What is Bluesky? How to sign up for the social media network, is an invite needed - and who owns it?

• Bluesky has become a destination for users fleeing Twitter. 
• Celebrities and high profile accounts have jumped over - including likes of Dril and Mark Hamill. 
• But what is Bluesky and who owns it? 

The Xodus continues to pick up steam as more and more users flee the platform once called Twitter. It has been accelerated in the wake of the recent American Presidential election. 

Elon Musk, who bought the social media site in 2022, was a vocal supporter and donor to Donald Trump’s campaign. He has been rewarded with a position as co-head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). 

Users have become more and more disgruntled with Twitter (later rebranded as X) following Tesla billionaire’s takeover. The seeming increase of blue check bots and changes such as switching-up how blocking works have rankled. 

Many of the people departing Twitter have left for a newer micro-blogging platform called Bluesky. But what exactly is it? 

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What is Bluesky? 

You might have heard people mention that they have signed up to Bluesky - or seen celebrities announce their departure from Twitter to join it. First launching about 18 months ago, it is a ‘decentralised’ social media network and was initially invite only. 

The official Bluesky Safety account revealed on Friday November 15 that 3 million people had signed up in the last week. So you may experience some teething issues as the demand for it soars. 

Similar to Twitter, users can share short character limited posts including text, images, gifs and videos. The posts are colloquially known as ‘skeets’ - but I won’t blame you if you find that a bit cringe to say. 

The app itself will look familiar to Twitter users - with a discover feed, following feed and a similar layout to that popular social network. When I moved over I found it reassuring, like tucking into a bowl of warm tomato soup - and it is not really a surprise to discover it actually started as a research initiative at Twitter in 2019, before becoming independent in 2021. 

When you open up the app, you will discover that you can also follow certain topics - like news, books, etc - and see feeds tailored to them. Users also share ‘starter packs’ giving you a handy list of accounts to follow - for example ‘board game developers start pack’. 

How to sign up for Bluesky - do you need an invite? 

As previously mentioned, when Bluesky first launched in the wake of Musk’s takeover of Twitter you had to have an invite to create an account. But fast forward to late 2024 - and the great Xodus - that is no longer a requirement. 

It is fully open to anyone who wants to sign up. All you have to do is download the app from the App Store on iPhone or Google Play on Android devices - or go to this webpage. 

Who owns Bluesky? 

One-time Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey was involved in the early days of Bluesky, but BBC reports that he stepped down from the board in May 2024. The app is owned by Bluesky Social, PBC - with the last three letters standing for public benefit corporation, a type of non-profit. 

The current CEO of Bluesky is Jay Graber and key figures on the board include Jeremie Miller and Mike Masnick. 

Have you tried out Bluesky yet, do you have any early thoughts? Share them by emailing me: [email protected].