Bluesky is set to launch a payment system in the upcoming months, marking its initial move towards generating revenue without depending on advertising. The company’s CEO, Toni Schneider, along with COO Rose Wang, shared these plans on Thursday during the TechCrunch Disrupt event, highlighting their intention to enhance commercial and fundraising activities already taking place on their decentralized social platform.
“Users are actively engaging in selling goods, raising funds effectively, and providing support to one another on the network,” Schneider remarked. “Our goal is to simplify this process, enabling users to financially support initiatives they appreciate, all while ensuring that this system is beneficial for Bluesky and compatible with other applications across the network.”
Schneider, who previously led Automattic, assumed leadership of Bluesky in March following the resignation of longtime CEO Jay Graber. During the event, he expressed surprise at the mixed reactions to his appointment, with some users humorously positing that it could spell trouble for the platform. Such comments reflected a concern that a change in leadership might lead to unwelcome alterations to Bluesky.
Acknowledging that users have the choice to migrate to competing platforms if they dislike new features, Schneider emphasized the accountability this reality imposes on the leadership team as they work towards introducing monetization options.
The executives emphasized that advertising should not be considered the sole feasible model for a social networking platform.
“There’s a narrative suggesting that monetization inevitably involves advertising, which could detract from the user experience,” Wang stated. “Bringing Toni on board is promising because he successfully built a $10 billion business at WordPress Automatic, with substantial profits funnelling back to the company while benefiting the ecosystem.”
Wang also highlighted Bluesky’s designation as a Public Benefit Corporation (PBC), which she explained positions the company’s mission at the core of its strategic decisions.
“While generating revenue is crucial, our structure prevents us from locking users into our platform,” Wang pointed out. “What matters is ensuring that those creating value within the network are the ones benefiting from the incoming revenue. It’s reminiscent of a feudal system where a few landlords impose rules, and we must pay our dues as tariffs.”
Bluesky aims to empower users by providing them with ownership over their digital identities and control of their networks, fostering a more open internet where value and revenue directly reward content creators.
“Initially, we will introduce payments, but our focus is on fundamentally transforming the underlying infrastructure, rather than just creating another application,” Wang concluded.
