Skylight Is the Decentralized TikTok Alternative Creators Actually Want

TikTok bans are not just a theory anymore, they are an active threat against the freedom of speech and the livelihoods of so many Americans. But what if the next platform did not just copy the format, but reinvent it in a new decentralized way, giving the creators and consumers full autonomy and ownership over their content, feed, and future.

I sat down with Tori White, a creator turned founder who’s building Skylight, a decentralized short form video app powered by Bluesky and built on the AT Protocol. We talked about what it’s like to build a social platform from the ground up, why infinite scroll is deceptively hard, and how algorithms should work more like your favourite DJ’s. 

This wasn’t just a pitch for an app, but a blueprint for what social media could look like in a new age. 

This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.

Niko: I want to ask you about Skylight. What inspired you to create Skylight, especially with the TikTok ban looming over the U.S.?

Tori: I'm a creator myself, a TikTok influencer. I was doing that before starting Skylight. As the TikTok ban was looming back in January — the first time — I remember watching videos of creators talking about how they were basically going to lose their livelihoods. And I’m not talking about people with millions of followers, I mean stay-at-home moms, artists, people who do pottery. It felt like an injustice that they would lose everything just because a corporation gets banned.

And at the same time, my platform was all about building consumer apps and technology. Reed, my co-founder, and I were deeply exploring the AT Protocol. We realized this was the answer, that it would give users and creators real agency. So this would never happen again. They wouldn't get banned with a corporation. They could hold on to their social media presence. And yeah, it started with that, and we hit the ground running.

Niko: So that’s what drew you to Bluesky and the AT Protocol, the ability not to get banned or censored, in a way?

The AT Protocol, short for Authenticated Transfer Protocol, is a decentralized social networking technology developed by the team behind Bluesky. Unlike traditional platforms that store all user data and content on centralized servers, the AT Protocol lets users truly own their identity and content across apps — making it possible to take your profile, followers, and posts with you, even if you leave one platform for another.

Tori: Exactly. So that if they ever did disagree, maybe they’d used this app to build their platform or reach their audience, but (if) they started to disagree with the policies, they could just leave, move to a different app, and not have to start over. That’s the biggest thing. It’s tough as a creator to completely restart your platform on a different application. And I just feel like it’s something that deserves to exist, especially for short-form video, because it already does. The Bluesky team has done an amazing job making this a reality for microblogging.

Niko: You built Skylight in a remarkably short amount of time. From what I saw, it took just a few months, maybe even less. What were some of the challenges and breakthroughs you had during that rapid development phase?

Tori: It was actually shocking how difficult some of the most basic pieces of the app were to build, especially because they exist in so many of our applications today. Like, infinite video scroll — that was actually pretty hard to implement. The comment section, that modal that comes up and resizes the video, then resizes again when you bring it down. We still don’t even have the swipe-down-to-close gesture working yet. It made me realize how much I take the apps I use every day for granted.

Niko: How has the Bluesky community responded to Skylight — to you as both a creator and a developer?

Tori: Honestly, it's been amazing. I think my favorite thing to come out of this is the amount of community we've been able to build. People are super excited about Skylight, but also so willing to help. There's nothing like the AT Protocol developer community. Point blank period. I think of people like Eli at Streamplace, Boris who did the AT Protocol Conference, Devin and Pete at Graze Social. Just amazing human beings. It’s all come together.

Niko: The beauty of open source, huh?

Tori: Truly, truly.

Niko: You said a few days ago that you're working on an algorithm for delivery. How does that tie into the feeds that Bluesky already has in their own app?

Tori: So we actually already have a recommendation algorithm going — it does basic collaborative filtering. But what we’re doing is an overhaul of our backend, moving where it sits, the infrastructure. Having a more scalable backend lets us introduce features like "Not Interested," so users can manipulate their algorithm a little more while they scroll.

As for custom feeds, that’s something we’re talking with Graze Social about. We definitely want community-based custom feeds inside our app. Right now, I believe that’ll exist on our Explore page. Like on Bluesky, you’d be able to pin a feed, have it show up on your profile, and scan it whenever you want.

We’re also thinking, where else could you spend time besides your algorithmic feed? One idea is being able to browse your friend’s feed, like what’s your bestie looking at? 

Another thing we're looking at is how to have more control over your algorithmic feed in a way that doesn't feel like too much work, if that makes sense. It's kind of like the algorithmic feed can be very awesome because it's like this personalized DJ for you. This is kind of the analogy; you have this DJ, a DJ really knows what they're doing, right? They know how to start the party, but you also sometimes want to tell the DJ what your favorite things are, right? You want to be like, hey, you know, make sure to play lots of Jackson Five because that's my favorite artist or CharliXCX. You want the power of the DJ while being able to tell it some of the things that you like. And so we're looking into what would be a fun way of adding those levers.

Niko: I love that. That really paints a clear picture. I was literally talking to a friend about this. When we send each other TikToks, I'm really bad at responding. I get overwhelmed by the feed of DMs. So I thought, what if they could just pop into my feed?

Tori: Actually, we're doing that! When your friend sends you a video, it'll pop into your feed with a little message bubble. You can just reply as you scroll. You can also silence a group chat or the whole setting like, "Nope, I don't want this in my feed." You can mute specific people. But yes totally something we’re doing. We're exploring how to make that main feed better and give you more control in a way that doesn’t feel like work. It should feel like part of the experience.

Niko: That’s so cool. I’m glad I’m not the only one who thought of that.

Tori: So funny that you asked for it.

Niko: Are there any plans for features like TikTok has — stitching, duets, live streaming?

Tori: Absolutely. Familiarity with TikTok is going to be part of the app. So we don’t have stitching or duets yet, and we also don’t have sound reuse. But those are on the timeline. Stitching and duets are a bit farther out, but sound is coming soon.

Niko: What makes Skylight different? Beyond the AT Protocol and user control?

Tori: I think what’s interesting is Bluesky is very similar to Twitter, or X. It's familiar. But that’s what makes it awesome. You know how to use a microblogging service and then they add all these fun extras on top.

We’re doing something similar. The platform feels intuitive, but as you explore it deeper, you discover more. That was my experience with Bluesky. I was like, “Okay, it’s Twitter. I know how to use this,” and then I was like, “Wait, custom feeds? Starter packs?” That’s what we want in Skylight; familiarity with surprises along the way.

Niko: Moderation always comes up. What’s your approach given the decentralized nature of the AT Protocol?

Tori: For sure. We’re already using some of the levers Bluesky provides. We’re in conversations with Thorn — I think that’s who Bluesky uses. Or maybe it’s Hive. Actually — yeah, Thorn and Hive. We’re talking to them. We already get some moderation services through Bluesky, but we’ll be building out our own too. It’ll be a similar trajectory, similar experience.

Niko: What’s personally motivating you to build this — aside from helping creators?

Tori: It’s about giving creators the ability to own their work, but also frustration with other platforms. Facebook, Instagram, they make unilateral decisions for billions of people. There should be more democracy, more choice in social media.

Niko: Skylight feels familiar to TikTok. Was that intentional in the UI and UX?

Tori: Yes — very intentional. We wanted it to feel like something you already know and love, but with our own flair.

Niko: Any thoughts about the future of Skylight in the social media world?

Tori: I’d love to see Skylight become a place of discovery — where users find new people to follow, people they might not have known about otherwise. Give creators with smaller followings a chance to be seen.

And maybe that journey starts on Skylight and continues on Bluesky. Maybe someone finds a creator on Skylight and then follows them on Bluesky or supports their Patreon. That journey from discovery to community — that’s what I want to help facilitate.

Niko: Any shoutouts before we wrap?

Tori: So many amazing people are building awesome things on the protocol — Graze Social, Streamplace, Rudy from BlackSky, Matt who’s building SkyChat. There’s an entire team working on encrypted messaging. It makes me think there’s a really bright future ahead.

Niko: I joined Bluesky when it was still in closed beta — when you had to get invites. Seeing it grow into a platform where anyone can be seen in a democratic way, it’s really cool. Thank you for building what you're building.

Tori: Thanks. I’m just happy to be here, happy to build on it. I feel like I’m surrounded by insanely smart people doing cool things. Extra shoutout to the Bluesky team. Skylight wouldn’t exist without them and their commitment to keeping it open. Huge respect.

Skylight is still in its early stages, but it’s already tapping into something bigger, a growing desire for platforms that work differently, giving agency and autonomy to their users. It’s early, it’s ambitious, and it’s being built by the very people it’s meant to serve. If you’ve ever felt like the feed was not built for you maybe it's time to look somewhere new and Skylight might just be the place.

You can download Skylight here!