Bluesky said on March 9 that its CEO, Jay Graber, will step down from the company’s top leadership role and move into a newly created position as Chief Innovation Officer.

In a blog post announcing the leadership change, Graber said that as Bluesky has matured, it now requires “a seasoned operator focused on scaling and execution.” She said she intends to focus more closely on developing the platform’s technology and exploring new ideas for the network.

Bluesky has experienced rapid growth in recent years, particularly following the 2022 acquisition of Twitter, now renamed as X, by Elon Musk, which prompted some users to seek alternatives. The platform has positioned itself as a decentralised social network and a competitor to services including Threads.

Graber, who has been the CEO of Bluesky since 2021, will be replaced on an interim basis by Toni Schneider. Schneider, the former CEO of Automattic and a partner at True Ventures, will lead the company while its board searches for a permanent chief executive. Both Automattic and True Ventures are investors in Bluesky.

Bluesky currently has over 43 million users, as per the company.