Forget tech roasting Mark Zuckerberg is big business; Bluesky strikes gold selling Zuck-mocking T-shirts that outsold two years of domain sales in a day

Social media network Bluesky's CEO Jay Graber had no idea that the black T-shirt she wore during this year's South by Southwest (SXSW), known for its conferences and festivals, would become the company's next cash cow, as per a report.

Subtle Jab at Mark Zuckerberg

The T-shirt worn by her mocked Mark Zuckerberg as she tweaked the T-shirt worn by the Meta CEO recently, reported Fortune.

Graber's "Mundus sine caesaribus" written shirt (Latin for "a world without Caesars") was a jab at Zuckerberg, who earlier had worn a black T-shirt inscribed with "Aut Zuck aut nihil," a self-promotional reworking on the Latin phrase, "Aut Caesar aut nihil" (meaning "Either Caesar or nothing"), according to Fortune.

Turning a Fun Idea Into Revenue

Although Graber's message was low-key, it resonated with people, and Bluesky soon started selling the shirts at $40 a piece, reported Business Insider.

The company’s chief operating officer, Rose Wang claimed that within one day, the sales generated more revenue than Bluesky had generated in the last two years from selling custom domains, according to the report.

Wang, jokingly wrote in a post on the social network, “That’s it. Pivoting to a t-shirt company…” quoted Business Insider.

Fresh Batch Now Available

The initial batch of the T-shirts was sold out, and now, there is a fresh batch available, but only until March 25 at 12:00 p.m. PT, reported Business Insider. The sales page claimed "world without Caesars" shirts sale will end on March 25 at 12:00 p.m. PT, as per the report.

How Will the Funds Be Used?

According to Business Insider, the proceeds from the sale of the T-shirts will be used to fund the AT Protocol developer ecosystem, the open network that Bluesky is built upon.

FAQs

What does Graber’s T-shirt say?
The T-shirt says “Mundus sine caesaribus,” meaning “a world without Caesars.”

Is there still time to buy the T-shirt?
Yes, a fresh batch is available until March 25, the sale will end at 12:00 p.m. PT.