• by Colin Kirkland , Yesterday

Engineers at X have tweaked an issue within the platform’s recommendations algorithm that may have contributed to the proliferation of content and accounts in the main feed existing outside of what users follow -- a possible factor in volatility on the app.

On Monday, Nikita Bier, X’s head of product, announced that platform engineers discovered missing code that “made your friends appear less in your replies,” which “resulted in the reply section feeling more like a battleground with people you don’t recognize.”

According to Bier’s post, the algorithm tweak should increase the visibility of user posts among the accounts that follow them back, theoretically boosting a community-focused experience over one that prioritizes arguments, dissent, and disagreement.

Recently, X has made changes that seemingly align more with an early friend-connecting vision for social media and less with owner Elon Musk's initial approach to running the platform previously known as Twitter, which resulted in a depleted content moderation team, an influx of harmful and offensive content, a mass advertiser boycott, a loss of users, and national app bans across the globe.

With a long-term goal of creating an “everything app,” X is trying to build back its reputation as a key player in delivering users, advertisers, and creators a lucrative and beneficial experience.

In 2025, Musk pledged to “maximize unregretted user-seconds” by promoting more “informational/entertaining content” in order to combat “too much negativity” on the platform.

As for creator and brand incentives, X has recently tried to boost original content by cutting aggregator payouts, while labeling paid partnership posts, decluttering the main feed, and introducing a million dollar fund meant to incentivize creators to livestream on the platform via a new video editor.

Whether or not users will experience a friendlier, more community-driven version of X, and how that may impact the future success of the platform is yet to be seen.