New York: Bluesky, a growing social media platform, is experiencing a surge in users as people leave X (formerly Twitter) after Donald Trump’s presidential victory. The shift comes amid concerns over an impending change to X’s terms of service that may complicate legal recourse against the Elon Musk-owned platform.
Bluesky reported approximately 2.5 million new users in the past week, bringing its total user base to over 16 million. This increase highlights the platform’s growing appeal among users seeking alternatives to X since Musk’s takeover.
“We’re seeing record-high activity levels across all engagement metrics—likes, follows, new accounts, and more. We’re even on track to add one million new users in a single day,” Bluesky announced in a statement.
Several high-profile organizations and personalities, including the nonprofit Center for Countering Digital Hate, British news outlet The Guardian, and former CNN anchor Don Lemon, have stated they are leaving X due to concerns over content moderation and the pending terms change.
Misinformation experts raised concerns about X’s role in spreading false information during the recent election, particularly in key battleground states. On November 6, as news of Trump’s win emerged, X attracted 46.5 million visits in the U.S.—a peak for the year and 38% above average, per analytics firm SimilarWeb. However, over 115,000 U.S. users deactivated their accounts that same day, the highest deactivation rate since Musk’s acquisition of X.
Bluesky’s website, meanwhile, attracted around 1.2 million visitors on November 6, surpassing Meta’s Threads (with 950,000 visitors). While Threads remains a popular alternative with a larger user base on its mobile app, Bluesky has seen consistent growth. “Bluesky’s rapid growth may be driven by both controversial content on X and technical issues there,” noted Abraham Yousef, senior insights analyst at Sensor Tower. “The exit of popular figures and media outlets from X could signal to consumers that the platform is no longer their preferred choice, boosting growth for competitors.”
Also Read | Trump Selects Defense Lawyers for Key Justice Department Roles
Terms Change
The Bluesky surge also coincides with an upcoming change in X’s terms, effective Friday, which mandates that all legal disputes must be filed exclusively in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas or state courts in Tarrant County, Texas. The Center for Countering Digital Hate argued that this could limit legal challenges by directing cases toward judges potentially favorable to Musk’s positions. “Now, the billionaire can bring lawsuits in friendly courts against those who disagree with him on X,” said the nonprofit, which has criticized Musk for allowing hate speech on the platform.
X and Musk declined to comment on the matter.
Also Read | Poland Deploys South Korean K2 Black Panther Tanks Near Russian Border
Despite its growth, Bluesky’s user base remains smaller than competitors. Threads has approximately 252 million monthly active users on its app, while X holds about 317 million, according to Sensor Tower.
“X appears to be in a strong position, especially with its support for President-elect Trump’s views,” said Gil Luria, an analyst at D.A. Davidson & Co. “While alternatives are emerging, they may struggle to match X’s influence given the substantial network effects of microblogging.”
