Bluesky Bets on Payments, Not Ads, to Pay Its Bills
Bluesky has spent years building a decentralized social network that users actually control. Now it has to figure out how to make money from it without torching the thing that made people show up in the first place. At TechCrunch Disrupt, CEO Toni Schneider and COO Rose Wang laid out the plan: payments first, advertising optional. The pitch is less about selling ads and more about making money move between the people already buying, selling, and fundraising on the network.
Payments First, Ads Maybe Never
Bluesky plans to introduce payments in the coming months, according to CEO Toni Schneider and COO Rose Wang, who outlined the strategy onstage at TechCrunch Disrupt. The goal: let users financially support things they see and like on the network. Schneider said people are already selling things and fundraising successfully on Bluesky, and the company wants to make that easier. Wang pushed back hard on the idea that advertising is the inevitable endpoint for social networks, arguing that alternatives are feasible. The company's structure as a Public Benefit Corporation, she said, keeps its mission at the center of business decisions. Whether that holds up under revenue pressure is the real test.
Why Decentralization Changes the Monetization Math
Wang framed Bluesky's infrastructure as a constraint that doubles as a principle: because the network is decentralized, the company cannot lock users in. That means monetization has to work for Bluesky and for other apps built on the same protocol. She pointed to Schneider's background at Automattic, describing a business where a portion of revenue flowed back to the parent company and the rest went to the ecosystem. Wang compared the current social media landscape to a feudal system where a few landlords dictate terms and users pay dues. Bluesky's bet is that value should flow to the people creating it, not just the platform hosting it.
Leadership Change, User Trust, and the Road Ahead
Schneider took over as CEO in March after longtime CEO Jay Graber stepped down. He said onstage that he was surprised by the reaction to his appointment, with some users joking it marked the beginning of the end for the platform. Those jokes reflect a real anxiety: that new leadership brings unwanted changes. Schneider acknowledged that users can leave for another platform if they dislike what Bluesky introduces, and he said that reality keeps leadership accountable. That is a candid admission of the pressure Bluesky faces as it prepares to introduce monetization. The next few months will show whether payments feel like a natural extension of the network or the first step toward the thing users feared.
Key Takeaways
- Bluesky will introduce payments in the coming months as its first monetization step.
- CEO Toni Schneider and COO Rose Wang say advertising is not the only viable business model for social networks.
- Bluesky's decentralized infrastructure prevents locking users in, shaping how it can make money.
- Schneider replaced Jay Graber as CEO in March, and user reaction reflected fears about platform changes.
- Wang says value should flow to people creating it on the network, not just the platform.
Source: TechCrunch • 🇺🇸 San Francisco
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