Bluesky as seen explosive growth in recent months, surpassing 30 million users as of January 31. The platform has added over 14 million users since the U.S. presidential election in November – Notably, high-profile figures such as actor Mark Hamill and author Stephen King have joined the platform, with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez becoming the first user — outside of Bluesky’s own account — to exceed one million followers.
Bluesky’s rapid expansion has been fueled in part by growing dissatisfaction with X (formerly Twitter), which has undergone significant changes since being acquired by Elon Musk. Modifications such as the removal of legacy verification, shifts in content moderation policies, and a controversial update to the blocking feature have led many users to seek alternatives. Political discourse has also been a major reason for users to leave, and any celebrities that leave the platform tend to take their fanbases with them.
Despite its growth, Bluesky still lags behind its competitors in overall user base. X currently has an estimated 588 million global users, while Meta’s Threads has surpassed 275 million daily users. Even so, this growth is significant and puts Bluesky in a prime position to keep expanding – especially if it can remain the underdog for long enough to continue siphoning off users from other platforms whenever they make unpopular decisions.
With an increasing number of users embracing Bluesky as a viable alternative to X, the platform’s trajectory in the coming months will be worth watching. However, it might be a while before the relatively-small platform is able to truly rival the scale of its direct competition.
