In a significant digital announcement today, former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey revealed the deletion of his Instagram account after an impressive 12-year presence on the platform. This symbolic move marked his declaration of being ‘Meta free’ and swiftly grabbed the attention of tech luminary Elon Musk. The unfolding narrative has its roots in a series of subtle exchanges between Dorsey and Meta, setting the stage for a high-profile clash in the social media sphere.
Dorsey’s decision to bid adieu to Instagram was communicated through a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. He shared that he had been among the platform’s first ten users and an initial angel investor before it transitioned under Meta’s ownership. In his post, Dorsey pondered, “I’ve deleted my Instagram account after 12 years. I believe I was among the first 10 accounts and one of the earliest angel investors. Who will they assign the @jack handle to?”
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— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 18, 2023
This development piqued the curiosity of a user who sought the reasoning behind the move. Dorsey cryptically responded that the motives were ‘too Meta’ to be of general interest. When another user ventured to inquire whether Dorsey maintained a Facebook account, the former Twitter CEO asserted that he did not, revealing his non-utilization of WhatsApp as well.
This isn’t the maiden instance of Dorsey taking veiled swipes at Meta. Even before the advent of Threads, Dorsey wryly commented on Meta’s data collection practices. Displaying an elaborate screenshot outlining the extensive data Threads would gather from users, Dorsey quipped, “All your threads belong to us.” Elon Musk, in implicit concurrence, endorsed Dorsey’s statement with a succinct ‘Yeah.’
In the preceding month, Dorsey shared a Twitter screenshot featuring a friend request from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Threads, Meta’s newly-introduced Twitter competitor. Dorsey’s response to the request, however, left Zuckerberg taken aback. Showcasing the screenshot of Zuckerberg’s request, Dorsey playfully penned, “Too soon,” a tweet that garnered millions of views and ignited a frenzy of reactions.
Threads, which had been under development since January and was formerly known as Project 92, sparked conjecture regarding a potential showdown between Musk and Zuckerberg in the domain of social media.
