Twitter's @Jack says Trump's tweets are 'really important'
It's good to have US President Donald Trump's tweets out in the open for all to see, says Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey.
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey says US President Donald Trump's tweets are "really important" for accountability's sake and that it's better to have them out in the open instead of "in the dark."
Dorsey spoke about Trump during an interview with NBC "Sunday Today" host Willie Geist, echoing comments he gave during a rare Q&A late last month with website Backchannel.
During the conversation, Dorsey said that it's "really important to hear directly" from those in charge.
"It's really important to hold them accountable," Dorsey said. "And I believe it's really important to have these conversations out in the open, rather than have them behind closed doors."
Trump's prolific and sometimes controversial tweets, such as those regarding his firing of FBI Director James Comey (and even threatening Comey), leave some people, including Dorsey, bewildered.
Twitter executives have said the platform's recent spike to 328 million users overall is due to its increasing political presence, and they've specifically mentioned a Trump bump.
Business considerations aside, Dorsey told Geist it's better to know what Trump is saying. Dorsey said he would rather for people to be "aware of how people are thinking," even if there may be some disagreement.
"So if we're all to suddenly take these platforms away, where does it go? What happens? It goes in the dark," he said. "And I just don't think that's good for anyone."
First published May 11, 12:07 p.m. PT.
Update, May 14 at 8:45 a.m.: Adds further comments from interview.
Logging Out: Welcome to the crossroads of online life and the afterlife.
Batteries Not Included: The CNET team shares experiences that remind us why tech stuff is cool.