Jack Dorsey Invests $10M to Boost Open-Source Social Media Experiments
- Jack Dorsey has invested $10 million to launch “and Other Stuff,” a nonprofit building open-source social media tools and protocols.
- The group develops experimental apps and is advocating for a Bill of Rights for users, emphasising privacy and interoperability.
- Dorsey’s effort aims to move social networks away from corporate control toward open, user-empowered ecosystems.
Jack Dorsey, co-founder of Twitter and CEO of Block, is backing a new experiment in digital communication with a personal investment of $10 million in “and Other Stuff,” a nonprofit launched in May 2025.
The collective includes notable names such as Twitter’s first employee, Evan Henshaw-Plath, Cashu’s creator, “Calle,” ex-Truth Social engineering head Alex Gleason, and Intercom’s Jeff Gardner.
The group, which formed from collaborative work on the open social networking protocol Nostr, is setting out to build not another company, but a “community of hackers.”
Their projects already include Shakespeare, an AI-powered platform for building Nostr-based apps; a voice note app, heynow; Cashu wallet; secure messenger White Noise; and social network +chorus.
Dorsey’s vision is fueled by growing criticism of the corporate social media model. In a recent podcast, he reflected on how Twitter’s dependence on advertisers compromised its mission, arguing that such platforms should be built on open protocols, not as companies subject to monetary and regulatory pressures.
This open architecture, Dorsey believes, would fuel healthier, user-centric digital communities.
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To further promote responsible innovation, the group is drafting a “social media Bill of Rights” covering privacy, security, interoperability, and self-governance.
Their efforts draw on cutting-edge AI tools, reminiscent of the enabling software that powered Web 2.0’s earliest grassroots innovations.
Dorsey’s funding has jump-started app development and research within the collective, with more experiments and initiatives on the way.
The team remains committed to protocols like Nostr and ActivityPub, aiming to build digital spaces that are open, collaborative, and resilient to outside pressures.
Edited by Annette George
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