Jack Dorsey

Jack Dorsey, (born November 19, 1976, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.), American Web developer and entrepreneur who, with Evan Williams and Christopher Stone, cofounded (2006) the online microblogging service Twitter.

As a teenager, Dorsey created taxi-dispatching software that was adopted by taxicab companies. He attended New York University before moving (1999) to San Francisco, where he set up a company that used the Internet to handle the dispatching of couriers and emergency vehicles as well as taxis. In 2000 he first considered using text and instant messaging (based on the principles of dispatch software) as a way of keeping in touch with friends.

Six years later he approached Williams and Stone with his idea; together they developed a prototype of what would become the Twitter platform. Dorsey posted the first Twitter message on March 21, 2006. The service, which allowed users to send messages no longer than 140 characters, quickly became a popular social networking hub as well as a mainstream form of communication. Dorsey served as CEO until October 2008, when he became chairman of the board. In that capacity, he was involved with Twitter’s initial public offering (2013), which raised $1.8 billion.