Remember when Elon Musk announced that he would acquire X (formerly known as Twitter), leading to an influx of alternative platforms like Threads and Bluesky? Now, it looks like TikTok is undergoing something similar. Following the closing of the TikTok US deal, users are seeking alternatives. One of those TikTok alternatives comes in the form of Skylight, which saw its userbase soars following the deal.
Skylight soars in users after TikTok US deal
According to a post on X by Skylight CTO Reed Harmeyer, the platform saw a 150% increase in sign ups, 50% on returning users, 40% on videos played on average, a median of 60% on videos played, and a 100% increase in posts created. Harmeyer also cheekily mentioned “record low issues” getting into the app. Presumably this was a bit of shade thrown at TikTok which experienced an outage last Sunday.
For those unfamiliar, Skylight is a new social media platform designed to be an alternative to TikTok. It was launched last year and has the backing of prominent investors like Mark Cuban. What makes Skylight different from TikTok and other platforms like Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts is that it is built on the AT Protocol. This is the same tech that powers the decentralized Bluesky platform, X’s alternative.
According to Skylight’s FAQ, “We believe in giving users true ownership of their content and social connections. By building on AT Protocol, we ensure that your videos, followers, and engagement aren’t locked into our platform. You’re free to take everything with you if you ever choose to use another AT Protocol-based service.”
Why users might be leaving TikTok
TikTok is still a behemoth in the social media space. Its algorithm is pretty much unmatched, which is why the US wanted it. However, there are concerns about the platform following the deal.
In case you’re unfamiliar with the TikTok US deal, in order for TikTok to keep operating in the US, it had to sell its stateside operations to an American-owned company. Trump made it his mission in 2025 to push for a deal, which finally closed earlier this month. Under the terms of this deal, the algorithm would be licensed to its new American entity, where it would be retrained using US user data.
As we said before, we are curious how this could impact overall viewership, and if creators could be negatively impacted as a result of these changes. Also, the outage on Sunday led some to speculate that censorship could be in play. It was also around the same time the protests in Minneapolis took place.
We’re not sure if Skylight will experience the same growth and popularity as Bluesky. But if you are looking for an alternative platform to TikTok, it could be worth a try.
The post Skylight Soars as TikTok Users Look for Alternatives After US Deal appeared first on Android Headlines.
