Mark Cuban Backs Skylight, an alternative to Tiktok built on Bluesky’s main technology
LightA startup, which takes Tiktok with a more open alternative, launches its mobile public application on Tuesday after just 10 weeks of active development. The app that is supported by Mark Kuban and others is now one of many to build on top of AT protocol – the same technology that underlies the social network Blissful and a Increasing number of other applicationsS
Developed by co -founders Tori White (CEO) and Reed Herr (CTO), Skylight offers short -form video apps with many known features, including a video editor in the app; the ability to comment, like and share videos; Set your own profile your own; And follow others.
Because it is also built on In the protocol (or “ATPROTO” briefly), users will immediately be arranged in the blusque network by Over 33.8 million usersS This means that videos posted on Skylight can be seen and engaged with Bluesky users and other ATPROTO -based applications, like more Photo-centric application flashesFor example.
The company is funded by a pre-seed from Kuban who said earlier this year that He wanted to fund an alternative to Tiktok built on the AT protocolS Leslie Feinzag Graham & Walker Risk Fund Also invested.
White, who was previously influencing the trip and now is a self -taught software developer living in Seattle, says she and co -founder Hermayer were inspired to create Skylight when they first heard that Tiktok was banned in the US
In preparing for the ban that is At the moment of pauseWhite had supported his Tiktok videos. But she is still worried about losing access to her community and comments. He and Heryer were already playing with Atproto and saw the potential.
“The first thing that interested us from ATPROTO was that Bluezki didn’t fail,” Hermayer told TechCrunch in The Seattle Atmosphere Conference in MarchS “We didn’t see a” unsuccessful whale, “he said, a reference to The graphic that appeared in the early days of Twitter When the application constantly collapsed. “It made us feel comfortable with the basic technology.”
Hermeyer and White soon realized that this was an ideal moment to build a new social application of the protocol, which can be “protected from a ban.”
As he rises to his influential background, White began to document the development of Tiktok’s Skylight, which helped to expose the product and to build potentially interested users.
“We started spreading,” White explained. “I actually made a video before we ever write a row of code about it … (so) anyone can follow our trip as we build,” she told TechCrunch at the conference. “We were like, oh God, we build this thing we consider so cool but still no one is interested. So we have to build a way to tell people about it so they would Care because we know people need it, “she said.
Today, White @buildwithtori tiktok profile There are nearly 50,000 followers, many of whom have become early testers.
Like Bluesky, Skylight supports video uploads up to three minutes long, Recent increase Of the one-minute videos maintained earlier. But White sees the light to become more than just a decentralized Tiktok branch.
She suggests that Skylight in the future will allow users to customize their feed, including using new gestures beyond sliding and scrolling.
Other features in the works include support for sounds, duets, stitches, bookmarks and playlists.
The app is at the Beta on the Google Play Store and is now available publicly on Apple’s App Store after initial testing.
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