Thu Nov 14 03:54:06 UTC 2024: ## Bluesky Sees Surge in Users Following US Election, Gaining Popularity as X Alternative
**San Francisco, CA** – Micro-blogging platform Bluesky has experienced a significant increase in users, exceeding 15 million users as of Wednesday, a jump from approximately nine million in September. This growth has been attributed to a surge in users leaving X, formerly Twitter, following the US presidential election.
Bluesky, founded by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey in 2019, has emerged as a haven for left-leaning users who feel alienated by the direction of X under its new owner, Elon Musk.
Several users have cited Musk’s alliance with US President-elect Donald Trump and the rise of hateful content on X as reasons for switching to Bluesky.
“Hello Less Hateful World,” billionaire Mark Cuban, a supporter of Vice President Kamala Harris, posted on Tuesday.
The Guardian newspaper, reflecting this sentiment, announced on Wednesday that it would no longer post content on X, citing the platform’s “disturbing content” including racism and conspiracy theories.
“We think that the benefits of being on X are now outweighed by the negatives and that resources could be better used promoting our journalism elsewhere,” the Guardian stated in a press release.
Bluesky has embraced its image as a refuge for disaffected liberals, contrasting itself with X. Following reports that Musk would watch the election results with Trump, Bluesky posted on X, “None of our team will be sitting with a presidential candidate tonight and giving them direct access to control what you see online.”
While Bluesky has gained significant traction, X still maintains a far larger user base. However, the platform has experienced several waves of user exits since Musk’s takeover in October 2022. Internet traffic analyzer Similarweb reports that 115,000 US-based web visitors deactivated their X accounts on the day after the election, marking the biggest single-day decline under Musk’s leadership.
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