California: The social media app Bluesky has reached over 20 million users, largely due to dissatisfaction with X, former Twitter, under Elon Musk’s helm. Since Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion in October 2022, the platform has seen radical changes, including demanding a fee to verify users’ identities, limiting the block feature, and amplifying provocative political discussions. Many users are citing these changes, as well as a rise in hate speech and misinformation, as reasons to leave.
Bluesky, a decentralized project initiated by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, was launched in 2021 as an independent platform. The app is comparable in design to Twitter but differs only in that users can write 300-character messages and include images and videos. Its focus, of course, is decentralization, allowing users to create their servers. Access to the platform shifted from invite-only beta in February 2024 to full public access.
The recent U.S. election served as a catalyst. Within a week after the election, X processed more than 115,000 account deactivations, and many users complained of Musk’s political leanings and his polarizing endorsement of Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency. In comparison, Bluesky had its busiest week ever, adding 2.5 million new users-approximately eight sign-ups per second on average, according to Bluesky spokesperson Emily Liu.
“Users report higher-quality engagement and enjoy the platform,” Liu noted. Bluesky also saw increased activity in all of its metrics, including likes and follows.
Although Dorsey designed Bluesky, he resigned from its board in May 2024. The platform is partly owned by its current CEO, Jay Graber, and a board comprising Jeremie Miller, Mike Masnick, and Kinjal Shah.
As Bluesky’s stature increases, development will become more centralized, and user experience will enhance its position as an alternative to X.
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