Bluesky Enlists Techdirt Founder Mike Masnick to Board

Bluesky enhances its leadership team by enlisting Techdirt founder Mike Masnick to its board, bringing fresh insights to its growing platform

On Monday, Bluesky, a startup that competes with Decentralized X and provides a social network that allows users to select their own algorithm and moderation services, announced the appointment of Mike Masnick as a new board member.

Masnick, the founder of the technology blog Techdirt, is also recognized for his role in the Bluesky initiative, inspired by his paper “Protocols, not Platforms.”

Per a corporate blog post, the team was already seeking advice from Masnick; therefore, his appointment to the board is a “seamless progression” in formalizing their relationship.

Bluesky, initially established within Twitter under the leadership of founder Jack Dorsey, was subsequently spun off and rebranded as X under Elon Musk. Since then, it has forged its course as an independent company.

Last year, the company raised a seed round and launched its first paid service to assist individuals in setting up custom domains on the decentralized platform.

Despite Dorsey’s initial support for Bluesky, the former Twitter CEO publicly criticized the startup for repeating the same errors that he and others made at Twitter, particularly in how it addressed some of its earlier moderation issues.

Dorsey resigned from his position on Bluesky’s board in May and is now focusing on Nostr, a decentralized network popular among Bitcoin enthusiasts.

Bluesky, which has grown to a user base of six million, is currently enhancing its platform and policies, as well as the technology that underpins its operations, the AT Protocol, with the inclusion of Masnick.

Masnick’s expertise as a reporter, editor, and publisher, as well as his familiarity with policy, technology, and legal issues, will be leveraged by the company as it expands.

Bluesky CEO Jay Graber stated, “Mike’s work has beeninspiredfrom the beginning.”

“His appointment to our board appears to be a logical extension of our mutual aspiration for a more transparent internet.”

His viewpoint will guarantee that we are developing a product that genuinely benefits consumers as we continue to build Bluesky and the AT Protocol.

Masnick expressed his enthusiasm for becoming a Bluesky board member and promoting the organization’s objective of establishing an open social network.

“I have been delighted to witness the Bluesky team’s transformation of these concepts into tangible results in recent years. I am eager to contribute to the company’s ongoing efforts to enhance the internet.”