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}"

what if club penguin but atproto?

I think if you're saying "atproto doesn't need a ____" then you're missing the point. Let people build the things they want to see in the ecosystem that they, themselves, will use. We don't need ten things shaped the exact same way, we need every type of shape.

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}"

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

the open ecosystem for atproto makes it super easy for one developer to build a compelling and feature rich application in their free time that cannot possibly be maintained by one developer in their free time

As far as i understand the #atproto ecosystem has 3 great problems: 1) the main huge relay is under control of #bluesky 2) The #PLC (identity register) is under control of the same company 3) also the protocol itself is developed and at the moment under control of bluesky.

On my 2030s bingo card: ATProto eventually becomes *the* desirable and premium app ecosystem because if you enshittify your app you die The apps that win will win because they’re literally the best or most specialized at what they do

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…