SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has sold a digital version of his first tweet for more than $ 2.9 million more than two weeks after announcing a digital auction for the post.
The March 2006 tweet, which says “just set up my twttr,” was bought by Bridge Oracle CEO Sina Estavi, according to Valuables by Cent, the digital platform where the digital auction for the tweet took place.
The 15-year-old post was sold as a non-fungible token, or NFT – a digital certificate of authenticity that confirms that an article is real and unique in recording details on a digital blockchain register.
Dorsey wrote on Twitter earlier this month that the proceeds will be converted to Bitcoin, a digital currency that is not tied to a bank or government and will be given to the nonprofit GiveDirectly Africa Response. The charity raised money to support African families who were financially affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
According to Valuables, 95% of the proceeds from the sale price go to the original creator of the tweet, while 5% of it goes to the platform. Dorsey posted on Twitter Bitcoin receipt Monday afternoon and said the funds were sent to the charity.
“Incredible – thanks a lot @jack and @sinaEstavi – I look forward to receiving this $ soon in the hands of the recipients”, GiveDirectly posted on Twitter following Dorsey’s announcement.
NFTs have recently swept the world of online collecting. A digital work by the artist Beeple sold for $ 69.4 million in an online auction by a British auction house earlier this month, with an NFT as a guarantee of its authenticity.
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