Jay Graber, the CEO who led the decentralized community platform Bluesky through its initial development and explosive growth since 2021, recently officially announced...He will step down as CEOHe will transition to the role of Chief Innovation Officer. While the board searches for a formal successor, Toni Schneider, former CEO of Automattic (the parent company of WordPress) and an advisor and investor in Bluesky, will serve as acting CEO.
He has successfully completed his mission and is handing over the reins of operations to "experienced managers."
"As Bluesky matures, the company needs a senior manager focused on scaling and execution, and I need to return to what I do best: building new things," Jay Graber explained in an article on her official blog regarding her decision to step down.
Moving forward, Jay Graber will remain with the team as Chief Innovation Officer, focusing on the development of the platform's underlying technology and new features. Meanwhile, her continued membership on the Bluesky board means she retains significant influence and a voice in the appointment of the future CEO and the company's long-term strategy. Toni Schneider, who will temporarily assume the role, is not only a partner at True Ventures but also has extensive experience leading Automattic, possessing a deep understanding of driving the Open Web.
Some personal news: I'm transitioning from CEO to a new role as Bluesky's Chief Innovation Officer! I'm excited to welcome Toni Schneider as our interim CEO.
— Jay Graber 🦋 (@arcalinea) March 10, 2026
From an internal Twitter project to a decentralized paradise with 4300 million users
Looking back at Jay Graber's connection with Bluesky, it can be traced back to the time when the platform was still an "side project" within the company of former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey.
With Bluesky officially spinning off as an independent company in 2021, Jay Graber officially took over as CEO. Subsequently, Bluesky severed ties with Twitter in 2022 and parted ways with Jack Dorsey completely in 2024.
Under Jay Graber's leadership, Bluesky has grown from an invitation-only closed beta platform where access codes were extremely difficult to obtain to a popular community service with 4300 million active users. During this period, Jay Graber himself has also become a staunch advocate for decentralized community media.
Next challenge: monetization and strong competition from Threads
Although Bluesky has successfully carved out a highly influential niche market in the "post-Twitter era" of social media, the challenges it faces are only just beginning.
Currently, Bluesky's user base is less than a third of that of Meta's competitor Threads, which has recently begun actively copying some of Bluesky's signature features. A more serious problem lies in its "business model": nearly three years after its launch, Bluesky has yet to introduce any substantial monetization mechanism. Although it has previously hinted at a "premium subscription service," no concrete action has been taken. This will undoubtedly be the primary challenge that the next CEO will have to address immediately.
