X Rival Bluesky Reaches 20 Million Milestone As Users Leave Elon Musk's Social Platform After Donald Trump's Victory

Bluesky, the social media platform rivalling Elon Musk's X, has reached 20 million users, according to CEO Jay Graber, who shared this milestone along with 20 insights about the platform's origins on 19 November.

Bluesky has seen a significant rise in popularity, particularly after many users of X decided to leave following Donald Trump's victory in the United States (US) presidential election, The Hindu reported.

Graber explained that Bluesky began as a Twitter initiative aimed at creating an open social protocol, though it started with an invite-only system to manage content moderation. Even now, the platform retains a largely centralised structure.

On October 24, Bluesky announced it had secured $15 million in Series A funding, led by Blockchain Capital, with contributions from Alumni Ventures, True Ventures, SevenX, Amir Shevat of Darkmode, and Kubernetes co-creator Joe Beda, among others.

Graber revealed that the US, Japan, and Brazil make up the three largest user bases on Bluesky, with these countries having been early adopters during the platform's invite-only phase. She thanked users in these regions for their support.

The platform also gained significant attention in Brazil after X was temporarily blocked there due to a dispute between Elon Musk and Brazilian Judge Alexandre de Moraes over content moderation. However, X was later reinstated.

Despite its growth, Bluesky's journey has not been without challenges. While it was originally conceived by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, he no longer seems to be actively involved with the platform.

Additionally, as the user base has expanded, Bluesky has faced an increase in spam and harmful content, which its small team of moderators is working to address.

Graber also acknowledged the ongoing efforts to transition Bluesky to a decentralised model, though it remains uncertain when this will fully materialize.

Currently, Bluesky's team consists of about 20 full-time employees, or roughly one per million users, though Graber noted that the platform is actively hiring to support its growth.

“We’re so grateful to welcome all 20M of you to Bluesky!!!” she concluded, sharing a butterfly and heart emoji.