Bluesky gains 1 million new users after the US election

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Social media site Bluesky has added 1 million new users in the week since the US election, as some X users look for an alternative platform to post their thoughts and connect with others online.

Bluesky announced on Wednesday that its total user base had increased to 15 million from around 13 million at the end of October.

Endorsed by former Twitter CEO Jack DorseyBluesky was an invitation-only space until it opened to the public in February. This invitation-only period gave the site time to develop moderation tools and other features. The platform is similar to Elon Musk’s X, with a “Discover” feed as well as a chronological feed for accounts that users follow. Users can send direct messages and pin posts, as well as find “starter packs” that provide a curated list of people and custom feeds to follow.

The post-election surge in users isn’t the first time Bluesky has benefited from people leaving X. Bluesky gained 2.6 million users in the week after X banned in Brazil in August – 85% of these come from Brazil, the company said. About 500,000 new users signed up in one day last month when X signaled this blocked accounts would be able to see a user’s public posts.

Despite Bluesky’s growth, X announced last week that it had “dominated the global conversation about the US elections” and set new records. According to X, the platform saw a 15.5% increase in new sign-ups on election day, with a record 942 million posts worldwide. Representatives for Bluesky and X did not respond to requests for comment.

Bluesky made tongue-in-cheek comments about his competitive relationship

“I can guarantee that no Bluesky team member will sit with a presidential candidate tonight and give them direct access to control what you see online,” Bluesky said.

Across the platform, new users – including journalists, left-wing politicians and celebrities – have posted memes saying they are looking forward to using a space free of advertising and hate speech. Some said it reminded them of the early days of X, when it was still Twitter.

On Wednesday, the Guardian said it would no longer publish articles on X, citing “right-wing conspiracy theories and racism” on the site as the reason. At the same time, television journalist Don Lemon posted on X that he was leaving the platform but would continue to use other social media, including Bluesky.

Lemon said he felt like X was no longer a place for “honest debate and discussion.” He noted that changes to the site’s terms of use are set to take effect Friday and that state lawsuits against X must be filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, not the Western District of Texas. musk said in July that he would move X’s headquarters from San Francisco to Texas.

“As the Washington Post recently reported on the decision of ‘,” Lemon wrote. “I think that speaks for itself.”

Last year, Advertisers like IBM, NBCUniversal and its parent company Comcast fled