biz Stone and Evan Williams; prototype work began.
Posted world's first tweet; Twitter prototype launched
Dorsey posted 'just setting up my twttr' — widely recognized as the first tweet — and Twitter (twttr) launched as a short-message service.
Named CEO when Twitter spun out
When Twitter spun out as its own company Dorsey became Twitter's chief executive officer and led early product and infrastructure priorities.
Named to MIT Technology Review TR35
Named one of MIT Technology Review's TR35 (top 35 innovators under 35) in 2008.
Billionth tweet milestone and rapid growth
By May 2008 Twitter hit its billionth tweet; the company reached broad popularity and growing market attention (market cap reported around $1.5B in 2008).
Removed as CEO; became chairman
Evan Williams replaced Dorsey as CEO on Oct 16, 2008; Dorsey moved to role of chairman of the board.
Co-founded Square with Jim McKelvey (founding)
Alongside Jim McKelvey Dorsey co-founded Square (mobile card reader/payments platform) — company formation around 2009 with product development into 2010.
State Department delegation trip to Iraq
Joined a U.S. State Department delegation to Iraq (led by Jared Cohen) to observe new-media impacts and diplomacy.
Delayed Twitter maintenance during Iran protests
Responded to a State Department request to delay scheduled maintenance so Iranians could continue using Twitter during the Green Revolution protests.
Square headcount snapshot: ~10 employees
Square had about 10 employees in December 2009 as the company ramped product testing.
Square product released
Square's small, square-shaped mobile card reader and app publicly launched (May 2010), enabling merchants to accept card payments via mobile devices.
Served as judge for NYC BigApps competition
Served as a judge for Michael Bloomberg's NYC BigApps competition (2011).
Returned to Twitter as executive chairman
After Dick Costolo became CEO, Dorsey returned to Twitter's leadership as executive chairman (March 2011).
Moderated / participated in Twitter Town Hall with President Obama
Participated in Twitter's first Town Hall with President Barack Obama (July 2011), bringing Twitter into civic engagement and national conversations.
Wall Street Journal 'Innovator of the Year' and Crunchies 'Founder of the Year'
Received The Wall Street Journal's Innovator of the Year (technology) and TechCrunch Crunchies Founder of the Year awards in 2012.
Square valuation reported at $3.2B; Starbucks investment
Business Insider valued Square at about US$3.2 billion (Sept 2012); Starbucks invested $25M in Square in 2012 and Howard Schultz joined Square's board.
Listed by Forbes as a billionaire and 'most eligible billionaire bachelor'
Following Twitter's IPO and personal holdings, Forbes listed Dorsey as a billionaire and noted his public profile in 2013.
Twitter IPO; Dorsey became a billionaire
Twitter's initial public offering (Nov 2013) raised ~$1.8B; stock jump on first day made Dorsey a billionaire based on his shareholding.
Joined Walt Disney Company board of directors
Announced as a new member of The Walt Disney Company's board of directors (Dec 24, 2013).
Returned as Twitter interim CEO
Dick Costolo resigned and Dorsey assumed role of interim CEO (July 2015).
Named permanent CEO of Twitter
After serving as interim CEO, Dorsey was named permanent CEO of Twitter (October 2015).
Square filed for IPO; Dorsey owned ~24.4%
Square filed to go public (Oct 14, 2015); Dorsey disclosed ownership of 24.4% at the time of filing.
Square (SQ) IPO (public listing)
Square went public in November 2015 (NY Stock Exchange). Company raised capital in the IPO; Dorsey's stake contributed materially to his net worth.
Introduced recommendation algorithms to main feed
Twitter introduced algorithmic ranking/recommendations to users' main feeds (2016), shifting how content was surfaced.
Ranked among worst CEOs by Fox Business
Fox Business ranked Dorsey No. 4 Worst CEO of 2016, citing part-time commitment and performance metrics.
Funded ~600 DonorsChoose Missouri school projects
In March 2016 Dorsey fully funded about 600 Missouri public school projects on DonorsChoose.
Changed 140-character rule to not count photos/links
Twitter announced it would stop counting photos and links against the 140-character limit to free up space and try to attract users.
Personal Twitter account briefly suspended
Dorsey's own account was briefly suspended on Nov 22, 2016; restored and attributed to an internal mistake.
Listed among 20 Worst CEOs by 24/7 Wall St.
24/7 Wall St. included Dorsey among the 20 Worst CEOs in America (2017).
Matched employee donation to ACLU
Dorsey and Executive Chairman Omid Kordestani matched a $530,000 staff-raised donation to the ACLU, bringing the total to $1.59M (Feb 2017).
Did not seek re-election to Disney board
Reported in January 2018 that Dorsey would not seek re-election to Disney's board at their March 2018 meeting due to conflicts of interest.
Announced verification system overhaul
Announced plans to redesign Twitter verification to allow more identity verification and facts about users (March 2018).
Testified before Senate Intelligence Committee
Testified (September 2018) alongside Facebook on social media abuse and foreign influence in elections; Twitter shares fell after testimony.
Public meetings with President Trump regarding platform concerns
Met privately with President Donald Trump at the White House (April 23, 2019) to discuss concerns about follower counts and platform health.
Personal account hacked by 'Chuckling Squad'
On Aug 30, 2019 Dorsey's account was reportedly hijacked briefly and racist tweets posted by attackers.
Donated to #TeamTrees initiative
Donated US$350,000 to #TeamTrees in October 2019 to support planting trees initiative (project targeted 20M trees).
Twitter stock plunges after Q3 earnings miss
On Oct 23–24, 2019 Twitter stock fell nearly 21% after reporting an earnings miss tied to ad-targeting problems.
Twitter bans all political advertising globally
Dorsey announced Twitter would ban all political advertising globally effective Nov 22, 2019.
Elliott Management seeks board changes at Twitter
Activist hedge fund Elliott Management reportedly sought to oust Dorsey and nominate directors (Feb 2020); negotiations followed.
FDIC permits Square to open a bank
In March 2020 the FDIC allowed Square to open a bank; Square announced plans for Square Financial Services in 2021.
Agreement with Elliott and Silver Lake; $1B investment from Silver Lake
Twitter reached a deal (March 2020) that kept Dorsey as CEO; Silver Lake invested $1 billion and added board members.
Pledged ~$1 billion of Square equity to Start Small LLC
Announced the transfer of ~US$1 billion of his Square equity (roughly a third of his wealth at the time) to Start Small LLC for COVID‑19 relief and later girls' health/education and UBI.
Announced Square would allow permanent remote work
In May 2020 Dorsey announced Square employees could become permanent remote workers post-pandemic.
Donated $10M to Boston University Center for Antiracist Research
In August 2020 Dorsey donated US$10 million to Boston University's Center for Antiracist Research (Ibram X. Kendi's center).
Subpoenaed to testify before US Senate Commerce Committee on Section 230
In Oct 2020 Dorsey and other CEOs were subpoenaed/testified about legal immunity Section 230 and content moderation.
Applied 12-hour timeout to President Trump's account
Following the Jan 6 Capitol events Twitter applied a 12-hour timeout to President Trump's account for policy violations.
Twitter permanently suspended President Trump
Twitter permanently suspended Donald Trump's account on Jan 8, 2021 after a content review related to the Jan 6 events.
Sold / auctioned first tweet as NFT
In March 2021 Dorsey sold his first tweet as an NFT for US$2.9 million; proceeds were designated for charity (GiveDirectly/Africa relief).
Donated $15M to India's COVID-19 relief
In May 2021 Dorsey donated US$15 million to relief efforts during India's COVID-19 second wave (Care $10M; Aid India $2.5M; Sewa International $2.5M).
Resigned as Twitter CEO
Announced immediate resignation as Twitter CEO (Nov 29, 2021); Parag Agrawal named CEO. Dorsey continued as CEO of Block (formerly Square).
Square rebranded to Block, Inc.
On Dec 1, 2021 Dorsey officially changed Square's name to Block, Inc. to reflect broader business and blockchain interest; ticker remained SQ.
Joined board of Bluesky
Joined the board of Bluesky (Feb 2022), a Twitter spin-off developing a decentralized social networking protocol and app.
Left Twitter board of directors
Dorsey left Twitter's board of directors in May 2022 (announced earlier and formalized in 2022) after stepping down as CEO; timeline: announced May 2022 departure.
Changed official Block title to 'Block Head'
In April 2022 Dorsey changed his title at Block from CEO to 'Block Head' per SEC filing; company said roles/responsibilities unchanged.
Left Bluesky board; endorsed X
In May 2024 Dorsey announced he was no longer on the Bluesky board and publicly endorsed X (formerly Twitter) as 'freedom technology' — cited Bluesky's centralization shift.
Retained 2.4% ownership after Twitter sale to Elon Musk
When Elon Musk acquired Twitter (Oct 2022) Dorsey kept a 2.4% ownership stake in the company.
Seed-funded OCEAN Bitcoin mining pool
Provided seed funding in 2023 for OCEAN, a Bitcoin mining pool intended to decentralize mining and offer miners more control over block templates.
Launched peer-to-peer Bluetooth messaging app Bitchat (white paper/launch)
In 2025 Dorsey launched Bitchat, a peer-to-peer messaging app using Bluetooth mesh to connect nearby users without internet; emphasized censorship resistance.
Forbes net worth estimate: US$3.8B (May 2025)
Forbes estimated Jack Dorsey's net worth at US$3.8 billion (May 2025).
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