Decentralized social platform Bluesky added more than 1 million users in 3 days after X platform was banned in Brazil

Decentralized social platform Bluesky has seen explosive growth in Brazil, adding 1 million new users in 3 days. The surge stems from a Brazilian court order to suspend X (formerly Twitter) services in the country. Bluesky backend engineers reported that server loads were 20 times higher than usual, and registered users are now close to 7.8 million. Brazilian users who try to circumvent the ban through VPNs will face a daily fine of 50,000 reais (about $8,910). According to Fidelity's latest valuation, X's enterprise value has plummeted 72% since being acquired by Musk. Fidelity lowered its valuation of Musk's social media platform to $15 per share, far lower than the $54.20 per share it acquired in 2022. As X has suffered setbacks in Brazil, Bluesky is quickly adapting to its new user base, starting to publish Portuguese content and provide localized tutorials. Brazilian President Lula has directed his followers to alternative platforms including Bluesky and Meta's Threads. (Decrypt)