Bluesky, a social media microblogging app reminiscent of rivals X and Threads, has welcomed 1.25 million new users to its platform in the week since the US election.
Some of the new users switched to Bluesky to boycott X over billionaire owner Elon Musk’s allegiance to President-elect Donald Trump, according to posts on the app.
“It’s appalling that Elon Musk has transformed Twitter into a Trump propaganda machine, rife with disinformation and misinformation,” one user posted on Bluesky, as reported by CNBC.
Bluesky’s total userbase surged to 15 million, up from about 13 million at the end of October, the company said on Wednesday.
“We’re excited to welcome everyone looking for a better social media experience,” Bluesky CEO Jay Graber told CNBC in a statement.
Bluesky did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Some users on X applauded the exodus of left-leaning accounts.
“‘Join me at Bluesky’ is the new ‘I’m moving to Canada,’” one user wrote.
Though the Seattle-based startup saw an influx of users over the past week, the platform is still far behind its competitors.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg in October said Threads, a new app launched in July 2023 by Instagram, had almost 275 million monthly users. Musk in May said X had 600 monthly users. Market intelligence firm Sensor Tower estimated the platform had 318 million users in October, according to CNBC.
In 2019, then-Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey applauded the creation of Bluesky. The social media app started as a project inside Twitter. The platform remained an invitation-only space until this February, when it opened to the public. In May, Dorsey said he is no longer a member of Bluesky’s board.
New Bluesky users will notice similarities to X’s set-up, like a “discover” feed and the ability to “direct message” other users.
It’s not the first time Bluesky has won a flood of new users off X’s woes. In September, the Brazilian Supreme Court banned Musk’s social media platform for not complying with its content moderation laws and not appointing a legal representative in Brazil. Bluesky said 2 million new users flocked to its platform after the ban was announced.
The newer social media app has even jokingly taunted Musk over his close ties to Trump.
Musk, the richest person in the world with a net worth of $303.2 billion, donated millions to a pro-Trump PAC, rallied solo in swing states on Trump’s behalf and swayed Americans to vote early with a $1 million-a-day sweepstakes.
He reportedly spent election night with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago residence and Kai Trump, the president-elect’s granddaughter, said Musk had achieved “uncle” status.
“I can guarantee that no Bluesky team members will be sitting with a presidential candidate tonight and giving them direct access to control what you see online,” Bluesky said in a post on X on Nov. 5.
Soon after Trump’s sweeping election win, some media figures said they were abandoning X.
The Guardian, a London-based, left-leaning newspaper, said it will no longer post on Musk’s platform because of the “far-right conspiracy theories and racism” on X. The paper said it was moving to Bluesky.
Scandal-ridden ex-CNN anchor Don Lemon said he is quitting the app because of its new policy that all legal disputes be heard in Texas courts. Lemon is currently suing Musk after the billionaire canceled his show on X.
