In contrast to billionaires like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg who have their own social media platforms, Graber takes a more communal approach with Bluesky, an initiative that currently boasts over 30 million users.
“Imagine a world without Caesars.” Wearing a black T-shirt with this phrase written in Latin, Bluesky CEO Jay Graber welcomed a packed crowd at this month’s South by Southwest festival.
Graber’s attire skillfully alluded to a widely publicized sweater worn several months prior by the billionaire CEO of Meta.
Mark Zuckerberg
, the globe’s second wealthiest individual. His attire featured the slogan “Aut Zuck aut nihil,” playing off the Latin expression meaning “Either Caesar or nothing”—with his name substituted to reflect his reputation for aggressively dominating new market territories.
Graber’s counter slogan “was our cheeky way of saying there shouldn’t be just one person making all the decisions,” explained Bluesky’s chief operating officer Rose Wang in an interview with Agence France-Presse.
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She also mentioned, ‘We’ve witnessed the outcome of a single individual seizing control of a platform in just one day.’
Issuing such a declaration at SXSW holds importance.
The seven-day event combining technology conferences, music, and film was when Twitter initially surfaced in 2007, kickstarting its evolution into the pulse of worldwide dialogue until it ultimately drew widespread notice.
Elon Musk
, who holds the title of the world’s wealthiest individual.
Musk’s 2022 acquisition of Twitter, since renamed X, transformed the platform into a channel for his increasingly hard-right viewpoints and the de facto official outlet for Donald Trump’s second presidential term. As this Musk-led transformation took shape, developers – including Zuckerberg himself – quickly created alternatives.
Tech writer Mike Masnick, whose work motivated the development of Bluesky, characterizes the platform as an answer to “learned helplessness.” This term refers to a situation where individuals recognize issues but passively allow others to dictate their significant life experiences due to a sense of powerlessness.
Initially conceived as a side venture within Twitter, the platform gained independence prior to Elon Musk’s acquisition. Led by two women, Graber and Wang, the organization comprises roughly 20 individuals dispersed worldwide. Currently, Bluesky boasts over 30 million users and continues to expand rapidly.
An essential feature of Bluesky is its use of technology that allows for portability of your online identity across various applications adopting the same tech. The company also supports developers in venturing independently.
“The idea is that if a billionaire acquired Bluesky, everybody could simply depart and establish Greensky instead,” stated Wang.
This marks a significant distinction when contrasted with large platforms owned by unpredictable tycoons like X and Meta, as well as those accused of being swayed by external nations, such as TikTok, which might face bans in the U.S. At present, particularly within the United States, the platform draws left-leaning individuals looking for an escape from what they see as the poisonous environment and rightward tilt of X.
Here’s all you need to learn about Jay Graber, the CEO of Bluesky.
Her name means “Blue sky” in Mandarin
Lantian “Jay” Graber was born in 1991 in Tulsa, Oklahoma to a maths teacher father and a mother of Chinese descent who worked as an acupuncturist.
Graber’s first name, Lantian, means “blue sky” in Mandarin, her mother’s native language. Graber’s mum grew up in China during the Cultural Revolution and emigrated to the United States in the 1980s.
During a 2023 interview with Forbes, Graber shared that her mother chose her name so she could experience “unlimited freedom” and enjoy “opportunities that were not available to her.”
In 2021, Graber was offered the opportunity to lead a social media startup called Bluesky. Any resemblance between Graber and the platform’s name is purely coincidental.
In college, she helped establish an alternate currency banking system.
Graber’s interest in a “decentralised” approach started as a teenager, the Occupy Wall Street movement reportedly teaching her about direct democracy. She attended the University of Pennsylvania where she attained a bachelor’s degree in science, technology and society. During an internship in China, the 34-year-old discovered bitcoin, a cryptocurrency that allows people to transfer money without the need for banks.
In her final year, Graber received a US$1,000 grant and helped establish the Penn Time Bank, a system where students trade services based on hours rather than money.
Serving as the CEO of Bluesky
Upon completing her studies at university, Graber served as a software engineer for firms like Skuchain and Zcash. In 2019, she established Happening, a social media site aimed at enabling users to “coordinate, plan, and relish occasions.”
Graber has served as the CEO of Bluesky since December 2021. Her LinkedIn profile states that Bluesky aims to provide creators with autonomy away from platforms, offer developers the liberty to innovate, and give users options for their experiences.
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The article initially appeared on the South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com), which is the premier source for news coverage of China and Asia.
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