There was a moment last year when Bluesky, a unique and irreverent Twitter (X) competitor with a decentralized twist, seemed to have captured lightning in a bottle. During its closed beta phase, the app quickly gained over two million users and became a hot topic of conversation. However, the focus has now shifted to ActivityPub, the decentralized protocol powering Mastodon and other services, as well as Meta’s Threads. Despite this, Bluesky is ready to reclaim the spotlight.
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Starting this week, Bluesky is removing its invite system and opening its doors to anyone who wants to sign up. Additionally, later this month, the app plans to allow outside developers to host their own servers on its underlying AT Protocol, which aims to rival ActivityPub. The goal is to provide Bluesky users with the option to explore experiences beyond the company’s platform and bring their profiles with them to other apps on the network.
Since its launch a year ago, Bluesky has seen over 3 million sign-ups and a significant increase in downloads. Now that an invite is no longer required, the hope is that more people will convert into active users, allowing Bluesky to become a conversation platform for a broader audience.
As a public benefit operation, Bluesky currently employs just under 40 full-time staff, with approximately half dedicated to moderation and user support. The app boasts 1.6 million monthly users and offers 25,000 custom feeds, a unique feature of the AT Protocol. These custom feeds exemplify the quirkiness inherent to Bluesky, with one example being a feed dedicated solely to pictures of moss.
When the AT Protocol opens up to third-party developers in the coming weeks, anyone will be able to create a server with their own rules. Graber refers to this as an “experimental rollout” and emphasizes the importance of a gradual transition to avoid sudden changes to the network. While the AT Protocol is being opened up, Bluesky plans to generate revenue through various means, including charging users for additional features in the app and taking a cut of purchases related to custom feeds that developers can charge for. The company is also working on an enterprise arm similar to Cloudflare to help others manage their own servers on the AT Protocol.
Currently, Bluesky controls the AT Protocol, but Graber acknowledges that this is not a sustainable approach for long-term growth. The plan is to eventually transfer control to a web standards body like the Internet Engineering Task Force. While Bluesky does not have immediate plans to interoperate with ActivityPub, Graber is open to the idea, stating that this is a time of experimentation. With companies like Meta embracing decentralization, Bluesky believes there is still room for another take on the future of social networking.
In conclusion, Bluesky is making significant strides in its quest to provide a decentralized and inclusive social networking experience. By removing its invite system and allowing outside developers to host their own servers, Bluesky aims to attract a wider audience and foster an ecosystem of diverse experiences. With its commitment to moderation and user support, Bluesky is positioning itself as a platform that values the voices and preferences of its users. As the next phase of social networking unfolds, Bluesky is poised to make its mark alongside other pioneers in the field.
