The great microblogging hopes of 2025: Bluesky’s 30 million users and countless millennial jokes
Your TL;DR Briefing on things worth tracking — and talking about over your next power lunch. *Wink.* This time the thing is the recent surge in popularity for Bluesky, the darling du jour of the “decentralized” social web.
The thing is:
This past week, microblogging platform Bluesky celebrated reaching 30 million users by posting an illustration of dolphins jumping amid sparkles and neon rainbows. “Say what you will, Bluesky knows its base: geriatric millennials nostalgic for Lisa Frank,” user @stevierea.bsky.social posted in a hilarious reply that captures the platform's throwback charms.
And its energy feels a bit reminiscent of Twitter’s early days (minus the fail whales). While that 30 million count might seem modest compared to X (RIP Twitter) and Threads, the milestone reflects the widespread hope for, well, bluer skies on the social web.
The thing about that is:
Over the past three months, it seems that every time a former Twitter personality or bureaucratic institution joins, some Bluesky users post about it. This week, for instance, there were posts from users welcoming the European Medicines Agency, which announced it will no longer post updates to X. Brands have been fluttering over, too, from Netflix to Xbox. Red Bull has quietly secured its branded @redbull.com handle, with their bio currently reading: “#givesyouwiiings.”
Last weekend, a friend even promised over cocktails to follow me from their dog’s Bluesky account, which may be the strongest indicator in my mind that Bluesky’s got some juice. (Update: the dog did follow me, and I followed back!)
For some, the appeal centers on Bluesky's decentralized architecture — the timely and evergreen promise that no billionaire could capture the whole system. Similar to how open digital infrastructure powers email, the so-called “fediverse” operates through open protocols (ActivityPub powers Mastodon and others, while Bluesky runs on the AT Protocol). In theory, that ensures users could move their content and followers between platforms on the same protocol.
But Bluesky's current growth likely stems more from its familiar Twitter DNA — it began as a spinoff project under Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey. And perhaps most importantly, Bluesky has done a good job of making the decentralized vision actually usable. For example, its clever “starter packs” help users quickly find interesting people to follow.
Refreshingly, you don’t need to know what the fediverse means to have fun posting memes on Bluesky.
