Twitter's Bluesky: Crypto Developer Leads Decentralized Social Network

Bluesky Appoints Project Lead in Decentralized Social Media Push

Twitter’s developing decentralized social media project, known as bluesky, has reached a significant milestone. The company announced Monday the appointment of a dedicated project lead to guide the protocol’s future development.

Jay Graber Named to Lead Bluesky

Jay Graber, a seasoned crypto developer, has been selected by Twitter to lead the bluesky initiative. The goal is to establish a decentralized social media protocol that could potentially underpin various social networks, including Twitter itself.

Currently operating as a separate entity, the bluesky organization has been primarily funded and staffed by Twitter employees. However, it functions with a degree of independence in its operations.

Graber’s Background and Previous Work

Graber was already contributing to the bluesky team in an advisory capacity. Twitter previously engaged her to conduct a thorough technical assessment of the existing decentralized social ecosystem for a group of developers.

Her experience includes work on the development team for Zcash, a privacy-focused cryptocurrency. She also created Happening, a decentralized social network intended as a competitor to Facebook Events.

Graber previously faced challenges in attracting a substantial user base to Happening, a common obstacle for new decentralized networks. This experience highlighted the difficulty of bootstrapping adoption when users aren't initially incentivized by decentralization.

Twitter’s Potential Advantage in Decentralization

In a January interview with TechCrunch, Graber emphasized the unique opportunity presented by Twitter’s involvement. She believes Twitter’s large existing user base could accelerate the adoption of a decentralized protocol.

“Twitter’s substantial user base offers a significant advantage,” Graber explained. “A well-designed protocol could bypass the initial hurdle of finding a niche audience, as Twitter would inherently bring a large number of users.”

Decentralization as a Response to Moderation Concerns

The bluesky initiative gained increased attention following Twitter’s permanent suspension of former President Donald Trump. In the wake of this decision, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey highlighted bluesky as a key effort to promote more decentralized social media moderation.

A decentralized protocol would empower individual networks to self-govern, reducing the potential for monolithic control over online discourse. This approach aims to foster a more open and resilient social media landscape.

“A central focus for those involved is exploring how to improve moderation practices, moving away from reliance on a single authority,” Graber stated to TechCrunch.

Next Steps for the Bluesky Organization

The bluesky organization remains in its early stages of development. Graber’s immediate priority is to expand the team through key hires.

The initial recruitment efforts will focus on bringing on board a protocol developer and a web developer to accelerate the project’s technical progress.