February 20, 2026
Open vibes or Gmail 2.0?
Be Wary of Bluesky
Fans say it's fine, skeptics see Gmail 2.0, Blacksky crew says relax
TLDR: A viral critique warns Bluesky could feel “open” while centralizing control, making it hard to leave if ownership changes. Commenters clap back, calling it fearmongering and noting exports and alternatives like Blacksky, while pragmatists say network effects rule—raising real questions about trust versus tooling.
The internet is clutching its pearls over a spicy warning: Bluesky, the “open” Twitter alternative built on the AT Protocol, might be quietly centralizing power. The article says most people’s stuff sits on Bluesky’s own servers, and if a buyer flips the switch, your “just leave” plan becomes “too late.” Cue the comments section turning into WrestleMania.
Pragmatists shrugged first: one user basically said, “Look, network effects win—my friends and fave creators are here.” Others pushed back hard on the doom, calling the piece FUD (fear, uncertainty, doubt) and reminding everyone that Bluesky’s whole point is that you can export your identity and posts—today, not someday. One commenter even argued that if Bluesky blocks exports, it breaks the very system, which would be a self-own. The Blacksky chorus chimed in too, saying any serious critique has to mention rival infrastructure that’s already running outside Bluesky’s house.
Meanwhile, jokes flew: people dubbed it the “Gmail 2.0 problem,” compared “Freesky” to a Marvel multiverse, and mocked the “we’ll leave later” plan with “sure, right after I back up my 200,000 photos.” The drama centers on trust: is Bluesky truly “open,” or just open-ish until the money shows up? Defenders say the tools and protocol (AT Protocol) are real; skeptics say central chokepoints make that promise fragile. Popcorn secured.
Key Points
- •Bluesky’s ATProto promises data portability and decentralized identity across apps like Tangled, Grain, and Leaflet.
- •Most users’ data resides on Bluesky-hosted Personal Data Servers (PDS), with self-hosting uncommon despite available migration tools.
- •The article argues ATProto’s multi-app ecosystem increases dependence on Bluesky’s infrastructure, raising switching costs over time.
- •Bluesky controls key chokepoints: the dominant Relay, the main AppView, and a centralized DID Directory with no decentralization timeline.
- •A hypothetical acquisition could enable disabling exports, limiting third-party access, and reducing federation, concentrating power further.