Bluesky gains millions as users leave X

Social media platform Bluesky is experiencing rapid growth as users abandon Elon Musk’s X following Donald Trump’s presidential election victory and concerns over upcoming changes to the platform’s terms of service. Bluesky reported gaining 2.5 million new users in a week, pushing its total to over 16 million. Activity on Bluesky has surged, with record engagement levels, as organisations like the Guardian and prominent figures such as former CNN anchor Don Lemon leave X.

The election of Trump brought both heightened activity and backlash for X. On November 6, the platform saw 46.5 million visits in the US, a year-high figure, but also recorded more than 115,000 account deactivations, the most since Musk’s acquisition. Bluesky and Meta’s Threads also saw increased traffic, signalling growing competition. Analysts attribute Bluesky’s growth partly to dissatisfaction with X’s handling of misinformation and controversial content during the election.

Adding to the exodus is X’s imminent policy change requiring all legal disputes to be settled in Texas courts, a move critics claim favours Musk. The Center for Countering Digital Hate argued this could shield the platform from accountability, while Musk and X remained silent on the controversy. Despite Bluesky’s growth, it trails competitors like Threads and X in total user base, with analysts suggesting X remains strong due to its association with President-elect Trump and microblogging’s inherent network advantages.