Creating an ATmosphere of Possibility, with Bluesky’s Paul Frazee

From the outside, Bluesky may seem like a Twitter clone. But anyone who's close to the technology - and the team - knows that they're building something much deeper: they're rethinking the internet's architecture to create a more flexible, user-centric web.

Bluesky's CTO Paul Frazee is the perfect person to explain all this, as he's fantastic at tying technical concepts to their practical application and wider impact. In this interview with Mike McCue, recorded live at the Fediverse House at SXSW 2025, Frazee unpacks Bluesky's first principles, what makes AT Protocol different from ActivityPub, why identity portability is a radical shift, and how decentralization could lead to more humane social spaces.

Other highlights include:

• The challenges of bridging between federated networks
• What it means to build for composability
• How stackable moderation works
• Why this is a greenfield moment for developers
• Bridging cultural echo chambers

We invite you to watch the podcast on Flipboard's PeerTube instance at flipboard.video:

Please follow us on PeerTube if you aren't already. When you do, the videos become available via any other platform connected by ActivityPub. (It's basically like having your YouTube, X and Instagram feeds and comments in one central, interoperable home feed. This is the beauty and the power of decentralized social media!)

You can also find Dot Social on Flipboard, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and anywhere else you might listen to podcasts.

We will continue to bring you new episodes with fascinating leaders as we record them. The best way to never miss an episode is to subscribe to the show. Please also rate, review, comment and share, especially if you like what you hear.

See you in the fediverse!