<p> The first message ever fired off at Twitter sold on Monday for $2.9 million when its sender Jack Dorsey accepted the winning bid for the collectible as a "non-fungible token" or NFT at an auction.</p>.<p>"Jack accepted the offer from sinaEstavi for $2,915,835.47," read a tweet from the Valuables by Cent auction platform.</p>.<p>"This tweet is now minted on the blockchain."</p>.<p>The profile on the auction-winning account indicated it belonged to Sina Estavi, chief executive of blockchain technology-related startup Bridge Oracle.</p>.<p>A copy of Dorsey's inaugural tweet and a history of the bidding was posted at the v.cent.co website.</p>.<p>Dorsey's tweet highlighted a surge of interest around NFTs, or non-fungible tokens.</p>.<p>NFTs use the same blockchain technology behind cryptocurrencies to turn anything from art to sports trading cards into virtual collector's items that cannot be duplicated.</p>.<p>Fifteen years ago Dorsey typed out a banal message -- "just setting up my twttr" -- which became the first-ever tweet, launching a global platform that has become a controversial and dominant force in civil society.</p>.<p>The short tweet was sent March 21, 2006 by the Twitter co-founder and chief, who said he would donate the money from its sale to charity.</p>.<p>"I think years later people will realize the true value of this tweet, like the Mona Lisa painting," Estavi said in a Twitter post.</p>.<p>Dorsey on Monday tweeted thanks to @sinaEstavi, along with a message indicating the proceeds were sent to Give Directly nonprofit in East Africa that helps people living in poverty.</p>.<p>"Hey @jack , thank you for accepting my offer, and I'm glad this money is being donated to charity," Estavi responded in tweet from @sinaEstavi.</p>
<p> The first message ever fired off at Twitter sold on Monday for $2.9 million when its sender Jack Dorsey accepted the winning bid for the collectible as a "non-fungible token" or NFT at an auction.</p>.<p>"Jack accepted the offer from sinaEstavi for $2,915,835.47," read a tweet from the Valuables by Cent auction platform.</p>.<p>"This tweet is now minted on the blockchain."</p>.<p>The profile on the auction-winning account indicated it belonged to Sina Estavi, chief executive of blockchain technology-related startup Bridge Oracle.</p>.<p>A copy of Dorsey's inaugural tweet and a history of the bidding was posted at the v.cent.co website.</p>.<p>Dorsey's tweet highlighted a surge of interest around NFTs, or non-fungible tokens.</p>.<p>NFTs use the same blockchain technology behind cryptocurrencies to turn anything from art to sports trading cards into virtual collector's items that cannot be duplicated.</p>.<p>Fifteen years ago Dorsey typed out a banal message -- "just setting up my twttr" -- which became the first-ever tweet, launching a global platform that has become a controversial and dominant force in civil society.</p>.<p>The short tweet was sent March 21, 2006 by the Twitter co-founder and chief, who said he would donate the money from its sale to charity.</p>.<p>"I think years later people will realize the true value of this tweet, like the Mona Lisa painting," Estavi said in a Twitter post.</p>.<p>Dorsey on Monday tweeted thanks to @sinaEstavi, along with a message indicating the proceeds were sent to Give Directly nonprofit in East Africa that helps people living in poverty.</p>.<p>"Hey @jack , thank you for accepting my offer, and I'm glad this money is being donated to charity," Estavi responded in tweet from @sinaEstavi.</p>