Jack Dorsey's bitchat and why tinkering matters

I admire people who build things from scratch. Jack Dorsey is one of them. He co-founded Twitter, and although I never agreed with all his decisions there (some moderation choices felt too heavy-handed, too centralised), I like that he keeps experimenting. His latest project, Bitchat, shows why that matters.

Last year, I watched Britain’s Online Safety Act pass. It aimed to curb online harm, but it gave the government tools to scan messages and demand backdoors from platforms. I thought, this erodes privacy. We need alternatives. Then Dorsey announced Bitchat on X. He built it over a weekend to explore Bluetooth mesh networks. No internet needed. Messages relay between nearby devices, encrypted, without phone numbers or central servers.

Some commentators note its raw edges—it’s an experiment, not a polished product. X posts praise its decentralisation; one user called it “a hack against surveillance.” Others point out flaws, like potential for spam in dense areas. Dorsey shared an “ugly whitepaper” openly, inviting fixes. That’s the tinkerer in him: prototype, share, iterate.

It’s not about perfection; it’s about reclaiming control. In a country where laws now force platforms to police speech, a tool like this lets people communicate off-grid. No overseers. Just direct links.

Dorsey’s approach fits how I view innovation. He doesn’t wait for permission. He hacks together code to test ideas on relays and encryption. That inspires me. We all face systems that centralise power—governments, tech giants. But what if we built our own? Bitchat isn’t the end; it’s a start. It shows anyone can experiment with code, even on a weekend.

In Britain today, with censorship rising, tools like this feel essential. They push back by existing. If you’re like me and value decentralisation, try it (available on iOS/macOS). Poke at the edges. Build something yourself.

Small acts of tinkering add up to real change.