Jack Dorsey, co-founder of Twitter and CEO of Block, has committed $10 million to and Other Stuff, an online collective dedicated to developing experimental open-source projects aimed at transforming the social media landscape. Established in May 2025, this group operates as a community of hackers rather than a traditional company, focusing on creating decentralized and user-empowered digital communication tools.
Formation and Team Composition
The inception of and Other Stuff brings together a diverse team of innovators:
– Evan Henshaw-Plath: Twitter’s first employee, bringing extensive experience in social media development.
– Calle: Creator of Cashu, an e-cash platform emphasizing privacy and decentralization.
– Alex Gleason: Former engineering head at Truth Social, contributing expertise in social platform engineering.
– Jeff Gardner: Early Intercom employee, offering insights into user engagement and product development.
This collective aims to experiment with various open-source protocols, including Nostr and ActivityPub, to develop tools that empower users and promote decentralized communication.
Focus on Nostr and ActivityPub
Central to the collective’s efforts is Nostr (Notes and Other Stuff Transmitted by Relays), an open, decentralized social networking protocol designed to resist internet censorship while maintaining session integrity. Nostr enables users to publish content associated with cryptographic public keys to various relays, which are WebSocket servers that store and distribute user data. This structure ensures user verification and account portability, as all posts are signed using secret keys, preventing tampering without invalidating the signature.
In addition to Nostr, and Other Stuff plans to explore ActivityPub, the protocol behind Mastodon, to support developer tools and libraries that enable the creation of niche social applications. This approach aims to foster a more decentralized and user-empowered future in social media.
Innovative Projects and Applications
The collective has initiated several projects to demonstrate the potential of open-source social tools:
– Shakespeare: An AI-assisted app builder focused on Nostr, allowing users to create personalized social applications.
– heynow: A voice-note messenger built on Nostr, facilitating decentralized audio communication.
– White Noise: A private chat tool emphasizing secure and confidential messaging.
– +chorus: A social community platform built atop Nostr, promoting user-driven content and interactions.
These projects exemplify the collective’s commitment to developing tools that prioritize user control and decentralization.
Dorsey’s Vision for Decentralized Social Media
Jack Dorsey’s investment in and Other Stuff reflects his evolving perspective on social media platforms. He has expressed criticism of the centralized nature of mainstream social platforms, stating that Twitter should have never been a company. By supporting this collective, Dorsey aims to catalyze grassroots innovation without the constraints of corporate hierarchy or venture-driven mandates.
The announcement of this investment coincides with the debut of a new podcast, revolution.social with @rabble, where Henshaw-Plath and Dorsey discuss the philosophy and technical underpinnings of their open-source mission. This platform provides insights into their vision for a decentralized and user-empowered digital communication landscape.
Bitchat: A Peer-to-Peer Messaging App
In addition to his investment in and Other Stuff, Dorsey has unveiled Bitchat, a peer-to-peer messaging app that operates without internet connectivity. Launched in beta via Apple’s TestFlight, Bitchat utilizes Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) mesh networking to route end-to-end encrypted messages directly between devices. This design enables communication in areas without Wi-Fi or cellular service, such as during network outages, emergencies, or in remote regions.
Bitchat’s decentralized architecture eliminates the need for central servers, phone-number registration, or persistent user accounts. Smartphones within approximately 30 meters form local clusters, relaying encrypted messages hop-by-hop as users move, extending the network’s reach beyond a single Bluetooth connection.
The Broader Impact on Social Media
The efforts of and Other Stuff and the development of applications like Bitchat signify a shift towards decentralized social media platforms that prioritize user control, privacy, and resilience against censorship. By leveraging open-source protocols like Nostr and ActivityPub, these initiatives aim to create a more open and user-empowered digital communication environment.
As AI-assisted coding lowers the barrier to entry for complex software development, and Other Stuff seeks to equip developers and creators with the building blocks for a decentralized future in social media. This approach challenges the traditional centralized models of social platforms, offering alternatives that emphasize user agency and open collaboration.
Conclusion
Jack Dorsey’s $10 million investment in and Other Stuff underscores a commitment to fostering innovation in open-source social media tools. By supporting a collective that operates outside traditional corporate structures, Dorsey aims to promote the development of decentralized platforms that empower users and resist censorship. The projects initiated by this collective, along with applications like Bitchat, represent significant steps towards reimagining the future of digital communication.
