Jack Dorsey regrets role in 'centralizing the internet' as Elon Musk joins Twitter's board
Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey said last week that “centralizing discovery and identity into corporations” has "really damaged the internet," adding that he is “partially to blame” for the shift.
The "days of usenet, irc, the web...even email (w PGP)...were amazing. centralizing discovery and identity into corporations really damaged the internet,” he tweeted Saturday, referencing online communication and chat systems.
“I realize I'm partially to blame, and regret it,” said Dorsey, who stepped down as Twitter's CEO last year. He has supported open and decentralized social media standards before, Axios reported.
Just a few days after his tweet, Twitter announced that Elon Musk Elon Musk had purchased 9.2% of Twitter stock, making him the company's largest shareholder, and joined its board. The Tesla founder has been skeptical of Twitter and suggested that the platform should not be rigidly regulated.
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Musk and Dorsey have both mocked Web3, a term for a decentralized version of the internet-based blockchain, a digital public ledger recording cryptocurrency transactions.
Musk tweeted last year: “Has anyone seen web3? I can’t find it.” Dorsey responded, “It’s somewhere between a and z.”
Has anyone seen web3? I can’t find it.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 21, 2021
It’s somewhere between a and z
— jack⚡️ (@jack) December 21, 2021
The New York Times reported that Web1 traditionally refers to the experience of using the internet during the 1990s and early 2000s, marked by blogs and message boards. Web2 refers to the next phase of popular internet usage, marked by social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Dorsey said last year in a statement that he “decided to leave Twitter because I believe the company is ready to move on from its founders.”
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Twitter founder Jack Dorsey is 'to blame' for centralized internet