Jack Dorsey Announces His Departure from Bluesky on X, Calls Elon Musk's Platform 'Freedom Technology' Dorsey helped fund and promote the rival social media platform.

By Sherin Shibu

Key Takeaways

  • Jack Dorsey is the co-founder and former CEO of Twitter, now X.
  • He since helped to found and fund an X rival, Bluesky.
  • As of Saturday, Dorsey is no longer on Bluesky's board, and announced it on X.

Jack Dorsey, co-founder and former CEO of X/Twitter until he resigned in 2021, has left the board of X rival Bluesky, a decentralized social media network he helped create, fund, and promote.

Bluesky started as a small research project within then-Twitter in 2019 and became its own platform in 2022. The company's goal is to create a common operating standard for social media platforms so that apps can work between them. It works a lot like Twitter, which it was designed to replace.

Dorsey has been on Bluesky's board since the platform split from Twitter, now X, two years ago, but took to X on Saturday to simply write "no" when asked if he was still on the board.

He also posted and pinned: "Don't depend on corporations to grant you rights. defend them yourself using freedom technology. (you're on one)" on the same day, deeming X "freedom technology."

Jack Dorsey. Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images

On Sunday, Bluesky posted an official statement on their site thanking Dorsey "for his help funding and initiating" Bluesky. The company stated it was looking for a new board member "who shares our commitment to building a social network that puts people in control of their experience."

We sincerely thank Jack for his help funding and initiating the bluesky project. Today, Bluesky is thriving as an open source social network running on atproto, the decentralized protocol we have built.

— Bluesky (@bsky.app) May 5, 2024 at 4:11 PM

Dorsey also reportedly unfollowed over 2,000 people this weekend and weighed in on government surveillance.

Related: Jack Dorsey Blasts Mark Zuckerberg Over Threads Follow Request: 'Too Soon'

He now follows just three people on X: Elon Musk, Edward Snowden, and Stella Assange.

The seemingly public approval of X is a change of tune for Dorsey, who openly called out Elon Musk's leadership of X last year.

Dorsey also founded the fintech conglomerate Block, which the Department of Justice is currently investigating after a former employee alleged compliance issues.

Dorsey mainly dismissed the news report at Block's earnings call last week.

Related: 'Should Have Walked Away': Jack Dorsey Says 'It All Went South' After Elon Musk Took Over Twitter

Sherin Shibu

Entrepreneur Staff

News Reporter

Sherin Shibu is a business news reporter at Entrepreneur.com. She previously worked for PCMag, Business Insider, The Messenger, and ZDNET as a reporter and copyeditor. Her areas of coverage encompass tech, business, strategy, finance, and even space. She is a Columbia University graduate.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Growing a Business

What Our Digital World Is Missing — and How I Turned It Into $100 Million After Dropping Out of High School

I went from high school dropout to $100 million CEO by sticking to one very important learning principle.

Social Media

With This LinkedIn Algorithm Change, Your Best Posts Could Reach New Readers for Months

It's one of many new features rolling out on the platform in 2024.

Thought Leaders

Cultural Fit Can Make or Break an M&A Deal

One of the most critical components for success -- cultural fit -- often falls by the wayside.