Bluesky, Jack Dorsey’s Twitter competitor, is Officially in Closed Beta

Bluesky, Jack Dorsey’s new Twitter competitor, is officially in closed beta on the App Store. The invite-only software might soon join a crowded field of aspiring Twitter rivals, such as Mastodon.

Those who are interested in joining the waitlist can enter their email addresses. According to reports, the Bluesky app is highly influenced by Twitter. It does, however, offer subtle variations such as “What’s up?” instead of “What’s happening?” and a streamlined method for writing a post (which may also include photographs) by selecting a plus button. Additional capabilities include searching for and following individuals, as well as reading their postings on a Home timeline.

Bluesky began in 2019 as a side project supported by Twitter. Dorsey, who co-founded Twitter and was still CEO at the time, regarded the endeavor as a more open alternative to an increasingly centralized Twitter. Bluesky was then split off as its own firm in 2021. Dorsey has stated that social media should be free of corporate or government control, and that only writers should be able to erase their social-media content. Furthermore, while he claimed Twitter’s decision to ban Donald Trump for his part in instigating the January 6th insurgency was “the appropriate choice,” he was concerned about the precedent it set in jeopardizing a “free and open global internet.”

It remains to be seen if enough Twitter users will migrate to Bluesky (or other platforms) to make a big effect. Moreover, given that many people seeking an alternative are doing so as a result of current CEO / owner Elon Musk’s headline-grabbing embrace of far-right figures and ideology, it may be unrealistic to expect them to flock to the brainchild of someone who has reservations about banning anyone for any reason.