Bluesky CEO Jay Graber Vows to Keep the Network Ad-Free and User-Friendly

Bluesky’s Journey: From Invite-Only to Open Doors

After a year of carefully limiting sign-ups to those with invites, the Bluesky social app has finally opened its doors to the public. The platform, which has been compared to Twitter, aims to create a more open and decentralized social media experience. While exclusivity was once a draw, Bluesky recognizes that to achieve sustainability, it must appeal to the masses.

Building the Foundation for a New Kind of Social Network

In an interview with WIRED‘s Kate Knibbs, Bluesky CEO Jay Graber explained the reasoning behind the invite-only period:

We weren’t using invites to try to be exclusive. We were using them to manage growth while we built out what is essentially a foundation, the rails for this new kind of distributed network.

Addressing the Challenges of Moderation

As Bluesky opens its doors, it faces the challenge of moderating content, particularly deepfakes. Graber outlined the platform’s approach:

From the start we’ve been using some AI-detection services—image labeling services—but this is an area where there’s a lot of innovation and we’ve been looking at other alternatives.

Bluesky also plans to leverage the power of its community, such as fans of popular figures like Taylor Swift, to help identify and flag problematic content.

The Benefits of Federation for Users and Developers

Bluesky’s decentralized design, known as federation, offers unique advantages for both users and developers. Graber explained:

The goals here are to give developers the freedom to build, and users the right to leave. The ability for people to host their own data means that users always have other alternatives, and that their experience doesn’t have to just come from us.

Monetization and the Future of Bluesky

As Bluesky proves the value of its ecosystem to users and developers, it plans to explore various monetization models while staying true to its values. Graber emphasized the importance of keeping the bluesky-empowers-users-with-customizable-moderation-filters/” title=”Bluesky Empowers Users with Customizable Moderation Filters”>platform open and avoiding the pitfalls of centralized social media giants like Twitter.

Looking ahead, Graber envisions a future where social protocols, rather than platforms, dominate the landscape:

I want to move the social web toward protocols instead of platforms. Not everyone has to be nerding out about decentralization; it’s just a foundation to create a better experience.

Despite the challenges facing social media today, Graber remains optimistic about the potential for Bluesky and other decentralized platforms to create a better, more innovative social experience.