The social media platform Bluesky has gained an additional one million new users in just one week since the U.S. presidential elections on November 5. This surge in new users comes as several individuals leave X (formerly Twitter) in search of an alternative platform for sharing their thoughts and interacting with others online.
On November 13, Bluesky announced that its total user count had reached 15 million, up from around 13 million at the end of October.
Created by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, Bluesky initially operated as an invitation-only platform but became publicly accessible in February. The platform is similar to X, allowing users to discover content, send direct messages, and view a list of recommended accounts to follow.
The increase in Bluesky’s user base following the U.S. elections is not a new trend. The platform has benefited before from people leaving X. In August, Bluesky added 2.6 million users after X was banned in Brazil, with 85% of the new users coming from the country. Additionally, 500,000 new users joined within a single day last month after X announced that blocked accounts would be able to see public posts from other users.
Despite Bluesky’s growth, X reported last week that it had “dominated the global conversation around the U.S. elections,” reaching new record numbers. X said it saw a 15.5% increase in new user sign-ups on Election Day, with 942 million posts made worldwide.
Bluesky has acknowledged the rivalry with X, including a post on Election Day in which it referred to Elon Musk watching the election results alongside President-elect Donald Trump.
“We can guarantee you that no member of the Bluesky team will sit with a presidential candidate tonight and give them access to control what you see online,” Bluesky stated.
On the platform, new users—including journalists, left-wing politicians, and celebrities—have posted memes and shared their thoughts, expressing hopes that Bluesky will offer a space free of ads and hate speech.
Some have noted that Bluesky reminds them of the early days of X, which was once known as Twitter.
