Jack Dorsey, the co-founder of Twitter stepped down as the Twitter CEO only a few days ago, and a few days later announced a huge name change for Square. The company which is highly payment-focused will now be referred to as Block, which underlines Dorsey’s interest in the cryptocurrency scope.
Twitter Chief Technical Officer Parag Agrawal was called upon to take Dorsey’s place on the very popular social network, although Jack will remain on the Twitter board until at least the next shareholders’ meeting. There were speculations at the time of Dorsey’s resignation that he had prioritized Square over Twitter.
Jack Dorsey had been operating as the CEO of both Square and Twitter, and had been encouraged to step down from at least one of the companies.
Dorsey is a public supporter of bitcoin, as well as other cryptocurrencies. He recently announced a new business initiative for Square known as TBD5456697, in which the company will deliver decentralized financial services. After this, Jack’s decision to step down from Twitter makes sense given all the existing buzz around blockchain and cryptocurrency.
Square’s name change to Block is also quite logical, considering that the blockchain is the fundamental technology that will power some of Square – now Block’s – businesses. It’s not only the TBD, but also the crypto initiatives and Square payments.
In a press release, the company stated that the new name has a lot of associated meanings which include building blocks, a blockchain, neighbourhood blocks and their local businesses, communities coming together at block parties with music, a section of code and obstacles to overcome.
This name change is similar to what happened with Facebook and Meta, except this one does not come with any negative press. Facebook’s name change was announced by Mark Zuckerberg and others in the middle of a huge scandal concerning the ‘toxicity’ of the company.
However, just like Meta, Block will be a controlling entity over several other businesses. Block will oversee Square, Cash App, Tidal, and the new TBD54566975. There will be no organizational changes and the businesses will not lose their brands. Square’s payment services will still be offered, just like Facebook still exists as a social network.