Bluesky Names Toni Schneider CEO to Expand AT Protocol Ecosystem

Bluesky grew out of a Twitter-funded initiative launched in 2019 to create an open, decentralized standard for social media. Its AT Protocol is designed to let users retain identities and relationships while enabling independent developers to build interoperable services. The company raised $100 million in a Series B round led by Bain Capital Crypto in April 2025 and has since topped 43 million users, making the balance between a broad protocol ecosystem and a polished mainstream app central to its next phase.

Bluesky named Toni Schneider permanent chief executive on July 10, 2026, after four months as interim CEO. Jay Graber, who led the company from its early development, moved to chief innovation officer and remains board chair. During Schneider’s interim stint, more than 2 million people joined the network and nearly 200 new apps launched in Atmosphere, the AT Protocol-based ecosystem. Bluesky also rolled out group chats, a permissioned data specification and an AI product, while Schneider said growth would depend on serving a “big tent” of users and communities rather than a narrow social bubble.