Twitter Founder Jack Dorsey To Launch Test of Rival Social Network Called BlueSky

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Following Elon Musk’s $44 billion ownership of Twitter and the subsequent firing of its CEO, the platform’s founder Jack Dorsey is set to launch a public test version of a new social media network.

The app with the name ”Bluesky”, is gearing up for a test run. It already has a waiting list of users waiting to try out the app’s beta version. It’s not yet clear what Blueksky will eventually look like or how it will function, but it has been noted as a rival to Twitter.

According to the company’s blog, Bluesky’s ”AT Protocol” is being touted as the critical element of a revolutionary “federated social network” that integrates ideas from the latest “decentralized technologies into a simple, fast, and open network.”

It will thus be a social network that will be managed by various sites, rather than using a single location to have its servers.

“We call the app we’re building Bluesky because it will be a portal to the world of possibilities over the AT Protocol,” Jack Dorsey said.

Users of Bluesky will be able to move freely in between various social media platforms using a single browser.

Bluesky was founded by Twitter in 2019. “The larger, long-term goal is to build an enduring, open protocol for public conversation,” Dorsey wrote.

”That it not be owned by any organization, but contributed to by as many as possible,” he added. “And that it is born and evolves on the internet with the same principles.”

Speaking on whether the network will be a rival to Twitter, Dorsey tweeted earlier this month that it’s a rival to ”any company trying to own the underlying fundamentals for social media or the data of the people using it.”

Some critics believe Bluesky could be part of a surreptitious collaboration between Dorsey and Musk.

The new social network is in a testing stage
According to Dorsey, the next step is to start testing the protocol.

Developing a distributed protocol is a complicated process,” Bluesky shared via a press release. “It requires coordination of many parties once a network is deployed, so we’re going to start in private beta to iron out the kinks.”

“As we beta test, we will continue to refine the protocol specifications and share details about how it works. When it’s ready, we’ll move into open beta,” Dorsey added.

Celebrities announce intention to quit Twitter
Dorsey’s new social network could be a success, as an air of uncertainty has settled over Twitter users.

Musk has tried to calm concerns about what Twitter might become under his leadership. He told potential advertisers in a message earlier this week that Twitter will not become a completely uncensored “free-for-all hellscape,” as he has indicated in the past. However, his latest moves have caused concern about the future of the platform.

Kanye West, now legally known as Ye, is already back on Twitter after he was bounced for dangerous antisemitic screeds. However, Musk claims he played no role in the controversial rapper’s return and that his account was restored before he finalized the Twitter purchase.

Consequently, several A-list celebrity users have already announced they’re quitting Twitter now that Musk is in charge.

Elon Musk seals Twitter deal, fires CEO
Musk officially assumed ownership of Twitter on Thursday as part of a $44 billion deal.

He arrived at Twitter’s San Francisco headquarters on Wednesday and began meeting employees. Late Thursday, he fired Twitter’s CEO Parag Agrawal, chief financial officer and other executives. He has also made a public appeal to advertisers, who provide the bulk of Twitter’s revenue, to assure them that the social platform will be a respected advertising destination.

The world’s richest man is taking time to evaluate other areas of Twitter, such as deciding what posts to maintain and what posts to take down on the site.

He initially said he wanted Twitter to be a place, respectful of free speech, which will welcome all kinds of commentary. He also claimed that he would bring back banned users, including former U.S. President Donald Trump. However, Musk made it clear on Friday that such changes would not happen immediately. Instead, he announced that he planned to form a specialized council to handle content questions.