Now Bluesky's Jay Graber is simply lying.
“If a billionaire came in and bought Bluesky and took it over, or I decided tomorrow to change things in a way that people didn’t really like, then they could fork off and go on to other applications.”
https://observer.com/2025/03/bluesky-ceo-jay-graber-wants-world-without-caesars/
Of course, this makes absolutely no sense, but tech media dutifully just prints it.
What does "fork off and go on to other applications" mean?
What is it she is even saying?
Getting really tired of this gaslighting BS.
Let's get real. If a billionaire comes in and buys #Bluesky, the 30 million users who have fled there from other toxic platforms will be stuck on the billionaire Bluesky toxic platform. Sure, they can "fork off" and make a Mastodon account on the Fediverse, but that's their only option.
This 'billionaire proof' marketing campaign of hers is not only disingenuous, it is false advertising, and should give everyone pause.
Instead of lapping up Jay Graber's nonsense, tech media should ask her some real questions:
Who owns #Bluesky?
Who and in what percentages?
Any outstanding debt or other convertible obligations?
What happened with the Bain Capital funding round announced in early January by Business Insider (https://www.businessinsider.com/x-competitor-bluesky-valuation-new-funding-round-2025-1?op=1) valuing the company at $700M?
Did it close?
If so, how much was invested? Who were the investors?
@mastodonmigration I don't expect any technology I'm using now to be the tech I'm still going to want 5 or 10 years from now, whether it's my PC, my GIS software, or my social network. If it is, great! If not, I'll adapt.
I happen to like it here *and* at Bluesky. I've conceded that I'm never going to get a majority of my connections onto Mastodon as it currently exists. I tried. I understand the issue isn't "What's wrong with them" but "What is keeping Mastodon from becoming mainstream?"
@mastodonmigration A lot of people don't want to be yelled at if they don't CW posts about current events, or otherwise be scolded if they don't conform to the culture that long-time users believe is best. Culture matters. I nearly left after a bad experience on fosstodon before deciding to do my own instance - which is not without cost and takes a lot of effort to make sure you see what you want to see in the network. Most people won't do that to customize their experience.
All valid points. Do not see what that has to do with Jay Graber saying users can simply 'fork' off to other applications if a billionaire buys Bluesky when it simply isn't true.
Mastodon is certainly not perfect, but the fact that you could create your own instance when you were dissatisfied with your then current instance is pretty amazing, and a testament to what real 'decentralization' really involves.
@mastodonmigration It is amazing, and as I've said, I really like it here! But the average social media user is not going to put in the effort and pay the cost of doing that. It was a ton of work to get connected to what I want to see, and I still miss things on my own instance.
How much work would it be if someone really wanted to create a fork of Bluesky? I honestly don't know. I believe somewhere between "more than on Mastodon" and "not possible."
Most people here are quite happy with their chosen instance. Sorry you had difficulty. Fortunately you had the option of creating your own server.
This is not something that is possible with Bluesky. You can get lost in the technology discussions, but straight up there is no way to 'fork off.' That was the subject of the top post.