Twitter chief Jack Dorsey pledges $1bn to fight pandemic

08 / 04 / 2020

By Sky News - -

Twitter founder and boss Jack Dorsey has set aside $1bn (£812m) in stock to help fund relief efforts related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mr Dorsey, who is also chief executive of the financial payments startup Square, will give the new venture shares from his Square holdings.

The 43-year-old announced the initiative called Start Small in a series of tweets, and said the contribution amounts to 28% of his fortune.

Mr Dorsey, who for years has kept details of his charitable efforts private, said the organisation will disclose all transfers, sales and grants on a public Google sheets document.

Start Small will not be limited to fighting the coronavirus pandemic, Mr Dorsey wrote in a thread of six tweets.

“After we have disarmed this pandemic,” he wrote, the organisation will shift its focus to girls’ health and education, and research into universal basic income – the idea that governments should guarantee a minimum income for all citizens.

Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai tweeted: “Amazing news! Thank you, @Jack, for your generosity and for recognising that educated girls make the world safer and healthier for everyone.”