... we do not object to the need for sponsors generally at FOSDEM ... we do object specifically to Jack Dorsey and Block, Inc. being selected as sponsors and especially as speakers.
... Our purpose is to peacefully disrupt Dorsey’s talk, and only Dorsey’s talk ...
... His complicity, along with his present-day activities at Block, Inc. and the priorities of the company that he represents as CEO — its irresponsible climate policy, $120M in fines for enabling consumer fraud, and the layoffs of another 1,000 employees in 2024 despite posting record profits on $5B in revenue — are enough of a threat to our community and its ethos to raise alarm at his participation in FOSDEM.
"""
I'm a little at a loss for context. A shallow reading is that DeVault's contention is that Dorsey sold Twitter and is now involved in many cryptocurrency focused companies. Is this too reductive of a reading?
As far as I can tell, a significant portion of Block's codebase, as well as other sibling organizations, are FOSS.
Comments
Some more information:
Jack Dorsey's slot at FOSDEM 25:
https://fosdem.org/2025/schedule/event/fosdem-2025-4507-infu...
Block's GitHub:
https://github.com/block
Selections from Drew DeVault's post:
"""
... we do not object to the need for sponsors generally at FOSDEM ... we do object specifically to Jack Dorsey and Block, Inc. being selected as sponsors and especially as speakers.
... Our purpose is to peacefully disrupt Dorsey’s talk, and only Dorsey’s talk ...
... His complicity, along with his present-day activities at Block, Inc. and the priorities of the company that he represents as CEO — its irresponsible climate policy, $120M in fines for enabling consumer fraud, and the layoffs of another 1,000 employees in 2024 despite posting record profits on $5B in revenue — are enough of a threat to our community and its ethos to raise alarm at his participation in FOSDEM.
"""
I'm a little at a loss for context. A shallow reading is that DeVault's contention is that Dorsey sold Twitter and is now involved in many cryptocurrency focused companies. Is this too reductive of a reading?
As far as I can tell, a significant portion of Block's codebase, as well as other sibling organizations, are FOSS.
His main objection seems to stem from the fact that Jack Dorsey's net worth is $5.6 billion.
His main objection is that FOSDEM is not CNBC. Should not be endorsing pretense of interviews, that are just marketing pitches.
I thought this was a pithy remark but it looks like it's actually pretty close to the truth.
From a recent post by DeVault [0] titled "No billionaires at FOSDEM" (thanks to belter [1]):
"""
In my view, billionaires are not welcome at FOSDEM.
"""
[0] https://drewdevault.com/2025/01/16/2025-01-16-No-Billionares...
[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42778478
Fair. You do not become a billionaire without being a massive POS.