Jack Dorsey Turns History Into Cash, Selling His First Tweet as an NFT for $2.9 Million
Remember the good old days when Twitter was just a handful of hobbyists scrolling a 140‑character feed? Well, one of those hobbyists—Jack Dorsey, the man who helped launch “twttr”—just made a splashy payday that’s got everyone talking.
What The NFT Is All About
Short for “non‑fungible token,” an NFT is basically a digital badge that proves you own something unique on the blockchain—think of it as a one‑of‑a‑kind collector’s item for the 21st century. Every NFT comes with its own cryptographic signature, so anyone can verify it’s legit and trace its ownership.
Jack’s First Tweet – Now a Million‑Dollar Gem
On March 21, 2006, Jack sent out his very first Twitter message: “just setting up my twttr”. Fast forward to March 22, 2023, and that tweet is now officially a $2,915,835.47 NFT. Valuables, a platform owned by the U.S. company Cent, handled the auction. The winning bid—1630.5825601 ETH—translated to roughly $2.9 million, and Jack took home 95 % of the proceeds.
That’s a lot of cash for a humble “Hello, World!”
Who Bought It, and Why It Matters
- Buyer: Mr. Sina Estavi, Malaysian CEO of blockchain firm Bridge Oracle (Twitter handle @sinaEstavi).
- Why the sale is special: Estavi was “thankful” to snag the first tweet. He’s a forward‑thinking investor who sees real value in how history is recorded on the blockchain.
- Jack’s plan: He’s not just pocketing the money. Want to raise a little eyebrow? After announcing the NFT on March 6, he said he’d convert the proceeds into Bitcoin and donate the cash to Covid‑19 relief efforts in Africa.
The Bite‑Size Breakdown
- Jack Dorsey: 95 % of the sale ($2,769,465.27)
- Cent: 5 % ($146,370.23)
Cent’s CEO, Cameron Hejazi, emphasized that the NFT’s real worth isn’t just the price tag. “It’s the ledger that records the transaction and the moment in time, which stays with the buyer, the seller, and the public. That’s inherently valuable,” he said.
The Takeaway
When a humble first tweet turns into a multimillion‑dollar masterpiece, it shows how the digital era is remixing the past into new value. It also reminds us that the internet can be a treasure trove—if you’re willing to put a price on a few dozen characters.
So next time you scroll through Twitter trivia, remember: that seemingly insignificant message you read could be the next headline‑making NFT.
