Jack Patrick Dorsey is an influential American entrepreneur and programmer best known for co-founding Twitter, Inc., where he served as CEO from 2015 to 2021. He is also a key figure behind Block, Inc., the company responsible for developing the financial services platform Square, where he holds the positions of principal executive officer and chairman. Dorsey's leadership and innovation in the tech industry have made significant impacts, especially in social media and digital financial services. As of October 2023, his financial success is reflected in a substantial net worth of $3.1 billion, according to Forbes. Apart from his professional endeavors, Dorsey is also recognized for his philanthropic efforts.
November 19, 1976: Birth of Jack Dorsey
On November 19, 1976, Jack Patrick Dorsey was born. He would become known for co-founding Twitter and Block, Inc.
1995: Dorsey Enrolls at the University of Missouri-Rolla
Jack Dorsey enrolled at the University of Missouri-Rolla in 1995.
1996: Communications Decency Act
The Communications Decency Act, which included Section 230, was enacted in 1996.
1997: Dorsey Transfers to New York University
After attending the University of Missouri-Rolla, Dorsey transferred to New York University in 1997. It was during his time at NYU that he came up with the idea for Twitter.
July 2000: Dorsey Starts Dispatch Company and Conceives Twitter Idea
In July 2000, Dorsey founded a company in Oakland to dispatch couriers, taxis, and emergency services online. Inspired by instant messaging and platforms like LiveJournal and AOL Instant Messenger, he also had the idea for a web-based, real-time status/short message communication service, which would later become Twitter.
2005: Dorsey's Twitter Prototype and Investment from Evan Williams
In 2005, Dorsey and Biz Stone created a prototype of Twitter, using SMS text for status updates. The idea gained traction at Odeo, leading to investment from Evan Williams, a co-founder of Odeo who had previously co-founded Pyra Labs and Blogger.
October 16, 2008: Williams Becomes Twitter CEO, Dorsey Becomes Chairman
On October 16, 2008, Evan Williams took over as CEO of Twitter, while Jack Dorsey transitioned to the role of chairman of the board.
2008: Dorsey Prioritizes Twitter's Uptime Over Revenue
In 2008, Dorsey prioritized improving Twitter's uptime over generating revenue. He believed that focusing on the platform's stability and user experience would ultimately lead to sustainable growth and monetization opportunities.
April 2009: Dorsey Joins State Department Delegation to Iraq
In April 2009, Dorsey joined a State Department delegation to Iraq, led by Jared Cohen.
December 2009: Square company growth
By December 2009, Square had grown to 10 employees, marking the beginning of its expansion in the tech industry.
February 2010: Dorsey Participates in State Department Delegation to Russia
Dorsey was part of another State Department delegation in February 2010, this time to Russia.
May 2010: Launch of Square
In May 2010, Jack Dorsey, along with co-founder Jim McKelvey, launched Square, a mobile payment platform that allows users to accept debit and credit card payments via a small device attached to mobile devices.
March 2011: Dorsey Returns to Twitter as Executive Chairman
In March 2011, Dorsey returned to Twitter as executive chairman after Dick Costolo succeeded Williams as CEO.
June 2011: Square employee growth
By June 2011, Square had expanded significantly, growing from 10 employees in December 2009 to over 100 employees.
2011: Dorsey judges NYC BigApps competition
In 2011, Jack Dorsey served as a judge for Bloomberg's NYC BigApps competition, showcasing his involvement in promoting technological innovation in New York City.
September 2012: Square valued at $3.2 billion
In September 2012, Business Insider magazine valued Square Inc. at $3.2 billion, highlighting its rapid growth and success in the mobile payments industry.
2012: Dorsey moves to Sea Cliff
In 2012, Jack Dorsey moved to the Sea Cliff neighborhood of San Francisco, marking a personal relocation to a well-known area in the city.
September 2013: Twitter's Tweet Count Reaches 500 Million Per Day
By September 2013, the number of tweets per day on Twitter reached around 500 million, marking a significant milestone in the platform's growth.
December 24, 2013: Dorsey joins Disney's board
On December 24, 2013, Jack Dorsey was announced as a new member of the board of directors of The Walt Disney Company, marking his entry into a major entertainment corporation's leadership.
2013: Dorsey expresses interest in NYC mayoral role
In 2013, Jack Dorsey expressed his admiration for Michael Bloomberg and revealed his aspiration to become mayor of New York City, highlighting his interest in public service.
August 2014: Twitter's Tweet Count Peaks at 661 Million Per Day
Twitter's tweet count reached its peak in August 2014, with approximately 661 million tweets sent per day.
July 2015: Dorsey Becomes Interim CEO of Twitter
Following Costolo's resignation as CEO in July 2015, Dorsey stepped in as the interim CEO.
October 14, 2015: Square filed for IPO
On October 14, 2015, Square, under the leadership of CEO Jack Dorsey, filed for an IPO to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange. At that time, Dorsey owned 24.4% of the company.
October 2015: Dorsey Appointed Permanent CEO of Twitter
Dorsey's interim role became permanent in October 2015 when he was officially named CEO of Twitter.
2015: Dorsey begins meditating
In 2015, Jack Dorsey stated that he began his mornings with meditation, indicating the start of a routine that contributed to his personal well-being.
2015: Dorsey Becomes CEO of Twitter
In 2015, Jack Dorsey returned to Twitter as CEO, a position he held until 2021.
January 2016: Twitter's Tweet Count Declines to 300 Million Per Day
By January 2016, the number of tweets per day on Twitter had declined to around 300 million, a significant drop from its peak in 2014. This decline prompted Twitter to explore ways to re-engage users and attract new ones.
March 2016: Dorsey funds Missouri school projects
In March 2016, Jack Dorsey fully funded approximately 600 public school projects in Missouri through DonorsChoose, supporting education initiatives.
May 2016: Twitter Excludes Photos and Links from Character Limit
In an attempt to attract new users, Twitter, under Dorsey's leadership, announced that photos and links would no longer count towards the 140-character limit. This change aimed to provide users with more space for text in their tweets.
November 22, 2016: Dorsey Briefly Suspended from Twitter
In a surprising turn of events, Dorsey was briefly suspended from his own Twitter account, which had 3.9 million followers, on November 22, 2016. Dorsey later tweeted that the suspension was due to an "internal mistake."
2016: Twitter Introduces Recommendation Algorithms
In 2016, Twitter, under Dorsey's leadership, introduced recommendation algorithms into the main feed. This change aimed to personalize the user experience and surface more relevant content.
February 2017: Dorsey and Kordestani Match ACLU Donation
In February 2017, Dorsey and Twitter's Executive Chairman, Omid Kordestani, matched a $530,000 donation to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) raised by Twitter employees. This brought the total donation to $1.59 million, demonstrating their support for civil liberties.
2017: Dorsey completes Vipassanā meditation
In 2017, Jack Dorsey completed a ten-day Vipassanā meditation course, showcasing his dedication to mindfulness practices.
January 2018: Dorsey leaves Disney board
In January 2018, it was reported that Jack Dorsey would not seek reelection to the Disney board at its March annual meeting, due to conflicts of interest, ending his tenure with the company.
March 2018: Dorsey Announces Improved Verification System for Twitter
Dorsey announced in March 2018 that Twitter would implement a revamped verification system to enhance identity verification on the platform.
November 2018: Dorsey's meditation trip to Myanmar
In November 2018, Jack Dorsey embarked on a Vipassanā meditation trip to Myanmar to celebrate his birthday, reflecting his commitment to meditation and personal growth.
August 30, 2019: Dorsey's Twitter Account Hacked
Dorsey's personal Twitter account was compromised for nearly an hour on August 30, 2019. The hackers, who called themselves the Chuckling Squad, posted numerous racist tweets.
October 2019: Dorsey donates to #TeamTrees
In October 2019, Jack Dorsey donated $350,000 to #TeamTrees, a nonprofit dedicated to planting 20 million trees by the end of 2019, supporting environmental initiatives.
October 23, 2019: Twitter's Stock Price Plummets Nearly 21%
Twitter's stock price experienced a significant drop of nearly 21% on October 23, 2019, falling to $30.75. The decline was attributed to an earnings miss in the third-quarter report, which Twitter attributed to ad targeting issues and the decision to ban all political advertising.
November 22, 2019: Twitter Bans All Political Advertising
Effective November 22, 2019, Twitter, under Dorsey's leadership, implemented a policy to ban all political advertising globally. This decision aimed to address concerns about the platform's role in political elections and the spread of misinformation.
2019: Dorsey supports 2020 presidential candidates
In 2019, Jack Dorsey financially contributed to the campaigns of 2020 Democratic presidential candidates Tulsi Gabbard and Andrew Yang, indicating his involvement in political processes.
February 29, 2020: Elliott Management Attempts to Oust Dorsey
Elliott Management, an activist hedge fund led by billionaire Paul Singer, made efforts to remove Dorsey from his position and propose four new directors to Twitter's board on February 29, 2020. However, an agreement was reached, and Dorsey retained his role as CEO.
March 2020: FDIC permits Square to open a bank
In March 2020, the FDIC granted permission for Square to open a bank, leading to the announcement of Square Financial Services launching in 2021.
April 7, 2020: Dorsey commits $1 billion to Start Small
On April 7, 2020, Jack Dorsey announced his transfer of $1 billion of Square equity to Start Small, LLC, to fund COVID-19 relief, girls' education, and universal basic income initiatives.
May 2020: Square employees become remote workers
In May 2020, Jack Dorsey announced that employees of Square would permanently transition to remote work, responding to changes in the work environment.
May 2020: Trump's tweets labeled on Twitter
In May 2020, Twitter began labeling some of Donald Trump's tweets with warnings, marking the beginning of the platform's increased moderation of his account.
August 2020: Dorsey donates to antiracist research
In August 2020, Jack Dorsey donated $10 million to Boston University's Center for Antiracist Research, founded by Ibram X. Kendi, to support antiracism efforts.
October 2020: Dorsey Subpoenaed by US Senate Commerce Committee
In October 2020, Dorsey, along with other tech CEOs, was subpoenaed by the US Senate Commerce Committee to testify about Section 230 of the Communications Act of 1996, which provides legal immunity to tech platforms. This inquiry, led by Republican Roger Wicker, aimed to examine the platforms' content moderation practices and their potential impact on political discourse.
November 2020: Increased flaggings of Trump's tweets
In November 2020, from Election Day onwards, Twitter applied more flaggings to Donald Trump's tweets, intensifying the platform's actions against his content.
2020: Dorsey donates to basic income pilots
In 2020, Jack Dorsey donated $15 million to support 29 mayors in piloting guaranteed basic income programs across the United States, showcasing his commitment to social welfare initiatives.
2020: Square withholds merchant funds
In 2020, Square began withholding up to 30% of the funds that merchants collected from customers using its Cash App, leading to controversy among users.
January 6, 2021: Trump's Twitter timeout
On January 6, 2021, Twitter applied a 12-hour timeout to Donald Trump's account for violating its Civic Integrity policy after the U.S. Capitol storming by pro-Trump supporters.
May 2021: Dorsey donates to India's COVID-19 relief
In May 2021, Jack Dorsey donated $15 million to support NGOs in India's COVID-19 second wave relief efforts, aiding organizations such as Care, Aid India, and Sewa International.
November 29, 2021: Dorsey Resigns as Twitter CEO, Parag Agrawal Takes Over
On November 29, 2021, Dorsey announced his resignation as CEO of Twitter, and Parag Agrawal, the former CTO, assumed the position. Dorsey continued to lead Block, Inc.
December 1, 2021: Square rebrands to Block, Inc.
On December 1, 2021, Jack Dorsey announced that Square would officially change its name to Block, Inc. The rebranding reflected Dorsey's interest in blockchain and better represented the company's diverse business ventures.
2021: Dorsey Steps Down as CEO of Twitter
Jack Dorsey stepped down as CEO of Twitter in 2021.
2021: Planned launch of Square Financial Services
Square announced plans to launch Square Financial Services in 2021, following the FDIC's permission to open a bank in March 2020.
February 2022: Dorsey joins Bluesky Social board
In February 2022, Jack Dorsey joined the board of directors of Bluesky Social, a Twitter spin-off focused on developing a decentralized social networking protocol and app.
May 2022: Dorsey Leaves Twitter's Board of Directors
Dorsey stepped down from Twitter's board of directors in May 2022, further separating himself from the company.
October 2022: Elon Musk Acquires Twitter, Dorsey Retains 2.4% Ownership
When Elon Musk acquired Twitter in October 2022, Dorsey retained his 2.4% ownership in the company.
November 2022: Trump's Twitter account reinstated
In November 2022, following Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter, Donald Trump's account was reinstated, reversing the permanent suspension imposed in January 2021.
2022: Dorsey Reflects on Twitter's Management Tools
Dorsey later acknowledged that focusing on tools for Twitter to manage public conversation instead of empowering users was a mistake.
June 2023: Dorsey endorses RFK Jr.
In June 2023, Jack Dorsey publicly endorsed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for the Democratic party nomination in the 2024 United States presidential election, showing his political engagement.
October 2023: Forbes Estimates Dorsey's Net Worth at $3.1 Billion
In October 2023, Forbes estimated Jack Dorsey's net worth to be $3.1 billion.
May 2024: Dorsey leaves Bluesky Social board
In May 2024, Jack Dorsey announced he was no longer on the board of directors of Bluesky Social, citing a shift towards traditional corporate structures and centralized moderation tools as reasons for his departure.
2024: Dorsey's political endorsement
In 2024, Jack Dorsey's endorsement of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for the Democratic presidential nomination highlighted his continued involvement in political discourse.