Jack Dorsey quits X alternative Bluesky, company seeks new board member | World News

Jack Dorsey, the founder of Twitter (now referred to as X), stepped down from the board of Bluesky on Monday, a decentralised social media platform he co-founded. The company announced in a statement that it is actively seeking a replacement for Dorsey.

“With Jack’s departure, we are searching for a new board member for the Bluesky public benefit company who shares our commitment to building a social network that puts people in control of their experience,” Bluesky stated on its platform.

Bluesky, which received backing from Dorsey as an alternative to Twitter/X, reached a user base of two million in November of last year. The company expressed gratitude to Dorsey for his contributions in funding and launching the project.

“Today, Bluesky is thriving as an open source social network running on ‘atproto’, the decentralised protocol we have built,” the company announced.

Confirmation of Dorsey’s departure came after a query from a user of X, to which Dorsey responded with a “no.”

Bluesky gained momentum from 2019 onwards with Dorsey’s support and rose in prominence following Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter for $44 billion. Initially utilising an invite-based system for user growth, Bluesky now boasts over 1.5 million users, albeit fewer than the tens of millions on X.

While decentralised platforms are hailed as a solution to censorship, concerns persist regarding the moderation of harmful content and user accountability for cybercrimes.

Earlier, the former CEO of X had also closed his Bluesky account, as reported by tech outlet The Verge.

What is Bluesky- the alternative to X/Twitter?

Bluesky is led by CEO Jay Graber, who has promoted the platform as a less toxic alternative to X, where users can curate their content and moderation settings.

The microblogging platform is a decentralised, text-based, invite-only social network created by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey. Users can share text-based posts of up to 300 characters, similar to Twitter in its early days. 

Bluesky operates on independent servers, is open-source, and aims to provide users with more control over content moderation and platform operation. Users need an invite code to join, and the platform is currently available on desktop and iPhone, with Android access in progress. 

Bluesky has gained popularity as an alternative to Twitter, attracting notable users like Chrissy Teigen and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

The social media platform has introduced various features such as mobile push notifications, user lists, email verification, and advanced feed and thread preferences. 

Last year, it raised $8 million, following a $13 million funding round in 2022, during which Dorsey had joined its board.

Originally appeared on: TheSpuzz