Mon Nov 18 08:50:00 UTC 2024: **Millions Flee Elon Musk’s X for Bluesky Following US Election**
NEW YORK – A mass exodus from Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter) is underway, with nearly a million users migrating to rival platform Bluesky in the wake of the US presidential election. The shift follows Musk’s vocal support for Donald Trump’s campaign, including the formation of a super PAC that spent nearly $200 million. This, coupled with Trump’s announcement that Musk would join his cabinet, fueled concerns among users about X becoming a right-wing echo chamber.
The departure of numerous journalists, actors, and other prominent figures has propelled Bluesky to the top of Apple’s App Store and Google Play Store download charts. The platform, which boasts 19 million users – a significant increase from 10 million in early September – offers users more control over their feeds and aims to combat the bot problem prevalent on X.
Adding to the exodus, X’s updated terms of service, effective November 15th, grants the platform the right to use user posts, photos, and videos, even from private accounts, to train its AI chatbot, Grok. This privacy concern further incentivized users to seek alternatives.
Bluesky, originally an internal project by former X CEO Jack Dorsey, became an independent company in 2021. While acknowledging a recent surge in moderation reports, the company is actively hiring to manage the influx of new users and improve content moderation. The platform’s decentralized algorithm and unique username system are also cited as attractive features for those leaving X. The mass migration highlights growing concerns over content moderation, data privacy, and political bias on major social media platforms.
First Piper 