Jack Dorsey Commits $10 Million to Collective Advancing Open Source Innovation

Jack Dorsey has committed $10 million to support a collective focused on open source development. The investment aims to boost initiatives and projects that rely on open collaboration, highlighting Dorsey’s ongoing engagement with the tech community.

A New Chapter for Decentralized Internet Initiatives

In a surprising turn that extends beyond his well-known tenure at Twitter, Jack Dorsey has stepped into the limelight once more. This time, he’s launching a fresh initiative named « and Other Stuff », generously backed with $10 million from his own foundation, StartSmall. The aim? To catalyze development within the world of open-source software, and, perhaps more importantly, to foster an ecosystem less tethered to proprietary interests.

This announcement comes hot on the heels of two other ventures by Dorsey: the Bluetooth messaging app Bitchat and Sun Day, an application designed to monitor UV exposure. Yet these projects seem almost like preludes compared to his latest ambition—a vision of an online world built on openness rather than walled gardens.

Pushing Boundaries: From Open Tools to Social Applications

What distinguishes this collective is its explicit mission: supporting the creation of robust open-source tools with the potential to evolve into accessible social platforms. Founding members met through the Nostr protocol—another project receiving direct support from Dorsey. Their shared ambition is clear: accelerate Nostr’s transformation from a technical experiment into a widely adopted and resilient ecosystem.

The group’s interests extend further, delving into standards such as ActivityPub, which underpins platforms like Mastodon, as well as emerging technologies like Cashu, a digital cash solution devised by developer Calle. Notably, the team also includes Evan Henshaw-Plath, recognized as Twitter’s very first employee.

Prototype Pathways and Lessons Learned

Already several prototypes are underway. Among them: heynow (a voice app), White Noise (private messaging), and +chorus (a social community platform). There’s also Shakespeare—a tool leveraging artificial intelligence to help developers construct social networks atop Nostr. These efforts collectively point in one direction: breaking away from entrenched proprietary models established by dominant tech platforms.

Yet experience tempers optimism. In a recent podcast hosted by Henshaw-Plath, Dorsey reflected candidly on past disappointments. As he put it: « C’est difficile pour une entreprise comme [Twitter] car elle reste soumise aux intérêts corporatistes lorsqu’elle voudrait fonctionner comme un protocole ouvert » ». He voiced particular frustration with Bluesky—an offshoot he once championed at Twitter—which he feels has become « plus corporate » qu’inspirée du modèle Bitcoin », straying from the principles of decentralization and collective ownership he holds dear.