Bluesky, the social media platform gaining popularity as a friendlier alternative to X, faced a major outage on Thursday just as its user base surged. The app, which has been a top download in both the US and UK Apple Stores in recent days, encountered issues where some users couldn’t load their feeds or receive notifications.
A Bluesky spokesperson explained that the outage was caused by a disruption in one of its internet provider’s services, with a fiber cable failure outside the company’s control. The issue affected users on part of the provider’s network between Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, and Richmond, Virginia.
While not all users were affected, the problem was largely resolved by Thursday evening. The platform has seen an influx of new users, with 2.25 million people joining in the week following Donald Trump’s presidential victory. Many are fleeing X, formerly Twitter, after the rise of Elon Musk’s influence and his political ties.
Bluesky, co-founded by Jack Dorsey, operates on a decentralized model, with servers managed by independent entities rather than the company itself. This key difference has drawn users who are disillusioned with centralized platforms like X.
Cory Johnson, Chief Market Strategist at Epistrophy Capital, explained that many users were leaving X due to dissatisfaction with Musk’s leadership, turning to Bluesky and Threads as alternatives. Additionally, the Guardian’s announcement to stop posting on X highlights growing concerns about Musk’s control over political discourse on the platform.
Despite the outage, Bluesky staff maintained a lighthearted tone, with one developer jokingly suggesting users “grab a soda, pet the kitty” if the site went down, assuring them the team was working quickly to resolve the issue.
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