Elon Musk promises to release X’s proprietary algorithm as open source in seven days
The billionaire promises full code access and monthly updates to reveal how users are recommended posts.
Elon Musk is taking yet another risky step to alter X’s business practices.
The internet tycoon said on his platform on Saturday that the company is getting ready to make its recommendation algorithm publicly available in only one week.
Musk claims that “all code used to determine what organic and advertising posts are recommended to users” would be included in this release, signaling a significant change in the way the social media behemoth manages its proprietary data.
Musk has already pledged to be open about the inner workings of the website. A draft of the code for the “For You” feed was posted on GitHub back in 2023, but researchers and critics soon saw that it was lacking the most important information. By committing to a regular schedule, Musk hopes to repair that reputation this time. “With thorough developer notes, to help you understand what changed,” he said, the release “will be repeated every 4 weeks.”
This announcement’s timing is not coincidental. Global regulators, including as the European Commission and French authorities, who have been looking into the platform for algorithmic bias and the dissemination of illicit content, are currently putting a lot of pressure on X.
A few days ago, the European Union renewed an order mandating that X maintain all algorithm-related data until 2026. Musk appears to be trying to get ahead of these inquiries by making the code public and enabling independent developers to do their own system audits.
In addition to legislation, the site is facing a significant increase in automated bot activity. According to recent reports, the number of crypto-related bot messages on X increased by more than 1,200% in a single day, which caused legitimate content to be widely ranked lower.
According to Musk, switching to an open source architecture will assist the community in recognizing these biases and assisting the platform in combating “spam-like conduct.”
Musk’s seven-day deadline might establish a significant new standard for openness in the social media sector as a whole.
