Bluesky’s Toni Schneider Assumes Permanent CEO Position

In March, Jay Graber, who had been the CEO of Bluesky for a lengthy period, stepped down from that role to become the chief innovation officer. Toni Schneider, the founding CEO of Automattic, overseeing WordPress and Tumblr, took over immediately.

After four months as the interim CEO, Schneider will officially drop the “interim” title and take on the responsibilities of the permanent CEO.

“Having been four months into my interim position at Bluesky, it’s time for an update,” Schneider mentioned on his personal blog. “Most importantly, as of today, I’m proud to announce the removal of ‘interim’ from my title. I’m excited about the mission and my role, fully committed as Bluesky’s official CEO.”

In his update, Schneider highlighted one of his primary aims: to “create smaller spaces and more private communities,” which he believes will “unlock the next wave of growth and innovation.”

Both Automattic and True Ventures, where Schneider is a partner, are investors in Bluesky.

Initially spun off from Twitter, Bluesky has become a haven for those wanting to distance themselves from the changes Elon Musk implemented after acquiring the platform in 2022 (now called X, it has integrated into Musk’s combined rocket and AI venture, SpaceXAI).

Under Graber’s leadership, the platform grew to 43 million users, and its foundational technology, the AT Protocol—a system allowing Bluesky and other applications to share a social network—saw substantial improvements.

Recently, however, the platform has struggled to retain and grow its user base. Concerns have been raised about its sustainability, particularly in light of declining user engagement and community size. Bluesky experienced a spike in users after Donald Trump’s re-election, during a time when Musk was especially active in politics, but has since witnessed a downturn.

In summary: Schneider faces significant challenges ahead. Nonetheless, he seems prepared to address them. “We’re at the very beginning of this story,” he commented on Friday.