Just like virtually every other social media app, X has an algorithm that determines the order of the posts users see on the platform. Those algorithms usually work in mysterious ways, but that could change for X’s algorithm in a matter of days.
X may make its new algorithm open-source next week
Elon Musk said in a post on X that he will make the new algorithm of his social media platform open source next week. That would give more insight into how the algorithm works and the technical reasons behind what users see on their feeds.
We will make the new X algorithm, including all code used to determine what organic and advertising posts are recommended to users, open source in 7 days.
This will be repeated every 4 weeks, with comprehensive developer notes, to help you understand what changed.
In his post, Musk said the new X algorithm and all the code that determines the organic and advertising recommendations users get will be made open source in seven days. He also promised that the information will be updated every four weeks and will come with developer notes explaining and highlighting future changes.
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Not the first time Musk has promised to go open source
Musk bought Twitter in 2023, and renamed it to X. | Image credit – PhoneArena
That’s far from the first time Elon Musk has promised to make parts of his apps open source. In 2023, when X was still called Twitter, the company published the code for the site’s For You feed on GitHub. However, that repository was never updated after the initial publishing.
Musk’s AI company, xAI, did something similar with Grok. In 2024, the code for the Grok-1 AI model was published on GitHub in a repository that never got updated. Today, xAI is on Grok-3, which was never made public.
Do you think X’s new algorithm will really be made open source?
No
66.67%
Yes, but it won’t be updated
16.67%
Yes, and it will be updated often
16.67%
Today’s announcement comes at a moment when Musk is facing global criticism over Grok’s willingness to publish sexualized images, including of women and children, without their consent. That made many people, including US lawmakers, request that Apple and Google remove the X and Grok apps from their app stores.
Taking it with a grain of salt
Regardless of my opinion about Elon Musk, his open-source track record doesn’t make me believe X’s algorithm will be made public. Maybe we’ll see something published next week, but I doubt that it will be updated as promised.
Ilia, a tech journalist at PhoneArena, has been covering the mobile industry since 2011, with experience at outlets like Forbes Bulgaria. Passionate about smartphones, tablets, and consumer tech, he blends deep industry knowledge with a personal fascination that began with his first Nokia and Sony Ericsson devices. Originally from Bulgaria and now based in Lima, Peru, Ilia balances his tech obsessions with walking his dog, training at the gym, and slowly mastering Spanish.
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