Bluesky, a decentralized clone of Twitter, has a surge of interest and sign-ups from users disgruntled with the ownership of Elon Musk.
Bluesky has attracted several internet celebrities as an alternative to Twitter, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Twitter comedian Dril, and model Chrissy Teigen. The platform has been presented as Twitter 2.0 after Musk angered advertisers, changed the platform’s verification policies, and adjusted its algorithm significantly.
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Bluesky only has around 40,000 users, but more than 360,000 users have downloaded the iPhone app since its February launch, according to Data.ai. The company also experienced its “biggest single-day” jump in users on Thursday, forcing it to upgrade its database to maintain activity levels.
Bluesky is a project founded by former Twitter founder Jack Dorsey in 2019. Initially founded as a side project by Dorsey, the CEO spun it into its own company to create a “decentralized” platform.
This means that users have access to the software’s code and are able to make smaller communities and apps like Mastodon, another Twitter competitor. The goal of decentralizing the platform “is to provide choice to users, freedom to developers, and control to creators,” Bluesky CEO Jay Graber said in a blog post last month.
The website’s design is intended to resemble Twitter and allows users to post short updates to a timeline. It lacks certain features such as hashtags or direct messages.
Bluesky is invite only. If a user wants to make a Bluesky account, they must receive an invite code from an already approved user.
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Twitter alternatives have cropped up after Musk took over the platform. Mastodon, a community-based open-source platform, saw a bump in users in the months after Musk’s takeover. The surge eventually dropped off. It’s unclear if Bluesky’s model will allow it to last longer than other Twitter alternatives.
The app’s surge in downloads coincides with Musk started changing the company’s policies on content moderation and verification. The company stripped away legacy blue check marks last week to promote its premium service Twitter Blue. The company’s ad revenue is also taking a long time to recover from the drop post-Musk acquisition.
