The founder and CEO of Twitter, Jack Dorsey, has launched his own Bitcoin node.
He revealed it himself, obviously on Twitter, by showing a screenshot of the code and writing:
Running #bitcoin pic.twitter.com/W51ga3yrKb
— jack (@jack) February 5, 2021
Bitcoin nodes are the software that stores and verifies the blockchain. Anyone can download the relevant software and run it freely on their own machines.
There are currently 7,539 public nodes on the Bitcoin network, but it is estimated that there are many more.
It is possible to either privately install a node to just verify the blockchain, or install it and make it public in order to contribute to the validator network.
Installing and running a full-node of Bitcoin is not a particularly easy thing to do, which is why the vast majority of users do not do it.
At one time, when Bitcoin was created, the node software was effectively all there was, so anyone who wanted to use Bitcoin had to install it. But then stand-alone wallets were also created, which can work perfectly well without the complication of having to run a node.
The node software is required specifically to monitor and verify the blockchain, so anyone who doesn’t want to trust a third party and wants to check for themselves that everything is working properly has to run a node.
Why did Jack Dorsey installed a Bitcoin node
Jack Dorsey did not specify the reasons that convinced him to install and run a Bitcoin node, but given the increasing commitment in this area of Twitter and Square, the companies he founded and leads, it is likely that the motivation lies in the need to monitor and verify the blockchain without having to rely on third parties.
Dorsey has become increasingly involved in Bitcoin, so much so that a few days ago he retweeted a tweet from Documenting Bitcoin which reported that the city of Miami was considering giving its employees the opportunity to have their salaries paid in bitcoin, commenting “smart”.
Moreover, the founder of Twitter has long been convinced of the merits of the Bitcoin project. Back in May three years ago, he said he hoped BTC would become the currency of the Internet.
