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Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey says bitcoin's 'weird as hell' community inspires him and reminds him of the internet's early days

jack dorsey speaks onstage at a bitcoin conference
Twitter and Square CEO Jack Dorsey. MARCO BELLO/AFP via Getty Images
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Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said part of what drives his passion for bitcoin is its community, which he described as being "weird as hell."

Dorsey chatted everything related to the digital asset in a virtual bitcoin conference with Tesla CEO Elon Musk, ARK Invest CEO Cathie Wood, and Square Crypto Lead Steve Lee on Wednesday.

He cited the bitcoin network as his inspiration for supporting the currency.

"It's deeply principled, it's weird as hell, it's always evolving," Dorsey said, adding that its community reminds him of the early days of the internet when he was a kid.

"It's the only reason that I have a career — because I learned so much from people like who are building bitcoin today," Dorsey said.

Dorsey hopes bitcoin can create "world peace" in an environment driven by "too many monopolies of violence."

"It's going to be long-term, but my hope is definitely peace," he said.

Dorsey has become an influencer for cryptocurrency online. The executive's account bio reads "#bitcoin," and he said at Miami's bitcoin bonanza in June that "bitcoin changes absolutely everything. I don't think there's anything more important in my lifetime to work on."

Musk has also been vocal about his support for the digital currency. He and Dorsey have struck up a friendly rapport on Twitter in recent years.

The Twitter CEO invited Musk to speak at Wednesday's event in a series of tweets back in late June. They discussed, among other things, the future of bitcoin and the digital asset's potentially negative effects on the environment.

Wednesday's chat was one of the pair's first public appearances.

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Katie is a tech and crypto reporter based in Austin, Texas. She joined Insider in 2018 and focuses heavily on NFTs, blockchain technology, major crypto players, and the booming Web3 space. She has also covered the many happenings in the tech industry, from content moderation and data privacy to antitrust issues and regulation.  Katie graduated from Texas A&M University in 2017 with a bachelor's degree in journalism. She began her time at Insider in the company's San Francisco office before moving home to Texas in 2021. You can find her paddleboarding most Saturdays. Reach her at kcanales@bjinnox.com, or follow her on Twitter @KatieCanales1.