Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey announced in a tweet this week that he would be moving to Africa for at least a portion of the upcoming year in a message that claimed the continent was the future — particularly for the cryptocurrency Bitcoin.
Dorsey said he’d be living somewhere on the continent for at least three months or as long as six months, although his destination is currently undetermined, according to his tweet.
“Sad to be leaving the continent…for now,” Dorsey tweeted earlier this week as he temporarily left the African continent. “Africa will define the future (especially the bitcoin one!). Not sure where yet, but I’ll be living here for 3-6 months mid 2020. Grateful I was able to experience a small part.”
According to a report from Business Insider , Dorsey’s visit and future move to Africa puts the Twitter CEO at odds with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who has faced criticism over his recent public discussions of technology that have been criticized for their lack of diversity.
Dorsey — who in addition to Twitter serves as CEO of mobile payment company Square — announced in October that he would be going on a partial tour of the African continent, visiting Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, and South Africa in order to meet with various entrepreneurs in those countries.
Per Business Insider, Dorsey seems to have continued to practice Vipassana meditation while on his trip to Ethiopia, according to photos the tech mogul tweeted while abroad.
According to Tricycle.org , Vipassana meditation is the oldest form of Buddhist meditation practices and involves “direct and gradual cultivation of mindfulness or awareness.” The process of Vipassana meditation occurs over the course of several years and involves significant introspection over aspects of one’s own existence.
Dorsey also tweeted a photo on Wednesday that was taken in Ethiopia of what he described as a meet up for Bitcoin and Blockchain.
Bitcoin and blockchain meetup in #Ethiopia ! pic.twitter.com/MDalQKnp1F
— jack (@jack) November 27, 2019
Dorsey spent much of Wednesday tweeting several photos of individuals he met while on his November trip. As Business Insider noted, Dorsey’s trip could be the beginning of a Western ideological shift among the big technology companies, which have largely ignored Africa in its discussions.
The news comes amid turbulent times for social media and technology companies, as their actions have bubbled to the surface of political discourse in the United States.
On Thursday, as The Inquisitr previously reported, Twitter banned the account of Danielle Stella, Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Republican challenger, after she tweeted that her opponent should be “hanged.” Conservatives have claimed social media stifles conservative voices, while others have claimed social media websites have instead amplified misinformation. Twitter announced last month that it would prohibit political advertising on its platform, which followed criticism of rival Facebook following its CEO’s testimony before Congress.