Twitter users noticed their "For You" feeds had surprisingly more posts from the site's chief executive Elon Musk than usual, mere days after he fired one of Twitter's top engineers for explaining why his reach on the platform had dropped since last April.
Musk did not acknowledge Twitter users' feeds were filled with his posts, only tweeting at 3 in the morning there would be some "adjustments" to the site's algorithm.
You can see Musk's tweet below.
\u201cPlease stay tuned while we make adjustments to the uh .\u2026 \u201calgorithm\u201d\u201d— Elon Musk (@Elon Musk) 1676362260
That algorithm change placed Musk's posts front and center in people's feeds—whether they personally followed him or not.
And while he has not confirmed the change did just that, he did appear to mock the site's userbase when he tweeted out a meme of a woman forcing another to drink milk.
The woman holding the bottle is labeled "Elon's tweets" and the woman being forced to drink the milk is labeled “Twitter.”
You can see Musk's tweet below.
\u201chttps://t.co/iZUukCVrl5\u201d— Elon Musk (@Elon Musk) 1676352929
Twitter users didn't take too kindly to the change—or the meme—and were appropriately weirded out.
\u201c@elonmusk You're making it really difficult to stay on Twitter.\u201d— Elon Musk (@Elon Musk) 1676352929
\u201c@elonmusk So you're admitting to forcing without consent? You're such a cool and normal individual.\u201d— Elon Musk (@Elon Musk) 1676352929
\u201c@elonmusk That\u2019s effin weird.\u201d— Elon Musk (@Elon Musk) 1676352929
\u201c@elonmusk You are indeed force-feeding us and we aren\u2019t happy about it\u201d— Elon Musk (@Elon Musk) 1676352929
\u201c@elonmusk Huh\u2026\u2026 hey\u2026. So\u2026. What are we going for here, champ? \n\nGetting rid of the few brands that you haven\u2019t already scared away from the platform?\u201d— Elon Musk (@Elon Musk) 1676352929
\u201c@elonmusk Your memes are so lame.\u201d— Elon Musk (@Elon Musk) 1676352929
\u201c@elonmusk Still holding on to the world\u2019s cringiest man title I see\u201d— Elon Musk (@Elon Musk) 1676352929
Last week, news broke that Musk had fired one of Twitter's "two remaining principal engineers" for explaining why Musk's reach on the platform had dropped significantly since last April, when he first announced his intention to purchase Twitter.
According to a story published on Platformer—a website that specializes in tech industry news—the employee was fired after Musk asked Twitter's remaining top engineers why his own engagement appeared to have declined since he became owner despite having a follower count of 128 million.
Platformer cited multiple sources with direct knowledge of the meeting who said Musk called it "ridiculous" that he has "more than 100 million followers, and [he's] only getting tens of thousands of impressions.”
The engineer and others in attendance showed Musk a Google trends chart showing how interest in Musk's posts had declined from last April, when his bid to acquire Twitter reached peak "interest."
A furious Musk told the engineer "You're fired, you're fired" at a time when the number of people using Twitter has declined by nine percent, as users retreat from a platform that has lost much of its appeal since Musk's takeover.
