Bluesky's most prominent backer has left the board.
On Saturday, Jack Dorsey posted to X about a grant to Open Protocol from his philanthropy, the Start Small Initiative.This prompted someone to ask Dorsey if he was still on Blue Sky's board of directors, and he said answered I simply said, “No.” Mr. Dorsey did not respond to any subsequent posts seeking an explanation for his resignation.
It's unclear when Dorsey left the board. As of Sunday morning, Bluesky's corporate FAQ still identifies him as a board member. Later that afternoon, the company released the following statement:
A big thank you to Jack for helping fund and get the bluesky project off the ground. Today, Bluesky is a thriving open source social network running on atproto, a decentralized protocol we built.
With Jack's retirement, we're looking for a new board member for Bluesky, a utility company, who shares our commitment to building a social network that puts people in control of their experiences. It continues!
Dorsey Blue Sky first announced That was in 2019, when he was still CEO of Twitter. He said Twitter (now known as I am doing it,” he wrote.
Since then, Bluesky has become an independent public benefit corporation, backed by VCs and led by CEO Jay Graber, and opened to the public in February.
Dorsey appears to have deleted his Bluesky account at some point last year, but his departure was confirmed only by those involved at the time. Some social media posts. (He also deleted his Instagram account.) Nevertheless, he remained the biggest name associated with the project.
Back at the X, Dorsey had a very active weekend. In addition to broadcasting corporate news, he also gives his opinion on the conflict between Drake and Kendrick Lamar. Unfollowed almost every other accountand Posted“Don't rely on companies that give you rights. Use freedom technology to protect them yourself. (You're in on it, too).”
This article has been updated with a statement from Bluesky confirming Dorsey's departure.