Bluesky na TechCrunch Disrupt 2026: Sociální sítě je třeba postavit od základů znovu

Decentralization as a cure for monopolistic capture — The duo will argue that Facebook and X have become "basically AI companies now," optimized for engagement extraction rather than human connection . Bluesky's open-source, protocol-based approach is presented as the structural remedy — "a critical solution to the inherent issues found within centralized structures" . If Bluesky itself "went rogue," users could move their entire social graph to another app with one click .

Community-driven spaces over the "public square" — Wang has said Bluesky does not aim to be like Threads or X; instead it sees its future in individual, community-driven spaces rather than a single algorithmic feed . The protocol enables anyone to run their own moderation, curation, and feed algorithms — effectively unbundling the platform's control.

The leadership transition and what it signals

Why Jay Graber stepped aside — On March 9, 2026, Bluesky founder Jay Graber announced she was stepping down as CEO and transitioning to Chief Innovation Officer, writing: "As Bluesky matures, the company needs a seasoned operator focused on scaling and execution, while I return to what I do best: building" . She remains board chair . Graber had grown Bluesky to roughly 43 million users and built the AT Protocol from scratch .

Toni Schneider's mandate — Schneider, the former founding CEO of Automattic (WordPress, Tumblr), served as interim CEO from March and was named permanent CEO on July 10, 2026 . His background is significant: he scaled an open-source ecosystem (WordPress powers ~40% of the web) and understands the tension between protocol-driven growth and commercial viability. In his appointment announcement, Schneider said Bluesky is working on "an open network that will reflect the many ways people communicate, interact, and make a living" . His mandate is to move Bluesky from a fast-growing alternative to a sustainable, scaled business.

Rose Wang's human-connection thesis — Wang has been the sharpest voice differentiating Bluesky from incumbents. At SXSW London in June 2026, she argued that Facebook and X have "abandoned their original purpose" and that "AI is taking away what makes us human," making the internet "overly reliant on automated systems" at the expense of genuine human interaction . She frames Bluesky as the counterpoint: a place designed for human-to-human connection, where algorithmic amplification is opt-in rather than default. This message will be central to the Disrupt session .

Competitive positioning against Facebook and X

Bluesky's strategy for competing with incumbents rests on three distinct advantages:

• Structural differentiation, not feature parity. Bluesky is not trying to out-X X. By betting on a protocol layer rather than a platform, it argues that the entire competitive dynamic changes: developers, creators, and communities can build on the AT Protocol without asking permission, creating an ecosystem that no single company controls .
• User portability as a trust signal. Wang has emphasized that because everything is open-source, users are never locked in. This is the opposite of the Facebook/X model, where switching costs are deliberately high .
• Community-scale over broadcast-scale. Rather than optimizing for the viral "public square" (X) or the ad-targeting graph (Facebook), Bluesky is leaning into smaller, Reddit-like community spaces where engagement is organic and AI-curated feeds are the exception, not the rule .

The real-world headwind

There is a significant caveat. Bluesky's active user base has been shrinking as its initial post-election growth surge fades. Data from August 2026 shows the platform struggling to retain the momentum from the 2024 X exodus . The protocol-first thesis remains unproven at scale, and Bluesky faces the classic cold-start problem of an open ecosystem: compelling apps and services built on the AT Protocol are still few. The Disrupt session is therefore as much about rallying developer and investor confidence as it is about making the philosophical case.