At SXSW 2025, Bluesky CEO Jay Graber made a bold fashion statement that reflected her company’s vision. She wore a large black T-shirt with the phrase “Mundus sine caesaribus,” meaning “A world without Caesars.” This was a direct contrast to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s past reference to Julius Caesar, where he wore a shirt with “Aut Zuck aut nihil” (Either Caesar or nothing).
Bluesky, a decentralised and open-source social network, stands against the centralised control of platforms like Facebook. Graber highlighted this during her keynote, explaining, “If a billionaire came in and bought Bluesky, or took it over or if I decided tomorrow to change things in a way that people really didn’t like, then they could fork off and go on to another application.” She added that multiple applications already exist within Bluesky’s network, giving users the freedom to create alternatives.
Read more: Bluesky Gains 11M Users After US Elections
Meta has faced criticism for its policies, including using public user posts to train AI and reducing third-party fact-checking. These decisions have led users to seek alternative platforms, with Bluesky gaining traction. However, while Bluesky is nearing 33 million users, Meta still dominates with over 3.35 billion daily active users across Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook.
Despite the vast difference in user base, Bluesky’s decentralised model offers users more control and transparency. Unlike proprietary platforms, Bluesky allows users to modify and distribute its open-source code. Graber’s message at SXSW suggests that the future of social media could shift towards platforms that prioritize user autonomy over centralised control.
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