Bluesky, the new social media, is making noise. Built on the AT Protocol, it’s decentralized, user-first, and gaining serious momentum. Here's why you should pay attention to it:


What is BlueSky?

🦋 Bluesky is a decentralized social media platform designed to give users more control over their data and experience.

At first glance, Bluesky feels a lot like Twitter during its best days:

Simple, engaging, and free from the clutter that’s taken over other platforms.

It was initially incubated by Twitter, but it operates independently as a public benefit company.

Enshittification: the problem

“Here is how platforms die: first, they are good to their users; then they abuse their users to make things better for their business customers; finally, they abuse those business customers to claw back all the value for themselves. Then, they die. I call this enshittification.”

- Cory Doctorow


Does this sounds familar to you? I know it does.

Because all social networks have done this, which you can easily appreciate in your organic reach, decreasing year over year.

Current organic reach for major platforms (Linkedin, Instagram, Facebook) is between 2% and 10%Âą

Now let that sink in – let’s say you have 10,000 followers on Linkedin, on average only 520 of your followers will see your content. That sucks...


Bluesky: What makes it different?

Bluesky CEO Jay Graber has expressed a commitment to avoiding enshittification by focusing on user experience and exploring non-intrusive revenue models.

From a user experience perspective, this means:

  • No ads. Your feed is clean—just real content, no distractions.
  • No penalization for sharing links: Want to share your blog, product, or ideas? Links actually reach your audience.
  • Real engagement: A smaller, active community where conversations actually happens.

But there is so much more to it...

What sets Bluesky apart is its focus on decentralization and user control.

The AT Protocol: What You Need to Know


The platform has created open and decentralized protocol for social networks, called Authenticated Transfer Protocol (AT Protocol).

Think of it as the “engine” behind Bluesky that makes its unique features possible.

Here’s how it works:

Decentralized

Unlike traditional platforms where everything is stored and controlled by one company, the AT Protocol allows data to be distributed across many servers, owned by different people or organizations.

→ This means no single company (not even Bluesky itself) has full control over the network.

Custom Algorithm Feeds

A screenshot of the “Feeds” section in Bluesky, showing a list of custom and default feeds curated by the user. The list includes: 	1.	Discover - A general feed for discovering new content. 	2.	Following - Posts from accounts the user follows. 	3.	Popular With Friends - Trending posts among the user’s network. 	4.	OnlyPosts - A custom feed. 	5.	Mutuals - A feed focused on mutual connections. 	6.	The SaaS Feed - A custom feed for SaaS-related content. 	7.	Bootstrapping posts - A custom feed for posts related to bootstrapping. 	8.	Latest From Follows - A chronological feed of posts from followed accounts. 	9.	Quiet Posters - A feed highlighting posts from users who post infrequently. 	10.	Bluesky Team - A feed featuring posts from Bluesky team members. 	11.	SaaS & Indie Hackers - A custom feed for SaaS and indie hacker content.  Each feed is listed with its corresponding icon and description, allowing users to quickly switch between curated feeds.

On Bluesky, you own your feed. You can follow or create feeds that focus on exactly what matters to you—whether it’s SaaS growth, API discussions, or indie hacking.

The algorithm isn’t imposed upon you.

Domain Handles: Build Your Identity

A screenshot of a Bluesky profile showcasing a domain-based handle. The profile includes: 	•	A profile picture of a smiling individual with glasses and short curly hair. 	•	The display name: mariano martene. 	•	The handle: @marianomartene.com, indicating the use of a custom domain as the user handle. 	•	A small emoji of a mate (a traditional drink) placed to the right of the name, adding a personal touch.  The background is dark, and the design is clean and minimalist, emphasizing the custom domain-based handle.
My handle is my domain https://bsky.app/profile/marianomartene.com

Your handle can be your domain (e.g., @yourproduct.com), good for branding and works as a verification service.

But it’s more than that. It’s part of a bigger identity system that lets you own and carry your identity across platforms built on the AT Protocol.

A playground for developers

Developers just wanna have fun.

They are great powerusers and have been neglected from all social networks.

In the last years developers lost years of work when đť•Ź raised their API prices to $42,000 per month, forcing many apps to shut down. Reddit did similar.

They were used, and then dumped. Enshitification as it best.

→ The AT Protocol prevents this by keeping access open and sustainable.

And this is one of the reasons that make me bullish on this platform: Having a bunch of developers building on top of your platform could be one of the biggest growth levers.

Which leads me to the following question:

Who is already on Bluesky?

Right now there is a considerable amount of Indiehackers and developers are already here. They are what we often call 'early-adopters'. If supported correctly they might bring the next wave of users into the platform.

Along with them, you can see some well-known business people popin into the platform.

Other than that, the success of a social media effectively depends of having certain people posting here. Journalists, Publishers, Artists/Creators, Gamers, Educators, etc...

We've seen an "đť•Źodus" from Elon's platform due to his political behavior, but we're still on early stages.

Bluesky growth and how it compares with đť•Ź & Threads

At the moment I'm publishing this post, bluesky is at 28M users. (attention they are not active users). Let's do a quick comparison:

Threads: 275M monthly active users / 1M signups per day ²
đť•Ź: 570M monthly active users Âł

(self reported)

Blueskys still playing catch-up with Threads and X.

Threads recently hit 275 million active users, showing solid growth, while X maintains a hefty 570 million. Although Bluesky’s user base is smaller, its rapid growth spooked Meta enough to fast-track new features for Threads, reflecting the competitive tension.

Meta’s strategy seems clear: adapt and adopt to keep Bluesky from becoming a bigger threat, demonstrating a proactive approach to potential shifts in user preference and platform popularity. This was in evidence after they just copy the "following you" feed from bluesky and deployed into Threads and Instagram.

It's early....

But if Bluesky managed to get 28 million users, it could easily rise to 40 million, then 100 million, depending on who starts posting there and whether they draw big crowds into their circle.

We should not underestimate network effects.

My Experience with Bluesky

I gave it a try Bluesky mostly during one month on december 2024. I have a lot of personal problems with social networks and algorithms and often I feel frustrated on how much time they want from you.

I managed to grow my profile to 1.2k followers from the scratch. The result comes from being super active, using starter packs and catching the momentum.

It does feels nice to see a feed free of ads, spam, and bots.

I'm having real interactions and conversations here.

The user base is really small at the moment. But it has great potential and for me is already generating some engagement and traffic to my sites.

I'm betting on more growth waves to come.

Conclusions & getting started on Bluesky

Bluesky doesn’t have the massive user base of Twitter/X or the tech-giant backing of Meta’s Threads, but it’s doing something different. With an open-source setup and a focus on interoperability, it has the potential to drive some real innovation in social media.

There is a need for better social media, that's a given.

While Bluesky may not yet have the user base of Twitter/X or the backing of a tech giant like Meta's Threads, Bluesky offers a refreshing alternative that puts users first. (or at least, it's a better approach that current proposals).

Worth to keep an eye on it.

If you’re curious to check it out, you can find me on Bluesky at @marianomartene. I post about SaaS growth and share some of our learning of building in public.