Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey is setting up a bitcoin node

Cryptocurrencies like bitcoin have surged in popularity.


Angela Lang/CNET

Twitter boss Jack Dorsey has set up his own bitcoin node.

In a tweet posted late Thursday night, Dorsey shared a photograph of his computer running bitcoin node software. Nodes are part of the cryptocurrency’s infrastructure, validating transactions. They keep a full copy of bitcoin’s blockchain ledger, which records all transactions in the cryptocurrency. 

Dorsey’s involvement comes as bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are seeing a surge in popularity and prices. Though volatile, bitcoin is currently trading at almost $38,000 per coin after setting an all-time high of just under $42,000 last month. Many cryptocurrencies have grown popular in recent years, including alternative, or “alt coin” cryptocurrency like Dogecoin. Cryptocurrencies are stored in digital wallets, a design feature that can cause headaches if passwords are lost or forgotten.

The Twitter and Square CEO isn’t the only high-profile individual to support bitcoin. Earlier this year, Elon Musk temporarily tagged his Twitter account with the hashtag #bitcoin, an apparent display of support for the cryptocurrency. The Tesla chief has also tweeted about Dogecoin, a cryptocurrency that started as a joke.

Last year, a massive bitcoin scam played out on Twitter after scammers targeted the accounts of Bill GatesKanye West, Barack Obama, Musk and other famous tech executives, entertainers and politicians. Apple, Uber and other businesses were also caught up in the sprawling hack, which Twitter attributed to a social engineering attack on its employees.