Jack Dorsey announced Tuesday April 7 that he will donate $ 1 billion to fight the coronavirus, 28% of his fortune.
Another fortune has just been engaged in the fight against the Covid-19. Jack Dorsey, the founder and boss of Twitter, said on his social network that he was going to do a billion dollar donation. A sum which represents 28% of his fortune.
To unlock the money, he said he would gradually sell shares in his other company, Square, which specializes in digital payments.
"Why Square and not Twitter? It's simple, I have a lot more with Square. And the impact that this money is going to have is going to benefit these two companies, because it is going to help the people we are talking to", he explains.
This generous donation will be distributed to its Start Small foundation, first to support the fight against coronavirus, and then "uonce the pandemic is over, it will be used for girls' education and health and for universal income".
A spreadsheet that he shared online indicates that already, in early April, a first sum of $ 100,000 was transferred to the American Food Fund, created by Laurene Powell Jobs, the widow of Steve Jobs, and the actor Leonardo DiCaprio. An amount equivalent to just under 20 million shares of the company Square.
"It's important (be transparent) so that others and I can learn from it"further explains Jack Dorsey who, in the past, has always been very discreet about his charitable actions.
The businessman indicates that these two commitments "represent the best long-term solution against the existential problems that the world is going through". An announcement welcomed by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala, who thanked Jack Dorsey for his "generosity and to recognize that educated young girls make the world a safer and healthier place for everyone".
Universal income
Universal income has sparked renewed interest among many politicians and businessmen, while the economic crisis linked to the Covid-19 has put millions of people out of work in the United States. Jack Dorsey points out that "it's a good idea that deserves an experiment". If he decided to make this donation now," it is because the needs are more and more urgent. "
"And I want to see the changes in my lifetime. I hope it can inspire other people. Life is too short, so let's do what we can today to help people," he says in one last tweet.
Other donations
Mr. Twitter is not the only one to have shown generosity. Jeff Bezos, the boss of Amazon and the richest man in the world, announced on Instagram a few days ago that he was giving $ 100 million to American food banks.
Mark Zuckerberg, the legendary founder of Facebook, and his wife Priscilla Chan have donated $ 25 million for research into treatments for the coronavirus. For his part, Bill Gates announced that he wanted to finance factories for future vaccines. "Our money can speed things up", he explained on the American program" Daily Show ".