**Bluesky’s Swift Expansion Creates Major Opportunities—and Increased Challenges**

Bluesky, the social media platform reminiscent of Twitter, is undergoing rapid expansion, recently hitting the **20 million-user benchmark**—with a quarter of those users signing up after the U.S. election. This influx is occurring as dissatisfied users continue to migrate from Elon Musk’s increasingly contentious Twitter/X platform, particularly after Musk’s public endorsement of Donald Trump and the financial gains that followed. Among the newest switchers? **Fans of Taylor Swift**, who are moving to Bluesky in large numbers.

Even more remarkable than the sheer figures is the **strong engagement** of Bluesky’s latest users, showing no indications of a slowdown. As per a **live counter** leveraging Bluesky’s API, the platform is approaching the **23 million-user threshold** and may surpass it by Thanksgiving. With an influx rate of 4 to 8 new users each second, Bluesky’s growth could further accelerate as political discussions heat up at holiday family get-togethers.

### The Content Moderation Dilemma

Nonetheless, Bluesky’s swift ascent is accompanied by considerable challenges, primarily: **content moderation**. The platform is facing a rise in **fake accounts**, exploiting its absence of account verification, alongside a concerning uptick in **child sexual abuse material (CSAM)**. The quantity of confirmed CSAM incidents has surged from two in 2023 to **eight daily** post-election.

This is a pivotal point for Bluesky, as history illustrates how inadequately Twitter managed similar dilemmas in its formative years. Twitter’s initial expansion was characterized by disorder, frequent outages, and leadership conflicts. Mark Zuckerberg once famously labeled Twitter a “**clown car that fell into a gold mine**.” Despite its early achievements, Twitter struggled to efficiently tackle abuse and hate speech, leading to alienation of users and potential investors.

For example, Twitter didn’t roll out a mechanism to report abuse until **2014**, and even that was infamously sluggish. During the **Gamergate harassment debacle** in 2015, former CEO Dick Costolo acknowledged in a memo:
> “We suck at dealing with abuse and trolls on the platform, and we’ve sucked at it for years. We lose core user after core user by not addressing simple trolling issues.”

This inaction proved expensive for Twitter. In 2016, Disney CEO Bob Iger dropped plans to buy the platform, citing its widespread “**nastiness**” and “**hate speech**.”

### A Different Path Ahead?

Bluesky seems intent on sidestepping Twitter’s errors. The platform intends to **increase its content moderation team** from 25 to 100 personnel. Aaron Rodericks, Bluesky’s leader of Trust and Safety—who previously managed Twitter’s moderation team before his ousting by Musk—has stressed the platform’s pledge to foster a “**safe and welcoming environment**.” According to him:
> “We’re trying to go above what the legal requirements are.”

Yet, challenges persist. Bluesky has not yet implemented a verification system similar to Twitter’s original **blue checkmarks**, which were introduced in 2009 when Twitter was at a comparable growth phase. Moreover, the platform is under scrutiny from the **European Union**, which highlighted this week that Bluesky is technically noncompliant with EU regulations. However, this seems to stem more from Bluesky’s rapid growth than any intentional resistance, as the platform has not yet designated a representative for Europe.

### Lessons Learned from History

Bluesky’s path echoes some of Twitter’s early experiences, but the stakes are elevated now. Twitter took two years to achieve **600,000 users** and didn’t reach **105 million accounts** until 2010—four years post-launch. In contrast, Bluesky’s growth is occurring at a staggering pace, with the platform already confronting challenges Twitter didn’t face until much later.

Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter/X has only hastened Bluesky’s ascent. Musk’s dismantling of Twitter’s content moderation team and his inability to fulfill commitments like a “**content moderation council**” have pushed users away en masse. Bluesky, on the other hand, is proactively investing in trust and safety, indicating a dedication to learning from Twitter’s errors.

### The Journey Ahead

As Bluesky’s rapid ascent continues, its capacity to tackle issues like fake accounts, misinformation, and adherence to international regulations will be crucial in determining whether it can maintain its growth. Currently, the platform’s swift expansion is a **“nice problem to have”**, but history reveals that unchecked growth without appropriate protections can swiftly descend into disorder.

Bluesky’s forthcoming actions—such as implementing verification protocols and enhancing its moderation initiatives—will be essential in cultivating trust and ensuring the platform remains a credible alternative to Twitter/X. If successful, Bluesky could emerge as