Alternative to “X”: One Million Users Join “Bluesky” in 24 Hours

The American social network Bluesky, which positions itself as an alternative to “X,” announced on Friday that one million new users joined the platform in a single day, as many users leave the platform owned by Elon Musk.

In a post shared simultaneously on Bluesky and “X,” the platform stated: “One million people joined Bluesky in the past 24 hours!” Labeling this information as “official,” it added: “Welcome, everyone, and thank you for being here.”

This record-breaking announcement comes just days after Elon Musk, who has owned “X” since October 2022, was appointed by elected President Donald Trump to lead a newly established committee on “government efficiency.”

The billionaire, who also leads Tesla and SpaceX, has officially endorsed the Republican candidate’s bid for the White House and has contributed to funding his campaign.

Since taking over “Twitter,” Elon Musk has significantly eased moderation rules on the platform. Among his most controversial decisions was allowing accounts linked to far-right movements back onto the network.

This week, British newspaper The Guardian and Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia announced that they would cease publishing their articles on “X.”

Bluesky, founded and funded by “Twitter” when its co-founder Jack Dorsey was still at the helm, became accessible to the public in February 2023 via Apple’s iOS operating system and later in late March on Android.

The platform is currently led by Jay Graber, its general manager, according to Agence France-Presse.

Bluesky claims its user base has grown from 10 million in mid-September to 16 million, with momentum building after its spotlight at the end of 2022 during Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter and its rebranding to “X.”

As for Threads, another alternative to “X” owned by the Meta group (Facebook and Instagram), it announced in July, a year after its launch, that its user base had reached 175 million.