Twitter is launching an official crypto team, with blockchain expert Tess Rinearson at the helm. This is the latest in Twitter's various overtures into the blockchain space, including tipping with Bitcoin and verifying NFTs.
I\u2019m thrilled to share that I\u2019ve joined Twitter, to lead a new team focused on crypto, blockchains, and other decentralized technologies\u2014including and going beyond cryptocurrencies.pic.twitter.com/HaP0k5hUOq— Tess Rinearson (@Tess Rinearson) 1636560541
Given Jack Dorsey's passion for bitcoin, the move is unsurprising. The Twitter CEO, who also runs payments company Square, announced an expansion of Square's crypto efforts in June. "If I were not at Square or Twitter I'd be working on bitcoin," Dorsey said at a Miami bitcoin conference. "If it needed more help than Square and Twitter, I would leave them for Bitcoin. But I think both companies have a role to play."
With the launch of a focused crypto team, Dorsey's vision for a blockchain-friendly Twitter is crystallizing. In a message to Protocol, Twitter said crypto aligns with the platform's other big goals, including creator monetization and decentralized social media.
An earlier effort, Project Bluesky, is the company's effort to research ways to decentralize social media. Rinearson said she'll be working closely with that team in her announcement.
Rinearson has worked in blockchain technology since 2015, when she started as a software engineer for Chain, a blockchain technology company. Later, she worked at the Interchain Foundation as VP of Engineering.
She announced that her new team is hiring in engineering and product. Web3, the term describing a decentralized vision of the internet, is all the rage and considered an appealing project for top tech talent.