Elon Musk has announced an “algorithm optimization” on X, formerly Twitter, in response to “too much negativity” on the platform.

The X owner made the announcement on Friday via an Musk bought what was then Twitter in October 2022 and later reinstated the accounts of a number of previously suspended conservative figures, including President-elect Donald Trump, who was removed from the platform following the insurrection on Capitol Hill on January 6, 2021.

Newsweek contacted the former Twitter press office for comment via email outside of regular office hours.

Why it matters

Musk was a prominent supporter of Trump’s successful 2024 presidential campaign, after which the new president announced that he would lead the newly created Department of Government Efficiency alongside fellow business tycoon Vivek Ramaswamy.

The CEO of Tesla and SpaceX has made a series of controversial X interventions in recent days, including calling on King Charles III to dissolve the British Parliament and call new elections in response to a sex trafficking scandal in the United Kingdom that has involved predominantly white victims Targeted primarily were men of Pakistani-Muslim origin in cities across the country.

What you should know

Musk wrote: “Algorithm optimization coming soon to encourage more informative/entertaining content. We will post the changes to @Xeng (X Engineering).

Algorithm optimization coming soon to promote more informative/entertaining content. We will publish the changes @XEng.

Our goal is to maximize unused user seconds. There is too much negativity being spread, which technically increases user time, but not regrettable user time.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 4, 2025

“Our goal is to maximize user seconds without regret. There is too much negativity being pushed, which technically increases user time, but not unrepentant user time.”

He later added: “We’re also working on easy ways to dynamically adjust the content feed so you have what you want at any time.”

What people say

Musk’s announcement sparked mixed reactions from other social media users.

Ed Krassenstein, an artificial intelligence expert with one million followers on X, posted: “Elon Musk just announced that

Another X user with the handle “ThatUmbrellaGuy” wrote: “Elon Musk says algorithm will punish ‘negativity’.”

“What is negativity? Criticism of the wrong person, people, celebrities, parties? The news (which is often not happy)? Advocacy that highlights the ugly goings-on in our courts? Denounce defective systems? Company?”

Matthew Camenzuli, an Australian activist who was active in the country’s center-right Liberal Party, posted: “Elon Musk calls for less negativity about X. Is it about optimism? Hope? Or is it about silencing the debate?”

“I don’t always like everything Elon Musk says or does. I agree with many of his recent stances, but I’ve never been a fan of electric cars or brain chips. But you have to take people as they are,” and we are all different. We all have different views and values.

London-based lawyer Tayah Ali said: “It is clear that Elon Musk is far more calculating than most people realize.

“But he’s also a bored billionaire who can afford to treat people’s lives like characters in a video game – and that’s exactly what he does, treating people, nations and ideals like meaningless pieces on a game board.”

What happens next

It remains to be seen what impact the algorithm change announced by Musk will have.

In late December, Musk fell out with some Trump supporters, including his former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, when he passionately advocated for H-1B skilled worker visas to the US.

Musk told those who opposed the visas to go fuck themselves, prompting Bannon to call him a “toddler.”