Bluesky, a decentralized social media platform founded by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, has surged to 20 million users, doubling its user base since September.
The increase follows controversial changes at X, formerly Twitter, and Elon Musk's active role in Donald Trump's 2024 election campaign.
A significant number of users migrated from X to Bluesky during the post-election period.
On November 6, the day after the election, over 116,000 X users deactivated their accounts — the largest single-day drop since Musk acquired the platform.
Bluesky capitalized on this, gaining 1.2 million new users in a day and growing at a rate of 10,000 signups every 10 to 15 minutes.
This influx led to occasional server outages, showcasing the platform’s rapid growth and the overwhelming interest from new users.
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— natalie (@natalie.sh) November 19, 2024 at 9:55 PM
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Unlike X, Bluesky has avoided political entanglements and controversial data practices.
The platform explicitly stated it does not use posts for generative AI model training, setting itself apart from X’s recent policy changes.
Under Musk, X has faced growing criticism for reinstating banned accounts, monetizing verification, and amplifying right-leaning content.
Musk's deep involvement in Trump’s campaign — including his recent appointment to a new "Department of Government Efficiency" — further alienated users.
A YouGov survey in August revealed that 42% of daily X users viewed the platform negatively.
Bluesky’s decentralized model, allowing users to create independent servers with custom rules, has appealed to many.
Its interface includes familiar features such as posts (called "skeets"), images, and videos while fostering a more inclusive community compared to X.
Damian Rollison, SOCi’s director of market insights, shared his thoughts on what drove the spike in Bluesky users:
“The political division that has spurred the recent growth of Bluesky's user base is perhaps nothing to celebrate, but the concept of a decentralized social network, providing greater control to user communities and relying less on the monetization of user engagement, is a healthy move that hearkens back to the early, more egalitarian days of the internet.”
Bluesky’s success demonstrates a growing demand for alternatives that prioritize user control and community-driven engagement — a trend that could reshape how brands approach social media marketing.
The Rise of Bluesky and the Fall of X
Other platforms like Meta’s Threads have also gained users amid X’s challenges.
Threads now has 275 million monthly active users, with 15 million joining after the election.
However, Bluesky’s growth rate outpaces its competitors, driven by prominent defections and dissatisfaction with Musk’s leadership.
For now, it stands as a significant challenger to X, with its user base showing no signs of slowing down.
In its initial launch in 2023, Bluesky acquired one million downloads across iOS and Android.
