Social networking platform Bluesky, which has managed to attract around 40 million users worldwide, is entering a new phase of management changes. Investor and entrepreneur Toni Schneider is taking over as interim CEO, succeeding Jay Graber, who led the company from its early days as an independent organization.
This change comes at a time when Bluesky is attempting to establish itself as one of the most important alternative social networking platforms with a decentralized philosophy (utilizing the AT Protocol and a model that gives greater control to the users themselves).
The transition from Twitter to an independent platform
Jay Graber became Bluesky's first CEO in 2021, when the project was officially spun off from Twitter's research program. Initially, Bluesky began as an experiment to create a decentralized social networking, but it soon evolved into a fully independent platform.
See also: Bluesky: Tests new 'live' features to compete with X
Under Graber's leadership, the service managed to build a community of millions of users and develop the AT Protocol, a technological infrastructure that enables the creation of interoperable social networks. The vision was to create an environment where users can transfer their identity and data between different applications, without being dependent on a single company.
Today, the platform has about 40 million users. A year ago, it had about 30 million. Despite the growth, the company seems to be entering a new strategic phase.
Jay Graber's new role at the company
Although she is stepping down as CEO, Jay Graber is not leaving Bluesky. Instead, she is taking on a new role as Chief Innovation Officer, with a primary focus on developing new products and technologies for the platform.
According to her, this change will allow her to focus more on the company's technological vision and the evolution of the ecosystem around the AT Protocol. Bluesky aspires to function not only as a social network but also as a foundation for a broader decentralized internet.
Graber also emphasized that Toni Schneider is well aware of the company's mission and has already contributed significantly to its development. As she mentioned, Schneider has been a consultant to the company and a personal associate for more than a year.
See also: Bluesky: New “Find Friends” feature with an emphasis on privacy
Who is Toni Schneider?
Toni Schneider is a well-known figure in the tech and startup world. He was previously the CEO of Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com, and is currently a venture capitalist and investor in tech companies.
His experience in open platforms and digital ecosystems is considered a significant asset for Bluesky. He has repeatedly expressed interest in technologies that give greater autonomy to internet users.
In a blog post, Schneider explained that he was initially skeptical about the idea of decentralized social networks, but meeting Jay Graber and Bluesky COO Rose Wang about two years ago changed his perspective on the future of this model.
The vision for a decentralized social network
According to Schneider, Bluesky's core philosophy is to create a social network where users have real control over their digital presence. Unlike traditional social networks, where data belongs to the platform, Bluesky's model prioritizes ownership of the data by the user.
See also: Hillary Clinton started using Bluesky
“Users should be in control of their identity, their data, and their social graph,” Schneider noted. This approach is seen by many as a potential answer to the problems of concentration of power that characterizes large social media.
At the same time, the company seeks to create an ecosystem in which independent developers can develop applications and services on top of the AT Protocol.
