In March, Bluesky’s former CEO, Jay Graber, stepped down to take on the role of chief innovation officer. He was promptly succeeded by Toni Schneider, the founding CEO of Automattic, the firm behind WordPress and Tumblr.

After serving as interim CEO for the last four months, Schneider is officially removing the “interim” title and becoming the permanent chief executive.

“I’ve been in my interim CEO position at Bluesky for four months, and it’s time for an update,” Schneider stated on his personal blog. “Most importantly, as of today, the interim designation has been eliminated. I am fully committed to Bluesky’s mission and responsibilities as its official CEO.”

In his post, Schneider mentioned that one of his initial goals is to “establish smaller spaces and more private communities,” which he believes will “catalyze the next phase of growth and innovation.”

Both Automattic and True Ventures, the venture capital firm where Schneider is a partner, are notable investors in Bluesky.

Originally a spin-off from Twitter, Bluesky has become a refuge for individuals seeking to escape the alterations Elon Musk implemented following his acquisition of the platform in 2022 (the platform was later renamed X and is currently a subsidiary of Musk’s combined rocket and AI venture, SpaceXAI).

Under Graber, the platform expanded to 43 million users, while the AT Protocol, the foundational technology facilitating Bluesky and other applications to share the same social network, underwent considerable enhancements.

Recently, however, the platform has faced challenges in maintaining or increasing its user base. Some have raised concerns about its viability — noting marked declines in both user engagement and the community as a whole. Bluesky experienced a significant surge in user numbers following Donald Trump’s re-election (when Elon Musk was heavily involved in politics), but the site seems to have experienced a downturn since that time.

In summary: Schneider has some significant challenges ahead. He appears ready to take them on, though. “We are just at the start of this narrative,” he remarked on Friday.