Billionaire Elon Musk was criticized for the timing of his announced "algorithm tweak" to X that he characterized as an effort to boost more "informational/entertaining" content on the platform.
He wrote:
Algorithm tweak coming soon to promote more informational/entertaining content. We will publish the changes to [X Engineering]. Our goal is to maximize unregretted user-seconds. Too much negativity is being pushed that technically grows user time, but not unregretted user time."
You can see his post below.
But it did not escape people that Musk's announcement comes just two weeks before President-elect Donald Trump takes office—and after previous algorithm tweaks prioritized conspiracy theories and negative content about the Biden administration.
Liberal activist Ed Krassenstein was one of the most prominent voices to note this:
"Elon Musk just announced that X will start penalizing negativity and propping up posts that are positive. This is definitely interesting timing, given the fact that X essentially rewarded negativity when Biden was president, but is shifting to penalize negativity under Trump."
You can see his post below.
Others were also quick to call this out, noting that such a change could place critics of him and the new regime at risk.
Wow, what a coincidence - the big boss now disapproves of “negative” posting now that the election is over and his preferred party is in power. Funny that this should happen right after protracted in-fighting regarding H1-B visas 🤔 Love to have free speech! #LeopardsAteMyFace
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— Leopards Ate My Face (@leopardsatemyface.bsky.social) January 6, 2025 at 6:41 AM
Ah, the sudden love for “uplifting positivity” on X’s algorithm—perfect timing with the new administration, totally a coincidence!
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— Abel (@abeljaimes.bsky.social) January 4, 2025 at 1:30 PM
The algorithm change also highlights Musk's personal insecurities—and this is not out of the blue.
In 2023, Platformer reported that after Musk threatened to fire his remaining engineers, they reportedly created a system specifically designed to ensure that Musk's tweets receive unprecedented promotion across the platform. This initiative came after one of Musk's Super Bowl tweets garnered less engagement than a post by President Joe Biden.
Additionally, Musk fired one of the two remaining principal engineers after the engineer explained that declining views on Musk's tweets were partially due to a general waning of interest in him.
