Jack Dorsey, the co-founder and former CEO of Twitter, has launched a new social media platform called Bluesky. The platform is based on the principle of allowing users to build a shared and open social media platform. While the app is currently available on an invite-only basis, it is expected to be launched publicly in the near future.
Bluesky's primary endeavour is Authenticated Transfer Protocol (AT), which allows users to build a shared and open social network. However, some developers have criticized the project, pointing out that ActivityPub, a suggested W3C standard, already supports a large and expanding "Fediverse" of interconnected servers.
In recent times, Mastodon, an open-source, decentralized option, has gained popularity as users abandoned Twitter after Elon Musk's purchase. Other platforms like Medium, Tumblr, and Flickr have also revealed their intentions of joining Fediverse and adopting the ActivityPub standard.
The Bluesky initiative was incubated within Twitter in 2019 when Dorsey was CEO. Twitter has also given cash support to the project for years. In texts, Dorsey had explained to Musk that "new infrastructure is required. It can't be a corporation. This is why I stopped using Twitter." Dorsey stepped down as CEO of Twitter in November 2021 but stayed on the company's board until May 2022.
Bluesky is now a public benefit company, and its smartphone app serves to demonstrate the protocol in operation. While the app is still only accessible as an invite-only beta, its appearance on the App Store suggests that a public launch is on the way.
Jack Dorsey's new social media platform Bluesky aims to provide users with a shared and open social media experience. While the platform's future is uncertain given the already existing Fediverse and its popularity, it remains to be seen how Bluesky will fare and what impact it will have on the social media landscape