Decentralized Rival Bluesky Hits 12M Users After Musk’s AI Plans for Twitter

Decentralized social platform Bluesky has seen its user base surpass the 12 million mark, making it one of the fastest growing rivals to Elon Musk’s Twitter.

This week, Bluesky reported an influx of over 1 million new sign-ups within a mere 48-hour period, solidifying its position as a formidable player in the social media arena.

The catalyst for this unprecedented digital boom can be traced back to Musk’s Twitter maneuvers.

Twitter’s Changes Push Users Toward Bluesky

The tech magnate, amidst a flurry of controversial decisions, inadvertently stirred the pot within the Twitterverse, prompting users to seek refuge in alternative platforms.

One of the pivotal changes on Twitter’s horizon is a revised privacy policy allowing third-party AI developers to harness user data for training their models, a move that has sparked apprehensions regarding data privacy and transparency.

Additionally, Twitter’s alteration to its block function, essentially diluting users’ control over content visibility, has drawn sharp criticism for potentially exposing individuals to online harassment.

Twitter decided to ruin how blocking works to "prevent harassment, dogpiling and echo chambers"

but in bluesky they have a normal block feature and have actual features like DISABLING QUOTE TWEETING to actually prevent harassment without making a basic feature fucking null pic.twitter.com/UcvomzHdzr

— HAPPIX! (@NekoHappix) October 17, 2024

Furthermore, the platform’s shift in legal jurisdiction from California to the Northern District of Texas, a region perceived to align more closely with Musk’s ideological leanings, has raised eyebrows and fueled speculation among users and observers.

Bluesky, seizing the opportunity presented by Twitter’s tumultuous state, has been unapologetically leveraging the chaos to its advantage, emphasizing its commitment to user-centric policies and online safety.

In response to Twitter’s policy updates, Bluesky’s official account took to the platform, reassuring users of their ability to customize their online experiences and exercise control over their interactions—a stark contrast to Twitter’s evolving landscape.

The platform’s exponential growth has been so substantial that its servers buckled under the weight of the sudden surge in traffic, catapulting Bluesky to the forefront of social media discussions and app rankings globally.

Twitter Grapples With Financial Setbacks

Meanwhile, Twitter has been grappling with financial setbacks, with its value plummeting to a fraction of its former worth following Musk’s acquisition in 2022, exacerbated by advertisers withdrawing due to concerns over brand safety and platform stability.

It is worth noting that this is not the first time Bluesky is gaining users during Twitter’s turbulent times.

Previously, the platform experienced a surge in user adoption when Twitter faced bans and controversies, particularly in Brazil, where Bluesky accrued millions of new users within a week.

Bluesky’s decentralized structure and emphasis on empowering users resonate strongly with those seeking alternatives to conventional social media behemoths, especially amid heightened awareness of data exploitation and AI model training practices.

In May, Jack Dorsey, the co-founder of Twitter, stepped down from Bluesky’s board.

Dorsey publicly criticized Musk’s management of X last year, expressing disapproval of the board’s decision to sell the platform to him.

Bluesky, initially announced by Dorsey in late 2019, aimed to develop an open and decentralized standard for social media.

However, it wasn’t until March 2023 that Bluesky entered beta testing, finally becoming available to the public on February 7, 2024.