2000
Built realβtime dispatch software for local services.
Jack Dorsey: A FarβReaching Visionary in Modern Tech
Coβfounder of Twitter, Block (formerly Square), and Bluesky.
Welcome to the Avocadata Marketplace blog, where we dive into industryβshaping entrepreneurs, groundbreaking technologies, and the people behind global innovation. Today, let's explore the journey of Jack Patrick Dorsey, an American business magnate whose ventures continue to disrupt tech and finance.
Forbes estimates his net worth at over $5.6 billion (DecemberΒ 2024), underscoring his influence in the modern tech landscape.
Roots in the Midwest
Birth and Upbringing
Jack Patrick Dorsey was born on in St. Louis, Missouri. Raised in a Catholic household, he credits his Midwestern upbringing for grounding his later ambitions.
1976
Born in St. Louis, Missouri.
EarlyΒ 1990s
Attended Bishop DuBourg High School; discovered a fascination with dispatch routing.
AgeΒ 14
Built early software for taxiβdispatch logisticsβforeshadowing Twitter's realtime ethos.
Leaps into a Tech Career
In the early 2000s Dorsey founded a company in Oakland that provided realβtime dispatching for couriers and taxis. By midβ2000, his ideas matured into a prototype for short status updatesβan early seed of Twitter.
Prototype
Sketched a webβbased βstatusβ platform after studying LiveJournal & AIM.
Vision
Explored seamless service markets and connected medical devices.
Twitter: A MicroβBlogging GameβChanger
Conception & Early Days
At podcast startup Odeo, Dorsey, BizΒ Stone, and EvanΒ Williams transformed the βstatusβ prototype into Twitter. Within weeks they attracted venture capital and a passionate user base.
Corporate Shifts & Growth
After stepping aside as CEO in 2008, Dorsey focused on product reliability while Twitter ballooned from a sideβproject into a cultural staple.
Return to the Helm
Dorsey returned as Twitter CEO inΒ 2015, rolling out major changes like removing photos and links from the 140βcharacter count and introducing algorithmic timelines.
2015
Reβappointed CEO.
2016
Expanded tweet features; improved recommendations.
2021
Resigned; succeeded by ParagΒ Agrawal.
BlockΒ (Formerly Square): FinTech Reβimagined
Founded inΒ 2009 with JimΒ McKelvey, Square democratized card payments with a tiny mobile reader. The company IPOβd inΒ 2015 and rebranded to BlockΒ Inc. inΒ 2021 to emphasize blockchain initiatives.
2009
Square launches.
2015 IPO
Goes publicβvaluationΒ $2.9B.
2021
Rebrands as BlockΒ Inc.
Bluesky: A Decentralized Social Vision
Bluesky began inside Twitter but spun out as an independent project exploring open social protocols. Dorsey served on its board untilΒ 2024.
Champion of Digital Currency
A vocal Bitcoin advocate, Dorsey invests heavily in decentralized protocols and routinely speaks at crypto conferences.
Bitcoin Vision
Calls Bitcoin βthe internetβs native currency.β
Block & Crypto
BlockΒ mines BTC and builds Lightning infrastructure.
Nostr
Funds openβsource protocol for censorshipβresistant social networking.
Personal Life
Dorsey practices intermittent fasting and is known for ice baths and meditation retreats. He donates to COVIDβ19 relief, universal basic income pilots, and environmental causes.
Philanthropy
InΒ 2020 he moved $1Β billion (roughly 28% of his wealth) into the StartΒ Small LLC to fund global health, girlsβ education, and racialβequity programs.