X, the social media platform owned by Elon Musk, is set to make its recommendation algorithm publicly accessible within the next seven days.
Musk revealed the decision in a post shared on Saturday, describing it as a significant step toward improving transparency around how content and advertisements are displayed to users.
He said the disclosure will cover the complete codebase responsible for ranking and recommending both organic posts and paid advertising. According to Musk, the initiative will be ongoing, with updated versions of the algorithm released every four weeks, accompanied by detailed developer notes outlining changes and improvements.
Musk’s Rationale for Opening the Algorithm
Musk said publishing the algorithm will allow users, researchers, and developers to gain clearer insight into how content is prioritised and distributed across X.
He added that the regular release cycle and supporting documentation are designed to make it easier for the public to track how X’s recommendation systems evolve over time.
“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,” Musk wrote.
While Musk emphasised transparency, he did not explain why the announcement is being made now, prompting speculation about whether regulatory pressure influenced the decision.
Rising Regulatory Pressure in Europe
X has increasingly come under scrutiny from regulators over concerns related to misinformation, content moderation, and the lack of transparency in algorithmic decision-making.
European authorities have been particularly active. In July, French regulators formally asked X to provide access to its recommendation algorithm as part of an investigation into alleged bias and manipulation. The company declined at the time, dismissing the inquiry as politically motivated.
The platform, previously known as Twitter, has faced tougher oversight following the rollout of stricter European digital regulations focused on holding online platforms accountable for their systems and practices.
Why the Decision Is Significant
Recommendation algorithms largely determine what users see on social media, shaping public discourse, influencing advertising effectiveness, and controlling the spread of information.
By making its algorithm open source, X could help address long-standing transparency concerns and potentially set a new benchmark for openness across the social media industry.
For regulators, researchers, and advocacy groups, access to the code may offer valuable insight into whether the platform amplifies harmful or misleading content, as well as how advertising targeting decisions are made.
Additional Context You Should Know
Musk has consistently framed himself as an advocate for free expression and open technology, frequently criticising regulators and traditional media outlets.
At the same time, Musk’s AI product, integrated with X, Grok, has faced criticism from European regulators. The tool has been accused of enabling the creation of sexualised images of women and children without consent.
In response, Musk’s AI company, xAI, restricted Grok’s image-generation features for most users on X.
The move has not been without controversy. A spokesman for UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Geraint Ellis, criticised the restriction, arguing that it effectively turns an AI capability that can produce illegal images into a paid feature rather than addressing the underlying risks.
What Comes Next
As X moves closer to publishing its recommendation algorithm, regulators, developers, and industry analysts will be closely watching to assess whether the move delivers genuine transparency or simply reframes ongoing accountability debates.
If carried out as promised, the initiative could represent one of the most far-reaching disclosures of a social media recommendation system to date, with implications that extend well beyond X.
