Elon Musk’s social media platform X has revealed the underlying architecture of the algorithm that determines what users see in their feeds.
Most important key points:
- Platform X has released its feed algorithm as open source, revealing how it categorizes and displays content.
- The system uses a Grok-based adapter model to predict user interaction.
- Musk acknowledged the flaws in the algorithm and pledged to provide regular public updates.
The move is one of the first such disclosures by a major social platform, and comes as X faces growing pressure over content moderation, artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency-related activities on the site.
The new open source system is built on the same Transformer-based machine learning architecture used in Grok, an artificial intelligence model developed by Musk’s xAI company, X’s engineering team said.
Business
The algorithm controls how posts are ordered in the X’s For You feed, predicting user actions such as likes, replies and reposts to determine which content appears most prominently.
Musk described the ad as a frank look at an imperfect system. In an article following the announcement, he acknowledged that the algorithm “needs massive improvement,” emphasizing that public oversight would help accelerate progress.
He added that X plans to release regular updates every four weeks, accompanied by detailed developer notes explaining what has been changed.
We know the algorithm is stupid and needs massive improvement, but at least you can see our struggle to improve it in real time and with transparency.
No other social media company does this. https://t.co/UMvBlD1ZpV– Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 20, 2026
According to technical documentation, the system relies on end-to-end machine learning rather than manually tuned classification rules.
Written primarily in Rust and Python, the model retrieves posts from two sources: accounts followed by the user and a broader set of content identified via machine learning-based detection.
These posts are then rated based on expected engagement, with higher-rated content appearing more frequently in news feeds.
Transparency may also impact cryptocurrency-focused creators and accounts that rely heavily on X to reach their target audience.
Grok’s own analysis of the algorithm highlighted several factors that influence viewability, including engagement history, content freshness, author diversity, and negative signals such as bans or muting of accounts.
For creators, this clarity can reduce uncertainty about what’s driving distribution, although it can also limit attempts to exploit classification mechanisms.
X cracks down on interaction apps linked to cryptocurrencies
The timing of the release is remarkable. Business
The company said it would no longer allow apps that reward users for posting or interacting on the X platform, citing concerns about spam and manipulation resulting from artificial intelligence.
Beyond cryptocurrencies,
The platform has since restricted certain capabilities and put safeguards in place after investigations began.
As noted, the decision to
The immediate market reaction was led by KAITO, the token tied to the Kaito platform, which fell nearly 20% in a single day as investors digested what many saw as a structural threat rather than a short-term adjustment to platform policy.
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