Jack Dorsey, the billionaire technology entrepreneur and co-founder of Block, has introduced a new group chat platform called Buzz, aiming to provide an open-source and decentralized alternative to existing workspace tools such as Slack.
Buzz: A Decentralized Workspace Solution
Dorsey described Buzz as a platform designed “for teams of people and agents of all sizes,” highlighting its model-agnostic, decentralized, self-sovereign, and open-source features. The tool is structured to enable users to chat with teammates and specialized agents within a single digital workspace. From there, users can move between messaging, planning, project management, coding, and pull requests without leaving the app.
Buzz is built for teams of any size, offering a familiar interface for those who have used modern team communication tools, while prioritizing openness and decentralized architecture.
The parent company Block, previously known as Square, stated that Buzz is built on the Nostr protocol, a decentralized social networking infrastructure designed to provide censorship-resistant communications.
Mini dictionary: Nostr protocol, an open protocol that enables decentralized and censorship-resistant social media platforms by allowing users to communicate without relying on central servers.
Commitment to Open and Transparent Tools
Bradley Axen, head of AI capabilities at Block, emphasized the company’s direction, noting that every organization will eventually need a space where humans and AI agents work together. He pointed out the critical difference between proprietary and open systems, stressing that Block built Buzz to ensure that such collaborative spaces can remain open to all.
Block believes the answer to whether future workplaces are proprietary or open lies in open platforms, leading to Buzz’s development as a fully open-source solution.
Dorsey’s Vision for Decentralized Finance and Technology
Jack Dorsey, who previously founded Twitter, has consistently advocated for decentralized solutions in the tech industry. Following his departure from Twitter in 2021, Dorsey shifted his focus to expanding Bitcoin adoption and transforming payment technologies through Block and its subsidiary companies Square and Cash App.
Cash App allows users to send, receive, buy, and sell Bitcoin, while Square’s point-of-sale terminals have integrated Bitcoin payments via the Lightning Network, a layer two solution optimizing Bitcoin transactions.
Dorsey has also expressed admiration for the foundational principles of Bitcoin, characterizing Satoshi Nakamoto’s white paper as “poetry” and promoting the idea of Bitcoin as a universal currency for everyday use.
Further reflecting this vision, Block in 2023 launched a Bitcoin mining rig with modular, swappable components, aiming to help miners reduce repair and replacement costs by upgrading only specific parts instead of full units.
These efforts reflect Dorsey’s broader strategy to accelerate adoption of decentralized technologies, reduce dependency on centralized services, and empower individuals and teams with open-source alternatives across various domains.
| Platform | Ownership | Source Model | Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buzz | Block (Jack Dorsey) | Open-source | Decentralized chat & agent collaboration |
| Slack | Salesforce | Proprietary | Team communication |
