Bluesky Is Reimagining Social Media – By Letting Users Write the Rules

In a world where platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and Meta wield enormous centralized power, Bluesky is betting on a radical alternative: giving that power back to the users.

Led by CEO Jay Graber, Bluesky is built on the idea that people should control their own social media experiences – how content is moderated, how algorithms rank posts, and even how platforms function. The platform, now with 35 million users, is the largest decentralized social network in existence.

During her keynote at SXSW, Graber wore a t-shirt that took a jab at Mark Zuckerberg’s infamous “Zuck or nothing” slogan. Hers read: “Mundus sine Caesaribus” – a world without emperors. It’s more than just fashion; it’s a declaration of intent. “We don’t want to be kinder rulers,” Graber told TIME. “We want a world where rulers aren’t needed at all.”

While Bluesky might look like X – complete with infinite scroll and short text posts – it’s fundamentally different under the hood. It uses the AT Protocol, an open-source framework that lets users:

Some communities, like Blacksky (focused on Black creators and discussion), have over 370,000 active users, showcasing the model’s potential to support niche digital spaces.

Graber, alongside COO Rose Wang, formed Bluesky’s core vision during the COVID lockdowns. Living in a San Francisco group house filled with entrepreneurs, they reflected on what it meant to build safe, inclusive spaces online. Their experiences as women also shaped the platform’s priority on moderation-first design.

Despite early funding from Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, the team had to go independent when Elon Musk cut ties after buying Twitter in 2022. Bluesky then raised $23 million in funding and became a public benefit corporation, legally committed to serving social good—not just profits.

Unlike competitors chasing explosive growth, Bluesky deliberately throttled its invite system until its tech stack was ready. That decision, Graber says, was tough—but necessary to protect the long-term integrity of the network.

Now operating with a team of 24 employees and 100+ content moderation contractors, Bluesky is still figuring out its monetization path. Ideas include subscriptions or marketplace tools, but no final model has been chosen.

Meanwhile, third-party platforms like Flashes (an Instagram-like app) and Skylight (a TikTok clone backed by Mark Cuban) are being built on the same protocol – showing that Bluesky’s ecosystem is already branching beyond the original app.

Graber and Wang embrace the idea that Bluesky itself may not last forever. And that’s the point. Because it’s decentralized, anyone can pick up the pieces and build anew.

“If Bluesky the server shuts down overnight, Greensky can pop up the next morning,” Wang said. “We don’t ask people to trust us – we ask them to trust the infrastructure.”

Source: time.com