Elon Musk, Jack Dorsey Agree To Discuss Bitcoin At “B Word” Event

Tech billionaires Elon Musk and Jack Dorsey will discuss Bitcoin at “The ₿ Word” event next month, following recent involvement in the space.

Influential CEOs Elon Musk of Tesla and Jack Dorsey of Square have agreed to discuss Bitcoin at “The ₿ Word” event on July 21. The conversation was apparently confirmed in a Twitter thread, which started with a tweet from Dorsey promoting the event.

“The #bitcoin development community above all else,” Dorsey tweeted, linking to the event, for which he is a featured speaker. “As more companies and institutions get into the mix, we all want to help protect and spread what makes #bitcoin open development so perfect. This day is focused on education and actions to do just that.”

Musk, in turn, replied “Bicurious?” referring to the “B Word” aspect of the event title and prompting Dorsey to invite him for a talk at the event — to share all of his curiosities. Musk accepted the invitation, and Dorsey said he would set it up for the upcoming event.

The ₿ Word is a Bitcoin-focused initiative that seeks to demystify and destigmatize the many misconstrued mainstream narratives around Bitcoin. It also aims to discuss how institutions can benefit from Bitcoin, explaining how and why they should embrace it. Additionally, the event seeks to raise awareness on the areas of the network currently in need of support.

“The ₿ Word will launch on July 21, 2021,” its website reads, “offering a live experience and a library of content to the investor community, enabling a more informed discussion about the role Bitcoin can serve for institutions across the globe.”

Aside from the conversation between Dorsey and Musk, the event features significant figures in the Bitcoin space as speakers, including Adam Back, cofounder and CEO of bitcoin-focused company Blockstream; and founder and CEO of ARK Invest, Cathie Wood.

The event’s schedule includes panels on the economic, technological and regulatory aspects of Bitcoin. Its five tracks are “Demystifying Bitcoin,” “Supporting The Developer Ecosystem,” “Securing The Bitcoin Network,” “Regulating Bitcoin” and “Preserving The Bitcoin Ethos.” Additionally, the event will host a live session to discuss how Bitcoin can be a tool for economic empowerment.

But Musk’s and Dorsey’s conversation might be the cherry on top, given that both of their companies hold BTC and their recent personal involvements in the ecosystem. In April, the head of Tesla agreed with Dorsey that Bitcoin incentivizes renewable energy, only to turn around less than a month afterward and halt bitcoin acceptance by his company over environmental concerns.

Musk’s controversial outspokenness on Bitcoin has yielded him some criticism, especially considering that his company is heavily dependent on environmentally-costly lithium batteries. He also got involved in the Bitcoin Mining Council’s initial closed-door meeting and moderately capitulated on his Bitcoin stance.

On the other hand, Dorsey has long been a proponent of Bitcoin, having claimed in 2018 that it will become the world’s single currency. More recently, he has discussed topics around censorship and inclusion, as well as funded Bitcoin development. His financial company, Square, also leads a Bitcoin initiative that seeks to support open-source Bitcoin development.