Bluesky’s Zuck-Mocking T-Shirt Outsells Two Years of Domain Revenue in Just One Day

Bluesky, the decentralized social media platform, unexpectedly struck gold at this year’s South by Southwest (SXSW) conference—not with tech, but with T-shirts.

According to multiple reports, Bluesky CEO Jay Graber wore a simple black T-shirt during the event, never imagining it would turn into the company’s most profitable merch drop to date. The shirt, which read “Mundus sine caesaribus” (Latin for “A world without Caesars”), was a subtle jab at Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

Graber’s shirt reimagined a similar one previously worn by Zuckerberg, which featured the Latin phrase “Aut Zuck aut nihil”—a play on “Aut Caesar aut nihil,” or “Either Caesar or nothing.” Graber’s version flipped the meaning entirely, opting instead for a world without tech overlords.

The message resonated far beyond the SXSW crowd.

Shortly after the event, Bluesky began offering the T-shirts for $40 each. According to a Business Insider report, within just 24 hours, revenue from T-shirt sales surpassed Bluesky’s earnings from two full years of selling custom domain names.

Bluesky COO Rose Wang celebrated the surprise success on the platform itself, joking, “That’s it. Pivoting to a T-shirt company…”

The first batch of shirts quickly sold out, but Bluesky announced a fresh run is now available – though only for a limited time. Sales end on March 25 at 12:00 p.m. PT, as stated on their merchandise page.

Proceeds from the shirt sales won’t just go into company coffers. As reported by Business Insider, the funds will help support the AT Protocol developer ecosystem, which powers Bluesky’s open, decentralized network.

It says “Mundus sine caesaribus,” which translates to “A world without Caesars.”

Yes, but only until March 25 at 12:00 p.m. PT. A limited new batch is currently on sale.