In this episode of the Slow Hunch, I spoke with Jay Graber, CEO of Bluesky.

Originally conceived as an initiative within Twitter under Jack Dorsey, Bluesky was designed to transform Twitter from a closed platform to an open protocol-based network. Jay initially joined as an external researcher before being selected to lead the project, ultimately negotiating for Bluesky's independence before Elon Musk’s acquisition.

Jay believes thoughtful systems design can reshape our online experiences. With Bluesky, she wants to prioritise user choice, portability, and the ability to vote with their feet if the platform makes changes they don't like.

This was a conversation about social media’s “adjacent possible” - a potential shift from closed, monolithic platforms toward open, extensible systems that encourage experimentation and innovation at all levels.

Hope you enjoy!

Chapters:

00:00 Cold open
04:00 Jay’s background: from systems theory to digital rights activism
08:35 Trade-offs in systems design
16:19 The AT Protocol (atproto)
17:19 Bluesky’s origin story
25:26 How Bluesky differs from earlier decentralized social attempts
28:01 Giving users the ability to pick feeds and moderation
30:16 Early days of Bluesky
32:50 Public launch
37:24 Social media’s adjacent possible
46:13 Closing thoughts

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