January 30, 2026
Mods vs. Mobs in the Blue
Bluesky 2025 Transparency Report
41M users, 24/7 mods: Bluesky flexes—fans cheer, skeptics cry "double standard"
TLDR: Bluesky says it grew 60% to 41M users and runs 24/7 moderation to reduce toxicity. Commenters are split: some applaud the adulting, others ask why growth isn’t bigger, and a loud camp claims moderation favors one side—turning Bluesky into a live test of safety vs. speech
Bluesky dropped a big, shiny transparency report boasting 60% growth to 41.41 million users, 1.41 billion posts in 2025, and round‑the‑clock moderation—especially on child safety. They say the goal is simple: less toxic pile‑ons, more real conversation, and tools that let people set their own boundaries in a decentralized network (think: lots of small servers instead of one big boss). They’re testing design tweaks to cool off bad vibes and touting rules plus human review to keep things sane.
But the community? Oh, they showed up. One commenter deadpanned that if Bluesky can moderate 24/7, “so it’s not that hard,” a clear side‑eye at the other big bird site. Another asked the awkward question: if the other place is such a mess, why does Bluesky only have 41 million—“why so few?” Meanwhile, a sharp critic called the culture “militant,” arguing that “free expression” seems to depend on which side you’re on, punctuating with a spicy meme: “waits to be called a nazi.”
Not everyone brought pitchforks. A nostalgic voice missed the early days of MySpace and Facebook and said a thorough report like this gives them “a little hope.” Someone else dropped independent stats to keep receipts. Bottom line: Bluesky’s numbers are up, but the vibe check is mixed—half “finally, grown‑up moderation,” half “who moderates the moderators?”
Key Points
- •Bluesky’s user base grew ~60% in 2025, from 25.94M to 41.41M users.
- •Users created 1.41B posts in 2025 (61% of all-time posts), including 235M media posts (62% of all-time media).
- •Bluesky operates on a federated, decentralized AT Protocol with thousands of Personal Data Servers, most third-party hosted.
- •Moderation ran 24/7 with specialized teams (including child safety), combining automated systems and human review of appeals and edge cases.
- •Five 2025 focus areas: proactive moderation, age assurance across jurisdictions, enhanced policies/tools, account verification, and regulatory compliance infrastructure.