Bluesky CEO: imagine a world without Caesars

In a world of billionare-owned social media, Bluesky CEO Jay Graber wants to send a clear message. Decentralized open-source platforms, like the one she runs, prioritize user control over corporate interests. And what better way to say that than with a T-shirt that calls out Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg?Speaking at SXSW 2025, Graber wore a shirt that read Mundus sine Caesaribus (“A world without Caesars” in Latin). It used the same design as the one Zuckerberg wore at Meta Connect 2024, a now infamous shirt that read Aut Zuck aut nihil (“Zuck or nothing”). “If a billionaire tried to ruin things,” Graber said of Bluesky, “users could just leave — without losing their identity or data.” Bluesky’s open protocol gives users the ability to “fork off” the network if needed, Graber added.Bluesky, originally spun out of Twitter, has grown to over 32 million users. Its AT Protocol allows users to own their identities and their experience on the platform without Bluesky’s permission. “The key to what we’re doing is shifting power back to users and developers,” Graber said. Bluesky isn’t just another social media app, she emphasized — it’s a whole structural alternative to bigger platforms. Graber drew a bright line between Bluesky and billionaire-owned social media in another key area: content moderation. Bluesky’s opt-in approach lets users install third-party moderation services, filtering content to fit their preferences. “Moderation is governance,” Graber said. “It’s about choosing how you want your digital space to be governed.” The Bluesky ecosystem includes apps…Bluesky CEO: imagine a world without Caesars