The Slow Hunch Jay Graber (CEO of Bluesky)
Apr 2, 2025
Jay Graber, CEO of Bluesky, previously a digital rights activist, shares insights on decentralization and its transformative potential for social media. She discusses Bluesky's origin story, emphasizes user choice, and highlights the significance of protocols that empower users. Jay delves into the trade-offs in systems design and how Bluesky aims to create an open, extensible platform, offering flexibility and innovation when users don't like the changes. Their vision challenges traditional social media, advocating for community-driven and customizable experiences.
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Build Then Spec Approach
- Prefer building working social protocol implementations first, then evolving specs alongside it.
- Design for a sliding scale between convenience (centralized) and control (decentralized), balancing usability and user empowerment.
Account Ownership and Portability
- Users owning social accounts is rare; Blue Sky aims to let users own keys but also hold them for convenience.
- True account ownership enables portability and the right to leave a service without starting over.
AppProto's Modular Design
- AppProto is a modular social protocol toolbox enabling identity, data portability, moderation, and curation.
- Developers can adopt parts or all of the protocol to build apps like Blue Sky or innovate differently.
