while the permissionlessness vector of atproto will certainly enable new things we can't imagine the pattern of "____ but on atproto" is key for taking our daily lives back. a framing i prefer is "i can now do {boringDailyLifeThing} without {shittyExtractiveApp}"

the point of atproto is to make locked-open apps. apps which are constrained such that they cannot be e.g. bought by billionaires and ruined. yes, doing non-atproto things "enables app developers to do more". yes, non-atproto is "more intuitive" and "it sucks" when you hit atproto's limits.

Every lexicon, every "app" on ATProto is a "yes and" waiting for your contribution to the vision. We're all first party developers.

ATProto, by design, refuses to be the place where things happen. Decisions live in apps. Value derives from execution, and execution will demand focus. This is application primacy — and it's why I don't expect an ATmospheric "everything app": numergent.com/2026-05/ATProto-Application-P…

what is our “moat” on atproto even? what keeps people using a specific atproto app vs a fully compatible other app?

ActivityPub always felt like “I’m creating my own MySpace and you can make yours too if you want”, while AtProto feels more like a revised way to think about how this sort of service should work.

That should be the guiding principle for all atproto "alternatives"

some thoughts on atproto as a post-app paradigm

ATProto + Permissioned Spaces + Omnivore will be *golden*. There's so much that could be done there that's so much more than *just* Omnivore on atproto too!

There are many things being built on atproto. Many of them won’t get adopted or thrive. And yes, many are built without user research. It’s OK? Don’t use things you don’t want to. Promote things you like. And build something yourself if you feel like it. Do it the way YOU want it to be.

p̶e̶r̶m̶i̶s̶s̶i̶o̶n̶e̶d̶ ̶d̶a̶t̶a̶ atproto spaces