Bluesky’s interim CEO Toni Schneider takes the job permanently

Toni Schneider, who took over as Bluesky's interim CEO in March following the departure of longtime CEO Jay Graber, has now been named the company's permanent chief executive. Graber transitioned to the role of chief innovation officer.

Schneider announced the change in a personal blog post, stating that the "interim" tag is now gone. He expressed enthusiasm for the mission and the job, saying he is fully committed as Bluesky's official CEO.

One of his first priorities is to "create smaller spaces and more private communities," which he believes will unlock the next wave of growth and innovation. Schneider is the founding CEO of Automattic, the company behind WordPress and Tumblr, and also a partner at True Ventures—both firms are investors in Bluesky.

Bluesky, originally spun off from Twitter, saw a surge in users after Donald Trump's re-election, when Elon Musk became more politically active. However, the platform has recently struggled to retain its user base, with some questioning whether it is dying due to declines in engagement and community size.

Schneider acknowledged the challenges ahead but remains optimistic. "We're at the very beginning of this story," he wrote on Friday. Bluesky currently has 43 million users, and its underlying AT Protocol has been significantly expanded.