Bluesky wants to make it easier to buy, sell, and fundraise on the network

Bluesky will enable direct monetary transactions for content and creators, bypassing traditional ad-based revenue for social platforms.

Bluesky plans to implement payment features in the coming months as a primary strategy to monetize its decentralized social network without relying on advertising. CEO Toni Schneider and COO Rose Wang revealed these plans at TechCrunch Disrupt, emphasizing the existing commerce and fundraising activities on the platform. Schneider stated the goal is to facilitate monetary support for content and creators directly on the network, ensuring these features benefit Bluesky and other applications across its ecosystem. Wang highlighted that this approach aligns with Bluesky's status as a Public Benefit Corporation, prioritizing user value over traditional advertising models. The company aims to disrupt the infrastructure layer by enabling direct value and revenue flow to content creators, moving away from a model where a few entities control the ecosystem.

Bluesky's move to integrate payments signals a broader industry trend away from advertising as the sole monetization strategy for social platforms. By enabling direct creator support, the company is tapping into the potential of decentralized networks to empower users and foster a more equitable distribution of value. This approach could set a new precedent for how social networks operate, potentially influencing competitors to explore similar revenue streams that prioritize creator economies.

The company's focus on building out commerce and fundraising tools reflects a growing demand for user-centric monetization models. As a Public Benefit Corporation, Bluesky's commitment to allowing value to flow directly to creators, rather than solely to platform owners, suggests a potential shift in the power dynamics of online content creation and revenue generation.