X-rival Bluesky adds 2 million users in a week
Bluesky, a decentralized social network, has experienced a significant surge in its user base. The platform reported an addition of two million new users, within just one week of X's ban in Brazil. This rapid growth is particularly noteworthy for Bluesky, which currently has approximately 8.4 million users worldwide. The company announced this news on its own social network and provided a Portuguese translation, indicating that many of these new users are from Brazil.
Brazil's X ban triggers migration
The sudden increase in Bluesky's user base coincides with the recent ban on X, previously known as Twitter, in Brazil. The ban was enforced by Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who directed internet service providers to block X after it refused to suspend specific accounts accused of disseminating disinformation. Following this action, many Brazilian users migrated to other platforms like Bluesky, resulting in a significant rise in unique daily likes and followers toward the end of August.
Bluesky's future plans and founder's departure
Bluesky, founded by X co-founder Jack Dorsey in 2019, initially operated as an invite-only network before opening to the public earlier this year. Despite Dorsey's departure from the Bluesky board in May, the platform has continued to evolve. It recently introduced direct messaging and announced plans for future enhancements like group messaging, media support, and end-to-end encryption.
Bluesky tops free iPhone app chart in Brazil
In addition to its user growth, Bluesky has also dominated the free iPhone app chart in Brazil. The platform surpassed Meta's Threads to secure the top spot. Jay Graber, CEO of Bluesky, expressed his satisfaction with this achievement by stating, "Good job Brazil, you made the right choice." This success is specially important for a platform that only fully opened to the public in February, and has since described itself as "the short king of social apps."
