Hello followers! Today, we’re diving into Jack Dorsey’s latest venture into open-source social media and cutting-edge protocols. Buckle up, tech fans!

Jack Dorsey, co-founder of Twitter and CEO of Block, is channeling $10 million into a nonprofit dedicated to experimenting with open social tools. This initiative, called “and Other Stuff,” was formed in May and includes a team of well-known technologists and entrepreneurs. They focus on protocols like Nostr, an open and apolitical social networking standard, especially after Twitter’s sale to Elon Musk.

The team is also exploring other protocols such as ActivityPub, which powers Mastodon and other decentralized apps, alongside Cashu, a digital cash platform. Dorsey’s interest in these decentralized systems stems from his criticism of traditional social media’s evolution, believing platforms like Twitter should have been more open from the start. He envisions a future where protocols like Nostr enable fully open, community-driven social networks unaffected by corporate interests.

This nonprofit isn’t aiming to build a company but acts more like a hacker collective, creating tools and libraries for others to develop their own social apps. They’ve already developed projects like Shakespeare, a tool for building Nostr-based social apps with AI help, and apps like heynow for voice notes, White Noise for private messaging, and a social community platform called Chorus.

Much of Dorsey’s efforts now revolve around pushing open protocols like Nostr, which he compares to Bitcoin—completely decentralized and protocol-driven. He believes this approach is the way forward, steering away from corporate-controlled platforms that rely heavily on ad revenue and internal moderation. Dorsey’s goal is to foster systems where users can build independent, trustworthy social ecosystems without corporate interference.

In a podcast interview, Dorsey discussed the struggles of social platforms being both companies and protocols, emphasizing that true openness would allow for healthier and more innovative social media. His investments and projects aim to shift the paradigm, advocating for transparency, privacy, and user sovereignty. Looking ahead, more experimental tools and community-led projects are in development, promising an exciting future for open social media.