REUTERS/Toby Melville
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey.
- Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey didn't hold back his thoughts on Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg during a Twitter event on Thursday.
- Dorsey took issue with Zuckerberg's comments on free speech.
- The Twitter cofounder and CEO also slammed Zuckerberg for claiming Facebook was a response to the Iraq War.
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At the Twitter News Summit Thursday, CEO Jack Dorsey let loose with his criticisms of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in an interview with Buzzfeed editor-in-chief Ben Smith.
When asked about Zuckerberg's speech at Georgetown University last week,Dorsey said "We talk a lot about speech and expression and we don't talk about reach enough, and we don't talk about amplification. And reach and amplification was not represented in that speech," according to journalist Sarah Frier, who was tweeting from the event. At Georgetown, Zuckerberg talked about Facebook's decision not to censor political ads, and explained Facebook as a place that offers "voice and inclusion."
Zuckerberg had also tried to recharacterize the founding of Facebook as a reaction to the Iraq War. He said "If more people had a voice to share their experiences, maybe things would have gone differently," which was the first time he'd mentioned this. Dorsey called him on this, saying"There's some amount of revisionist history in all his storytelling. It takes away from the authenticity and the genuineness of what we're trying to do," according to Sarah Frier on Twitter.
Dorsey, who cofounded Twitter nearly 15 years ago, has not been immune to criticism himself. Critics have blasted Twitter for not sufficiently cracking down on harassment and toxic speech on the platform. And Twitter's hands-off approach to US President Donald Trump, whose inflammatory tweets arguably violate Twitter's terms of use, has damaged Twitter's credibility in the eyes of many.
When asked if he would join Libra, Facebook's cryptocurrency association, Dorsey reportedly said "hell no," according to Axios reporter Sara Fischer.
Dorsey has thoughts on Zuckerberg saying the origin of Facebook's free speech ideals was the Iraq war:
"There's some amount of revisionist history in all his storytelling. It takes away from the authenticity and the genuineness of what we're trying to do." 🔥
- Sarah Frier (@sarahfrier) October 24, 2019Damn. @BuzzFeedBen asks @jack if he would join Libra. Jack: "Hell no."
Jack: Cryptocurrency wasn't necessary to make that thing work. Born out of a company's intention (not need) and that's not consistent with what I personally believe and what I want our company to stand for.
- Sara Fischer (@sarafischer) October 24, 2019