Twitter founder Jack Dorsey has warned his staff not to discuss Jay-Z in emails, chats or internal memos. According to Fortune magazine, staffers at Block, a digital payment service, received “stern warnings” from Dorsey not to mention Jay-Z in emails or an internal messaging system.
Fortune spoke with three employees who requested anonymity because they are not permitted to speak about corporate matters. No reason was given for the order, the employees said.
Block, Inc. is an American technology company that offers financial services to consumers and businesses.
Among Block’s subsidiaries are Square, Cash App, and Tidal Music. Tidal was previously owned by Jay-Z and now majority owned by Block.
Last week, Block laid off dozens of workers from Tidal, Fortune reported. Further layoffs are expected at Tidal and other Block companies.
Jay-Z, 54, is among Block’s nine board members. He has good reason to be concerned about his privacy.
Jay-Z’s name has been connected to Sean “Puffy” Combs’ sëx trafficking case in New York. Combs was arrested in September and is being held without bond pending his trial in May 2025.
Combs and Jay-Z have collaborated on music and the two men partied together over the years. Federal prosecutors say Combs held “freak-off” parties where guests were drugged and sëxually assaulted.
Combs, 55, is facing dozens of lawsuits filed by men and women, including some who claimed they were minors at the time of the alleged sëx crimes.
So far, no lawsuits have been filed against Jay-Z. However, there are reports that Combs’s celebrity pals are paying hush money to alleged victims.
Prominent Texas-based Lawyer Tony Buzbee claims to have been in contact with celebrities who paid hush money to protect their public image.
“In every single case, especially cases like this … we attempt to resolve these matters without the filing of a public lawsuit, and we’ve done that already with a handful of individuals, many of which you’ve heard of before,” Buzbee said at a press conference, according to TMZ.
