Mark Cuban, the billionaire entrepreneur and investor, has expressed interest in funding a TikTok alternative built on Bluesky's AT Protocol, a decentralized social media technology. In a TikTok video posted on Wednesday, Cuban announced that he would be open to investing in a project that rivals TikTok but is built on the AT Protocol, which allows users to create their own social networking servers and apps.

The move comes as the US is set to ban TikTok on Sunday, unless the Supreme Court intervenes. The impending ban has led to a surge in users fleeing to other video platforms, including the Chinese app RedNote. However, Cuban and other investors see an opportunity to create a more open social web, powered by the AT Protocol, which is designed to address the shortcomings of existing decentralized protocols like ActivityPub.

The AT Protocol is a newer, open protocol designed for decentralized social media applications. It allows users to create their own social networking servers and apps, and is meant to provide a more extensible and portable social media experience. Bluesky, which is built on the AT Protocol, has seen a significant surge in new signups, growing its user base to over 27.6 million users, up from 10 million in September.

Cuban's interest in the AT Protocol is not only about expanding the open social web but also about fueling competition with Elon Musk's X. Cuban has been critical of X's approach to content moderation, misinformation, and more, and sees the AT Protocol as a way to create a more decentralized and user-friendly social media experience.

In his TikTok video, Cuban encouraged interested developers to respond in the comments with their ideas for a TikTok alternative built on the AT Protocol. He emphasized the importance of creating a minimum viable product (MVP) to demonstrate the feasibility of the project. Cuban's investment would provide a significant boost to any project that meets his criteria, and could potentially lead to the creation of a more open and decentralized social media ecosystem.

The AT Protocol's focus on account portability and extensibility is a key aspect of its appeal. By building on the AT Protocol, users would be able to move their accounts to another server without losing their followers, content, and other data. This would provide a level of freedom and flexibility that is not currently available on most social media platforms.

As the social media landscape continues to evolve, the development of decentralized social media technologies like the AT Protocol could have significant implications for the future of online communication. With Cuban's backing, a TikTok alternative built on the AT Protocol could potentially become a major player in the social media space, and could help to drive the adoption of more open and decentralized social media technologies.

Overall, Cuban's interest in funding a TikTok alternative built on the AT Protocol is a significant development in the world of social media and decentralized technology. As the project moves forward, it will be worth watching to see how it evolves and what impact it could have on the social media landscape.