Elon Musk-owned X (formerly Twitter) is witnessing a significant exodus, with nearly 1 million users migrating to the social media platform Bluesky following the conclusion of the US presidential elections. The mass migration, dubbed “X-odus” by some, has seen a wide range of journalists, actors, musicians, and other notable figures abandon X for Bluesky. The platform has recently announced that it topped the app download charts on both Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store in the US. Bluesky now boasts 19 million users, up from just 10 million in early September.
Why Are Users Migrating to Bluesky?
Several factors are driving this surge in Bluesky’s popularity, most notably political concerns. After Elon Musk voiced his full support for Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and helped fund a super PAC with nearly $200 million for canvassing, many X users expressed their intention to leave if Trump regained power. The mass migration gained momentum when, just days before the wave of departures, Trump announced that Musk would join his cabinet, co-leading the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency alongside Vivek Ramaswamy. This news sparked backlash among users, some of whom feared that X could become an echo chamber for right-wing voices.
However, political reasons are not the sole cause of the migration. Some users are also fleeing due to X’s recent update to its terms and conditions. Starting November 15, X’s new policy allows the platform to use posts, photos, and videos—even from private accounts—to train its AI chatbot model, Grok. The terms state that users give X permission to analyze and use their content for machine learning and AI purposes, which has raised privacy concerns among many.
What is Bluesky?
Bluesky was initially an internal project launched by former X CEO Jack Dorsey in 2019. What started as an invite-only platform later opened to the public in February 2022 and became an independent company in 2021, led by CEO Jay Graber. Bluesky’s appeal lies in its focus on user control and transparency.
bluesky's user count grew by another million today
— bluesky (@bluesky) November 18, 2024
welcome to all 19M of you 🥳https://t.co/x6v5YW0WFT pic.twitter.com/FtCvcyyr20
How is Bluesky Different from X?
One of the key differences is that Bluesky allows users to customize their feeds by choosing the algorithm that dictates what they see. This level of personalization sets it apart from X, where algorithms are typically set by the platform. Bluesky also enables users to have website addresses as their handles, which helps verify authenticity and reduces the prevalence of bots. This feature could serve as a potential verification tool for public figures, athletes, and journalists.
Can Bluesky Handle the Surge in Traffic?
With the sudden influx of users, Bluesky is facing new challenges. The platform recently reported 42,000 moderation reports in just 24 hours—compared to only 360,000 reports for the entire year of 2023. To handle the growing number of reports, Bluesky is ramping up its team and encouraging users to report issues related to trolls, spam, and scam accounts. The platform has also implemented email verification for new sign-ups to improve security and maintain the integrity of its user base.
Looking Ahead
As Bluesky continues to grow, the team is focused on scaling its infrastructure and moderation systems to cope with the increasing demand. With a mass migration from X and rising user numbers, Bluesky is positioning itself as a promising alternative in the social media space. However, only time will tell if it can maintain its momentum and successfully handle the challenges that come with rapid expansion.
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