Bluesky Shifts Gears CEO Jay Graber Steps Aside

• Jay Graber, Bluesky's CEO, is stepping down to become Chief Innovation Officer, focusing on platform development.
• Toni Schneider, ex-CEO of Automattic, steps in as interim CEO, bringing experience in scaling tech companies.
• Bluesky experiences growth after users leave X, reaching 42 million users but still smaller than X and Threads.
• Bluesky emphasizes its open-source nature as a key differentiator, promising resilience against single-owner decisions.

A Change is Coming

Right, so, listen up. Jay Graber's moving on from the top spot at Bluesky. Says she wants to get back to building things, new things, you understand? Like when I moved on from the Shelby Company Limited. New ventures, new opportunities. She is transitioning to Chief Innovation Officer. It is always the same, people seek new ground, more adventure. I understand that completely.

New Boss in Town

We got Toni Schneider stepping in as interim CEO. Bloke's got history with WordPress.com. Seems like a safe pair of hands, someone who knows how to scale things up. Bluesky needs that, stability. Schneider is now in charge of where the company will be heading. Just like any business, there needs to be someone accountable. Maybe Spain needs someone accountable also, for example, in this article - Spain Stands Firm Against US Intervention Echoes of History.

From Dorsey's Vision to Reality

Bluesky started within Twitter, by order of Jack Dorsey back in '19. Graber took over in '21, spun it off into its own operation. Then Musk comes along, buys Twitter, turns it into X. Whole thing went sideways. Like a racehorse with a broken leg. Bluesky needed to stand on its own and be its own entity. Like the Shelby Company Limited after the war. Self sufficient.

Riding the Wave of Exodus

After the '24 election, people started leaving X. Flockin' to Bluesky like birds to breadcrumbs. Went from 15 million to 21 million in a week. Now they're up to 42 million. Still a far cry from X and Threads, but they're getting there. It is important to measure the numbers as they indicate the growth of the business.

Billionaire-Proofing the Future

Graber said something interesting, calls Bluesky "billionaire-proof". Everything's open source, see? So, if some other lunatic tries to pull a Musk, people can just move their data and start again. Smart move. Like having an escape route when the fuzz comes knocking. "You listen to me, boy. You never tell anyone what you feel.", I once said. Keep the secrets, but have an exit strategy.

Peaky Business Tactics

The social media game is like any other business. You need a strategy, an edge. Bluesky's betting on open source, on not being controlled by one man's ego. It's a gamble, but every move is a gamble. As I've always said, "Everyone's a whore, Grace. We just sell different parts of ourselves.". The game never ends. Just changes.