Musk Says X Will Revamp Its Recommendation Algo

X (formerly Twitter) is getting a major update that will revamp its recommendation algorithm, its owner Elon Musk announced in a social media post on Friday.

With the new algorithm, smaller accounts and posts outside a user's friends-follows network are expected to gain increased visibility. 

The update will roll out in the next few days, per Musk.

A major update to the recommendation algorithm is rolling out over the next few days.

This will help surface smaller accounts and posts outside of your friend-follows network.

As always, this will be made open source and undergo continuous improvement.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 10, 2023

What the New Algo Means for X

Revamping X's algorithm to make less popular accounts more visible is a move that pushes X closer to becoming what its CEO Linda Yaccarino calls a "global town square." 

In contrast to Musk's decisions like making the "For You" feed show posts only from Verified Accounts, the move is a step in the direction of making X more inclusive, whether or not users have large followings or are premium subscribers. 

Several prominent X users have praised Musk's decision to change X's algorithm.

The scheduled changes come months after Musk made the move to lower the eligibility threshold for ad revenue sharing, making it easier for content creators on X to earn money from their posts. 

However, the move also poses a question about the type of content pushed by the algorithm.

In June, many users raised concerns regarding the rise of violent and disturbing videos being shown in X's video scrolling feed. 

Earlier this year, insiders from the company have also come forward to explain the spike in misogynistic and abusive accounts found on the platform following Musk's takeover.