Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

We Now Know How Much Elon Musk's Own Twitter Traffic Jumped After He Tweaked Algorithm–And Hoo Boy

Elon Musk
Carina Johnanson/NTB/AFP via Getty Images

Twitter CEO Elon Musk had the algorithm tweaked to boost impressions of his own tweets after President Joe Biden's Super Bowl tweet was seen by more people than his was.

Billionaire Elon Musk's personal Twitter traffic jumped 737% after he ordered the algorithm tweaked to boost impressions of his own tweets after a Super Bowl message by President Joe Biden was seen by more people than his.

Earlier this week, Biden shared a tweet in which he joked he would not "pick favorites" but would support his wife, First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, who is a fan of the Philadelphia Eagles.


Biden's tweet received more than 29 million views.

As it turns out, Musk also supported the Eagles but deleted a tweet he made which received only 91 views.

Twitter screenshot of Elon Musk's tweet supporting the Philadelphia Eagles@elonmusk/Twitter

Not to be outdone by the President, the thin-skinned Musk took matters into his own hands.

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.

The result?

Musk's traffic jumped 737 percent per data collected by Timothy Graham, a senior lecturer in digital media at the Queensland University of Technology who collected Twitter data charting the sudden change.

Graham reported that the morning after Musk ordered the algorithm change, there was “this massive increase in his impressions — and then that’s sustained ever since" and noted that the timeline of these events "match up perfectly with reports."

It appears Musk retaliated against Graham too because Graham later said his Twitter account was briefly locked and his graph tweets were removed shortly after he posted them, though they later popped up again online.

Graham was likely unsurprised by this development given he tweeted, upon reporting his findings, "if this is the last data I ever collect it'll totally be worth it."

Musk's behavior has been harshly criticized.


Twitter has not responded to reporters' questions about Musk's actions because he has fired so many people that the social media company no longer has a media or communications department.

Criticisms about Musk's leadership style have been magnified in light of his decision to layoff roughly half the workforce, including employees who were on work visas.

There was no advance warning for who would or would not be subject to the cuts, and at least one Twitter employee told reporters that they were booted from company systems in the middle of a meeting.

More from People

Dr. Mehmet Oz
Fox News

Dr. Oz Slammed After His 'Credit Card' Health Care Analogy Goes Completely Off The Rails

Snake oil salesman Dr. Mehmet Oz—now the administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services—was criticized after he tried to discuss U.S. health insurance providers' pledge to speed up the prior authorization process by oddly comparing it to a "credit card," underscoring just how much he doesn't understand the job he currently holds.

Earlier this week, major U.S. health insurers—including Cigna, Aetna, Humana, and UnitedHealthcare—announced a set of reforms aimed at simplifying the often frustrating prior authorization process for patients and providers.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of Jon Ossoff and Russell Vought
@atrupar/X

Jon Ossoff Lays Into Project 2025 Architect For Trying To Gut The CDC In Fiery Takedown

Georgia Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff criticized Project 2025 architect and current Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought during a Senate appropriations hearing for the Trump administration's austere spending cuts that are currently focused on slashing the budget and workforce of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Ossoff pressed Russell Vought on the administration’s decision to cut the agency’s budget by nearly half and on the loss of roughly 25% of its workforce.

Keep ReadingShow less
Jasmine Crockett Calls Out Trump's Hypocrisy By Pointing Out How Melania Got Her Visa
Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for SiriusXM; Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images

Jasmine Crockett Calls Out Trump's Hypocrisy By Pointing Out How Melania Got Her Visa

Texas Democratic Representative Jasmine Crockett pointed out President Donald Trump's hypocrisy on immigration considering how First Lady Melania Trump's pathway to citizenship was possible because she received an "Einstein visa," which is usually reserved for an individual with "some sort of significant achievement."

Speaking during a House Judiciary Committee hearing titled “Restoring Integrity and Security to the Visa Process,” Crockett noted that “the idea that Trump and my Republican colleagues want to restore integrity and security in the visa process is actually a joke," and harshly criticized the Trump administration's immigration crackdown and visa restrictions.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of Jennifer Griffin and Pete Hegseth
The Hill

Fox Host Comes To Reporter's Defense After Pete Hegseth Berates Her At Pentagon Briefing

Fox News' chief political analyst Brit Hume came to the defense of Fox national security reporter Jennifer Griffin after their former colleague, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, criticized Griffin as the reporter "who misrepresents the most intentionally what the president says” in a Pentagon news conference.

Hegseth, a former Fox News anchor, had criticized media outlets—including his former network—for what he described as unpatriotic reporting. Hegseth took particular aim at early intelligence assessments suggesting that President Donald Trump's bombing of Iran may not have significantly crippled Iran’s nuclear capabilities.

Keep ReadingShow less

Teachers Share The Questions Students Asked In Class That Broke Their Hearts

Being a teacher is a calling.

It is not for the meek or weak of heart.

Keep ReadingShow less