Mark Cuban is willing to fund an alternative to TikTok based on Bluesky's AT Protocol.
Businessman and investor Mark Cuban has expressed his willingness to fund an alternative to TikTok based on the AT Protocol from Bluesky, according to a video he shared on TikTok.
Mark Cuban, the renowned entrepreneur and investor, has expressed interest in funding an alternative to TikTok, developed on Bluesky's AT Protocol, according to a recently published video on TikTok. This announcement comes against the backdrop of a potential TikTok ban in the U.S., which could be enacted on Sunday unless the Supreme Court intervenes. Due to this uncertainty, many users are migrating to other video platforms, including the Chinese app RedNote.
Investors like Cuban see an opportunity in creating a more open ecosystem on the social web, where different applications can share the same technology currently supporting Bluesky's social network. The AT Protocol is an open protocol specifically designed for decentralized social media applications. This new protocol aims to address certain limitations that some developers have identified in the existing decentralized protocol known as ActivityPub, which is used by platforms like Mastodon. Although Bluesky is currently the flagship application of the AT Protocol, other services are being developed using this technology.
The growing demand for open social applications is notable, with Bluesky experiencing a significant increase in users, reaching over 27.6 million following the presidential elections in the U.S., a considerable rise from the 10 million users it had in September.
On Wednesday, a new Bluesky client called Flashes was reported, which will focus on images rather than text. Cuban has expressed his desire to support those looking to create a TikTok competitor based on the AT Protocol. In his video, he briefly explains that the ATProto allows people to create their own servers and social media applications. He also invites interested developers to share their ideas in the comments and emphasizes the importance of building a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) to demonstrate functionality. Cuban points out that by building on the AT Protocol, it ensures that no one can acquire or shut down the platform, allowing users to move their accounts to another server without losing followers, content, or data.
Cuban's interest in the AT Protocol not only responds to the need to expand the open social web but also seeks to foster competition with X, Elon Musk's platform. Cuban has publicly disagreed with Musk over content management on X and other issues.
