Jack Dorsey, the notable supporter of Bluesky, has stepped down from its board. This past Saturday, Jack Dorsey made a post on platform X, discussing the allocation of funds for open protocols through his charitable endeavor, Start Small. This post led to a query from a user inquiring whether Dorsey maintained his position on the board of Bluesky.
Dorsey succinctly replied with a single word: “no.” Despite subsequent attempts by other users to elicit more information regarding his decision to leave the board, Dorsey did not provide any further explanations or details about his departure.
It’s not clear when Dorsey left the board; as of Sunday morning, Bluesky’s corporate FAQ still identified him as a board member. Later that afternoon, the company published the following statement:
We sincerely thank Jack for his help funding and initiating the bluesky project. Today, Bluesky is thriving as an open source social network running on atproto, the decentralized protocol we have built.
With Jack’s departure, we are searching for a new board member for the Bluesky public benefit company who shares our commitment to building a social network that puts people in control of their experience. More to come!
Jack Dorsey, the former CEO of Twitter, which is now referred to as X, initially unveiled Bluesky in 2019. At that time, he announced that Twitter was investing in the creation of a small, independent team consisting of up to five individuals skilled in open-source architecture, engineering, and design. The goal was to develop an open and decentralized standard for social media platforms.
Since its inception, Bluesky has evolved into an independent entity, specifically a public benefit corporation. It is currently under the leadership of CEO Jay Graber and has received venture capital funding. In February, Bluesky expanded its reach by opening up to the general public.
Although Dorsey’s involvement with Bluesky was significant, it was noted that he seemed to have deactivated his Bluesky account sometime last year. This action was only lightly acknowledged through a few social media posts at the time, and he also deleted his Instagram account. Despite these moves, Dorsey continued to be the most prominent figure associated with Bluesky.
Back on platform X, Dorsey had a notably active weekend. He shared insights on corporate developments and even commented on the ongoing dispute between musicians Drake and Kendrick Lamar. In a sweeping change to his social media behavior, he unfollowed nearly all other accounts.
Dorsey also shared a thought-provoking post that read, “don’t depend on corporations to grant you rights. defend them yourself using freedom technology. (you’re on one)” This statement seems to reflect his advocacy for individual empowerment and the use of technology to uphold personal freedoms.