Following a Brazilian court’s decision to ban X (formerly Twitter), Bluesky. A microblogging platform, reported a significant surge in user activity. The platform announced on Friday that it had reached “all-time highs for activity,” with 500,000 new users joining in the past two days. As of today, Bluesky has also secured the top spot on the free iPhone app chart in Brazil, surpassing Meta’s Threads, which is ranked second.
CEO Jay Graber’s Response to Bluesky’s Success X
Bluesky CEO Jay Graber took to social media to acknowledge the platform’s success, noting. IFts rise in the rankings and commending Brazil with the comment, “Good job Brazil, you made the right choice.” This rapid growth is noteworthy for a platform that only fully opened to the public in February. Despite its smaller size compared to rivals X and Threads, Bluesky had already amassed more than 6 million users by May 2024, positioning itself as a “short king of social apps.”
Bluesky’s Origins and Independence X
Bluesky was initially announced in 2019 as a Twitter-backed initiative to develop an open, decentralized social protocol. However, it has since evolved into an independent public benefit corporation, with Twitter founder Jack Dorsey stepping down from the board earlier this year.
X’s Legal Struggles in Brazil
Meanwhile, X, under Elon Musk’s leadership, has been embroiled in a legal battle. Brazil’s Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. The conflict centers around X’s refusal to block specific accounts that Moraes claimed were spreading election disinformation. Earlier this month, X threatened to shut down its operations in Brazil, prompting Moraes to warn. That the platform would be banned if it failed to appoint a legal representative in the country. On Friday, the ban was enforced, with additional threats of fines for users attempting to bypass the ban using VPNs.
Brazilian President Lula da Silva’s Move to Bluesky X
As the ban on X loomed, Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva appeared to bid farewell to his X followers, directing them to his other social media accounts — notably starting with Bluesky.
