Jack Dorsey, the founder of Twitter, has officially stepped down from the board of Bluesky, a decentralized social media platform he helped create. The news was revealed by Dorsey during a Q&A session on X (formerly Twitter) over the weekend.
Bluesky was originally a project within Twitter in 2019 before it became an independent entity with Dorsey serving on its board. The platform aims to establish an open-source social media standard that gives users more control over their experience. After a year-long invite-only period, Bluesky was recently opened to the public in March 2023.
In a statement released by Bluesky on Sunday, they expressed gratitude towards Dorsey for his support in funding and launching the project. They mentioned that the platform is now thriving on its decentralized protocol called atproto. The company is now actively searching for a new board member who shares their vision of building a user-centric social network.
Dorsey’s involvement with Bluesky appeared to be minimal, with CEO Jay Graber previously mentioning that he provided occasional feedback but was mostly hands-off. Before his departure from the board, Dorsey had already closed his Bluesky account.
Dorsey’s decision to leave the Bluesky board aligns with his recent focus on what he calls “freedom technology.” In posts on X, Dorsey unfollowed most accounts and encouraged users to not rely on corporations for their rights, but instead to use freedom technology to protect themselves. It seems that Dorsey’s passion for decentralized platforms and open-source technology continues to drive his actions.