Super disappointed that this was left undisclosed: https://bsky.social/about/blog/03-19-2026-series-b
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Super disappointed that this was left undisclosed: https://bsky.social/about/blog/03-19-2026-series-b
I don’t see how you can build a VC-supported free product without slipping into the Torment Nexus which is to say AdTech.
I do believe the Bluesky people really do want to try to do this. But I still don’t see how.
They can't. In 2026 it's not even a good fantasy.
The way these corps treat data, im gonna delete my acct now/soon, though it provebly won't ever be deleted in fact. And its an empty gesture anyway.
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Super disappointed that this was left undisclosed: https://bsky.social/about/blog/03-19-2026-series-b
I don’t see how you can build a VC-supported free product without slipping into the Torment Nexus which is to say AdTech.
I do believe the Bluesky people really do want to try to do this. But I still don’t see how.
@timbray I don’t see how any of the things you imply might happen follow as a result of the announcement. This is a disappointing way to phrase what is at best a legitimate concern about transparency: it’s an attempt to discipline the Bluesky team by gesturing at various crypto and adtech bogeymen, and it’s frankly intellectually dishonest. If you don’t trust them, just say so.
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Super disappointed that this was left undisclosed: https://bsky.social/about/blog/03-19-2026-series-b
I don’t see how you can build a VC-supported free product without slipping into the Torment Nexus which is to say AdTech.
I do believe the Bluesky people really do want to try to do this. But I still don’t see how.
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Super disappointed that this was left undisclosed: https://bsky.social/about/blog/03-19-2026-series-b
I don’t see how you can build a VC-supported free product without slipping into the Torment Nexus which is to say AdTech.
I do believe the Bluesky people really do want to try to do this. But I still don’t see how.
"I don’t see how you can build a VC-supported free product without slipping into the Torment Nexus which is to say AdTech."
indeed... VCs seeing "free" product and lots of end users will push for adtech like cats pushing for dinner...
i also don't see how they can do what they claim ("engagement" tracking) without staying centralized, which defeats the whole goal of a federated platform.
sure sounds like calorie free beer with alcohol and caffeine. something winds up getting shorted or skipped in that list.
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Super disappointed that this was left undisclosed: https://bsky.social/about/blog/03-19-2026-series-b
I don’t see how you can build a VC-supported free product without slipping into the Torment Nexus which is to say AdTech.
I do believe the Bluesky people really do want to try to do this. But I still don’t see how.
@timbray If these enshittification cycles get shorter, maybe people finally start seeing these connections and change their behavior. One can hope.
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They can't. In 2026 it's not even a good fantasy.
The way these corps treat data, im gonna delete my acct now/soon, though it provebly won't ever be deleted in fact. And its an empty gesture anyway.
@tomjennings You're in California, right? Request deletion, ask in ~9 months ("right to know" in CCPA) what they still have about you (they only have to answer about the last 12 months, and they have up to 90 days to respond). If anything is left, ask again after the 12 months are over.
Keep the confirmation that they don't have anything about you, just in case they happen to lose data, and you show up in there somewhere.
Every now and then I blanket companies I used to interact with with requests on "what do you have about me?" under GDPR (and previous privacy regulations) in Germany, it's fun (and increases their cost of managing data, even if miniscule)
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@timbray I am shocked, shocked to learn that the not-actually-federated, locked-in social network started by a bunch of cryptocurrency people is all in on cryptocurrency, VC and ads.
I cannot comprehend why you keep giving them the benefit of the doubt. They have told you who they are, repeatedly.
@jwz Yeah, I met a few of them and talked to them and their hearts did seem in the right place. But VCs don't care where your heart is.
FWIW I don't think you're correct that they're crypto heads. Jay had been deep in the Eth mines and seemed to see this as an escape from that world.
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@timbray I don’t see how any of the things you imply might happen follow as a result of the announcement. This is a disappointing way to phrase what is at best a legitimate concern about transparency: it’s an attempt to discipline the Bluesky team by gesturing at various crypto and adtech bogeymen, and it’s frankly intellectually dishonest. If you don’t trust them, just say so.
@urschrei Note that I didn't mention crypto and don't think that any serious money people are still pointing in that direction, whatever the name of their VC fund. I stand by my worries about AdTech. How else do you 100x the valuation of a free product?
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Super disappointed that this was left undisclosed: https://bsky.social/about/blog/03-19-2026-series-b
I don’t see how you can build a VC-supported free product without slipping into the Torment Nexus which is to say AdTech.
I do believe the Bluesky people really do want to try to do this. But I still don’t see how.
@timbray well this sure gives new context to the CEO switch.
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Super disappointed that this was left undisclosed: https://bsky.social/about/blog/03-19-2026-series-b
I don’t see how you can build a VC-supported free product without slipping into the Torment Nexus which is to say AdTech.
I do believe the Bluesky people really do want to try to do this. But I still don’t see how.
@timbray Their series A was also from cryptocurrency VCs. I actually tend to worry more about the crypto bros than the torment nexus bros.
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@jwz Yeah, I met a few of them and talked to them and their hearts did seem in the right place. But VCs don't care where your heart is.
FWIW I don't think you're correct that they're crypto heads. Jay had been deep in the Eth mines and seemed to see this as an escape from that world.
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@timbray I am shocked, shocked to learn that the not-actually-federated, locked-in social network started by a bunch of cryptocurrency people is all in on cryptocurrency, VC and ads.
I cannot comprehend why you keep giving them the benefit of the doubt. They have told you who they are, repeatedly.
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R relay@relay.an.exchange shared this topic
(answer is not enough, because VCs always want more)
