Jack Dorsey’s Big Regret: Twitter Became a Company
Jack Dorsey—the man who co‑founded Twitter and once served as its CEO—recently shared a flash of candor on Twitter itself: he’s sorry that the platform turned into a traditional business.
A Sudden Insight
On June 25, Dorsey tweeted his disappointment in response to a question about how Twitter had evolved. He said, “The biggest issue and my biggest regret is that it became a company.”
What It Means for Dorsey
Because Elon Musk may finally close the deal to buy the platform, Dorsey stands to pocket US$978 million (about S$1.36 billion). That kind of money could solve even the most stubborn tech problems—if only it were in a company structure!
Protocol vs. Company
When asked what model he’d prefer for Twitter’s future, Dorsey painted a vivid picture:
- It should be a protocol, not a company.
- It shouldn’t be owned by a single state or a corporation.
- It could thrive like email—no single boss, just lets users talk to each other across different “providers.”
In short, he’s dreaming of a decentralized, open‑world social media—one that doesn’t let any one entity dictate terms.
Storms Ahead
Twitter is currently battling a storm of legal and regulatory challenges:
- It’s suing Elon Musk to stop him from backing out of his US$44 billion purchasing pledge.
- Ex‑executives turned whistleblowers have accused the company of telling U.S. regulators that its security measures were more robust than they truly are—circumstances that could open the door for hackers and spam accounts.
Even amidst the chaos, the platform’s reputation as a neutral, open space is under intense scrutiny.
The Bottom Line
Dorsey’s lament feels like a cautionary tale about where true innovation can go wrong when bureaucracy steps in. His vision—a protocol-like Twitter—could be closer to reality than anyone’s imagined, but right now, the future looks anything but simple.
