Bluesky is preparing to launch payments in the coming months, marking the first concrete step in its strategy to generate revenue without relying on advertising. CEO Toni Schneider and COO Rose Wang unveiled the plan Thursday at TechCrunch Disrupt, describing how the company intends to build on the commerce and fundraising activity already flourishing on its decentralized social network.
Building on Organic Commerce
"People are actually selling things, fundraising very successfully, supporting each other on the network," Schneider said. "We want to make that easier, and the way we're going to do this is if you see something on the network that you like and support, you can support that monetarily, and we want to do it in a way that works for Bluesky and for all the other apps out there as well, so that it works across the entire network."
The approach reflects Bluesky's underlying architecture: because the platform runs on the open AT Protocol, any payment system it introduces must function not only within Bluesky's own app but across the broader ecosystem of third-party clients and services built on the same network.
A Leadership Transition and User Anxiety
Schneider, the former CEO of Automattic, took the reins of the company in March 2026 after longtime CEO Jay Graber stepped down. Speaking on stage, he acknowledged that his appointment initially surprised users, some of whom joked that it signaled the beginning of the end for the platform. Those comments, he said, reflected broader anxieties that a leadership change would bring unwanted alterations to Bluesky.
Schneider said he understands that users can leave for another platform if the company introduces features or changes they dislikeβa reality he said keeps the leadership team accountable as it prepares to roll out monetization in the coming months.
Why Not Advertising?
The executives argued that advertising isn't the only viable business model for a social network. Their skepticism echoes a wider industry conversation in 2026, as platforms increasingly explore subscriptions, direct payments, and creator-funding tools amid growing user fatigue with ad-driven feeds.
"I think there's a story around monetization that feels like advertising is the inevitable thing we have to do that will ruin the network," Wang said. "What was really promising about having Toni join us is he built at WordPress Automattic a $10 billion business where a billion of it goes back to the parent company and the rest of it goes to the ecosystem."
That ecosystem-first framing is central to how Bluesky hopes to differentiate itself. Rather than extracting value solely for itself, the company wants a payment layer in which revenue is shared across the network's various apps and developers.
A Public Benefit Corporation by Design
Wang also pointed to Bluesky's status as a Public Benefit Corporation (PBC), which she said puts the company's mission at the center of its business strategy. The structure, increasingly favored by mission-driven tech startups in 2026, allows Bluesky to prioritize user interests and network health even as it pursues profitability.
What Comes Next
Bluesky has not yet detailed exactly how its payments feature will work, what fees it might charge, or which partners will support it at launch. But the company's framing makes clear that monetization is intended to be opt-in and community-aligned rather than ad-basedβa pitch that will be tested by users who have repeatedly shown they are willing to migrate when a platform's incentives shift.
via TechCrunch