Bluesky CEO Jay Graber wore a T-shirt reading “Mundus Sine Caesaribus” – Latin for “a world without Caesars” – at SXSW earlier this week.
The phrase emblazoned on the sleeveless black top was an apparent dig at Mark Zuckerberg, the billionaire founder of Meta. Graber did not mention Zuckerberg or his company during her appearance onstage, but her apparel choice spoke volumes.
Graber’s shirt looked a lot like a shirt Zuckerberg recently wore during an event. It read “Aut Zuck aut nihil,” which is a play on the Latin phrase “Aut Caesar aut nihil” – “Either Caesar or nothing.”
This was widely interpreted as Zuckerberg comparing himself to Roman general and statesman Julius Caesar, whose actions led to the end of the Roman Republic and the rise of the Roman Empire two millennia ago.
undefined Emily Liu (@emilyliu.me) March 10, 2025 at 6:09 PM
Zuckerberg has a long-standing interest in Roman history. He and his wife Priscilla Chan even named one of their daughters “August” after Augustus, the founder of the Roman Empire, whom the social media mogul called one of the "most fascinating" figures in history.
Graber’s call to reject the idea of “Caesars” – or emperors – has resonated with audiences. The same shirt that she wore at SXSW was later put on sale by Bluesky and sold out in half an hour.
“Welp, sold out in 30 min,” Graber posted on Bluesky, later adding, “Launched while I was on a plane and sold out before I landed.”
Welp, sold out in 30min
undefined Jay 🦋 (@jay.bsky.team) March 13, 2025 at 7:42 PM
[image or embed]
The T-shirt comes in an oversized fit, available in sizes S to XL, and was priced at $40. Many users demanded a restock, but it is unclear whether Bluesky will relaunch the design, with the shop noting it was a final sale. Cybernews has reached out to Bluesky for clarification.
All proceeds from the sale will go to support the developer ecosystem that Bluesky is built upon, according to the website.
Bluesky has seen rapid growth in recent months as users seek alternatives to billionaire-owned social media platforms, including Elon Musk’s X and, to a lesser extent, Meta’s networks such as Facebook, Instagram, and Threads.
Unlike X or Threads, Bluesky is a decentralized platform, meaning user identity and data are not tied to a single company and can be transferred to another compatible platform.
“If a billionaire came in and bought Bluesky, or took it over, or if I decided tomorrow to change things in a way that people really didn’t like, then they could fork off and go on to another application,” Graber said during a keynote discussion at SXSW.
She said: “There’s already applications in the network that give you another way to view the network, or you could build a new one as well. And so that openness guarantees that there’s always the ability to move to a new alternative.”
Bluesky currently has more than 33 million users, still a far cry from its rivals, with Meta boasting 3.35 billion daily active users across its platforms.
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are markedmarked