Bluesky CEO Criticizes Meta's Leadership with Viral T-Shirt

Jay Graber's SXSW keynote and fashion statement highlight Bluesky's decentralized ethos in contrast to Meta's centralized control.

Jay Graber, CEO of Bluesky, wore a T-shirt at SXSW with the Latin phrase 'Mundus sine Caesaribus' ('A world without Caesars'), widely interpreted as a critique of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
The shirt mirrors a design Zuckerberg wore previously, which read 'Aut Zuck aut nihil' ('Zuck or nothing'), referencing his comparisons to Roman emperor Julius Caesar.
Bluesky released replicas of the shirt for $40, selling out in under 30 minutes, with proceeds supporting the platform's open-source developer ecosystem.
Graber emphasized Bluesky's decentralized structure, allowing users to retain control of their data and switch platforms easily if dissatisfied with leadership or changes.
Bluesky, founded in 2019 and launched in 2023, now has over 32 million users, positioning itself as an alternative to centralized platforms like Meta and X (formerly Twitter).