Jack Dorsey invests $10M in “and Other Stuff”, a nonprofit focused on funding open-source projects and tools built on open protocols like Nostr and ActivityPub
Twitter co-founder and Block CEO Jack Dorsey isn't just vibe-coding new social apps, like Bitchat and Sun Day …
Context & Ripple Effects
This funding formalizes a direction Dorsey had already articulated when he called for an open social-media protocol in 2022. His heavy use of Nostr as a venue for open-source and crypto discussion also made that commitment more than a one-off statement.
It extends a broader pattern of Dorsey-backed technical philanthropy, including the Bitcoin-development endowment created with Jay-Z. The immediate focus here is broader: shared tools and projects for Nostr- and ActivityPub-based networks.
First-order effects
- “and Other Stuff” gains a $10 million pool dedicated to supporting open-source projects and tooling built on Nostr and ActivityPub.
- Developers working around those protocols have a new nonprofit funding source, while Dorsey further aligns his personal backing with the open-network work adjacent to Bitchat and Block’s Nostr-based Buzz.
Second-order effects
- More funding for common protocol tooling can lower the cost for independent apps to participate in those ecosystems, increasing the value of shared developer infrastructure rather than isolated product stacks.
- Projects building on Nostr and ActivityPub may face stronger pressure to demonstrate interoperability and durable open-source maintenance as they compete for support and adoption.
Third-order effects
- If comparable funding persists, open-protocol social infrastructure could become less dependent on volunteer labor and individual applications, strengthening a more modular alternative to platform-controlled networks.
- The outcome remains uncertain: funding can improve underlying tools, but protocol ecosystems still need sustained developer and user adoption to translate infrastructure support into network scale.
The trend: This is one data point in the shift from funding standalone social products toward financing shared, open social-network infrastructure.