Who the hell is rumoured new Twitter chief Jack Dorsey?

2 months ago

Jack Dorsey is set to return to the company he co-founded in 2006 as CEO for the second time, having been ousted by fellow Twitter co-founder Evan Williams in 2008.

Reports suggest the interim CEO of the social media site could be made permanent chief as early as today.

Dorsey, 38, was born in St Louis, Missouri, and studied at the state’s University of Science and Technology before transferring to New York University, and then subsequently dropping out. He worked as a programmer before moving to California and starting his first company in 2000; a firm which dispatched couriers, taxis and emergency services over the internet.

Inspired by the instant messaging services that were popular at the turn of the century, Dorsey then began to work on a web-based real-time short message and communication service that would eventually become the social media site he is now returning to.

Dorsey co-founded Twitter along with Williams, Biz Stone and Noah Glass in 2006, having attracted investment based on a preview build of the site that was put together in two weeks.

He sent the first tweet from the site in March 2006; “just setting up my twttr”, but was ousted as chief executive in 2008, allegedly over concerns around his management of the company; which is said to have included leaving early to pursue hobbies.

Dorsey was made “passive” chairman and given a ‘silent seat’ on the board of directors after Williams took over as chief executive, but also began to pursue other ventures, and in 2010 founded Square; the mobile payments firm which attached a mini credit card reader to smartphones via the headphone jack to make transactions. The company was valued at 3.2 billion US dollars (£2.1 billion) in 2012. He also joined the board of directors at Disney in December 2013.

He returned to Twitter as executive chairman in 2011 after Williams was replaced as CEO by Dick Costolo. However, earlier this year Costolo announced he would be resigning as chief, as the social media site continued to struggle to grow and keep pace with rival site; Facebook.

Dorsey was named interim chief executive, but is now set to be given the job on a permanent basis for the second time.