X (social network)

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X (primarily accessed via x.com) is an American social media and technology platform originally launched as Twitter in March 2006 by founders Jack Dorsey, Noah Glass, Biz Stone, and Evan Williams as a microblogging service enabling users to post short text messages, initially limited to 140 characters, for real-time status updates and public communication.^[1]^[2] Elon Musk acquired Twitter in October 2022 for $44 billion, taking the company private and initiating operational overhauls, including mass layoffs and algorithm adjustments to prioritize unfiltered discourse.^[3]^[4] The platform underwent a full rebrand to X in July 2023, replacing the Twitter name, bird logo, and associated terminology with a minimalist "X" design, while redirecting the primary domain from twitter.com to x.com by May 2024.^[5]^[6] Musk's vision positions X as an "everything app," aspiring to integrate social networking with financial services, peer-to-peer payments, video calling, e-commerce, and expanded content creation tools, drawing inspiration from multifunctional platforms like WeChat to create a comprehensive digital ecosystem.^[7]^[8] Key developments include the introduction of X Premium subscriptions for enhanced features such as longer posts and prioritized replies, partnerships for payment processing like X Money with Visa, and a shift toward video and long-form content to compete with services like YouTube.^[9]^[10] Under Musk's ownership, X has prioritized maximal free speech within legal bounds, scaling back legacy content moderation teams and reinstating accounts suspended for policy violations, which has elevated its role as a primary news and information hub—claiming the top news app spot in 157 countries and achieving record app downloads as of December 2025—while sparking debates over misinformation, advertiser pullbacks, and uneven enforcement.^[11]^[12]^[13] Despite initial user and revenue dips post-acquisition, the platform achieved record engagement levels by late 2024, underscoring its enduring influence on global discourse amid ongoing expansions toward financial integration.^[14]

History

Founding and early years of Twitter (2006–2009)

Twitter originated as a side project at Odeo, a San Francisco-based podcasting startup founded in 2005 by Evan Williams and Noah Glass, which faced existential challenges after Apple integrated podcasting into iTunes in 2005, eroding Odeo's market position.^[15] In early 2006, amid Odeo's struggles, engineer Jack Dorsey proposed the concept of a short-messaging service for sharing brief status updates via SMS, drawing from ideas like dispatch software for taxi and emergency services that he had explored earlier.^[16] This idea gained traction during an internal brainstorming session or hackathon, with contributions from Dorsey, Glass—who advocated strongly for pursuing the project—Noah Glass, Biz Stone, and Williams, forming the core team behind what would become Twitter.^[15] Development began in February or March 2006 under the initial name Twttr, omitting vowels to evoke SMS brevity. On March 21, 2006, Dorsey posted the platform's first message—"just setting up my twttr"—at 9:50 p.m. Pacific Time, marking the inaugural use of the service internally at Odeo.^[17] The platform launched publicly on July 15, 2006, still as a side project of Odeo, allowing users to post 140-character updates (later standardized) accessible via web or SMS, with the goal of enabling real-time, mobile-friendly communication.^[18] Initial adoption was modest, with approximately 20,000 tweets per day in the months following launch, reflecting limited awareness and technical constraints like frequent outages.^[19] As Odeo's viability waned, the company pivoted fully toward Twitter; in late 2006, Williams and partners bought out remaining Odeo stakeholders, restructured under Obvious Corporation, and spun off Twitter as an independent entity in April 2007, with Williams assuming the CEO role.^[20] The service added vowels to its name, becoming Twitter, and secured early funding, including a $5 million investment from Union Square Ventures and others in October 2007, to support scaling amid growing pains such as server failures that led to the introduction of the "Fail Whale" error image.^[21] A pivotal moment came at the South by Southwest Interactive (SXSWi) conference in March 2007, where Twitter's booth won the Web Award for best startup; daily tweet volume surged from around 20,000 to over 60,000 during the event—a threefold increase—propelled by real-time updates from attendees and media coverage, catapulting the platform from obscurity to niche prominence.^[2]^[21] Through 2008 and into 2009, Twitter expanded features like the @mention system for replies and hashtags for topic tracking (coined organically by users in 2007), while user growth accelerated via celebrity adoption and integration with mobile apps, though infrastructure challenges persisted, with tweet volume reaching millions daily by late 2009.^[21] This period established Twitter's core as a tool for instantaneous public discourse, despite early criticisms of its niche appeal and scalability issues.^[19]

Expansion and key milestones (2010–2021)

Twitter's user base expanded rapidly in the early 2010s, growing from approximately 54 million monthly active users (MAU) in 2010 to 117 million in 2011.^[22] In April 2010, the company launched Promoted Tweets, initiating its advertising platform by integrating sponsored content into search results and timelines.^[21] Dick Costolo succeeded Evan Williams as CEO in October 2010, steering the platform toward commercialization and scalability amid surging popularity during events like the 2010 FIFA World Cup, which set records for tweet volume.^[21] By 2011, Twitter introduced native photo sharing in June, allowing direct uploads without third-party links, which boosted engagement.^[21] The platform reached 100 million MAU in September 2011 and added Discover and Activity tabs in December for personalized content recommendations.^[23] In March 2012, active users exceeded 140 million, with daily tweets surpassing 340 million; the company acquired TweetDeck in January for enhanced dashboard tools and Vine in October for short-video capabilities, though Vine launched publicly in 2013.^[21] Twitter went public on November 7, 2013, listing on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker TWTR and raising $1.8 billion at a $24.4 billion valuation.^[21]^[1] MAU continued to climb, reaching 241 million in 2013 and 288 million in 2014.^[22] Acquisitions like Gnip in January 2014 bolstered data analytics, while an advertiser dashboard launched in July 2014 improved monetization tools. Dick Costolo resigned in June 2015, with Jack Dorsey assuming the CEO role permanently in October; Moments, a feature for curated tweet collections, debuted around this period to highlight news and events.^[21] From 2015 to 2019, Twitter focused on content enhancements and policy shifts amid slower user growth relative to competitors, with MAU rising to 353 million by 2020.^[22] Key updates included expanding the character limit from 140 to 280 in September 2017 to allow more substantive posts.^[21] In 2019, the company redesigned its desktop interface and imposed a global ban on political advertising in October, citing concerns over misinformation influence.^[21] Fleets, a disappearing-posts feature akin to Stories, launched in November 2020 but was discontinued in 2021 due to low adoption.^[24] In 2021, Twitter acquired Revue in January to integrate newsletter functionality and rolled out Spaces in March for live audio discussions, aiming to compete in audio spaces.^[21] MAU reached 396 million by year's end, reflecting steady but plateauing expansion driven by real-time news and activism roles, though the platform faced criticism for content moderation inconsistencies.^[22]

Elon Musk's acquisition and initial changes (2022)

Elon Musk completed his acquisition of Twitter, Inc. on October 27, 2022, purchasing the company for $44 billion at $54.20 per share in cash, taking it private and delisting its shares from the New York Stock Exchange.^[3]^[25] The deal followed months of legal disputes after Musk's initial offer in April 2022, during which he attempted to terminate the agreement citing concerns over spam accounts, but ultimately proceeded under threat of litigation.^[4] Upon closing, Musk immediately dismissed key executives, including CEO Parag Agrawal, Chief Financial Officer Ned Segal, and legal chief Vijaya Gadde, via email notifications.^[26] In the days following the acquisition, Twitter initiated large-scale layoffs affecting approximately 3,700 employees, or about 50% of its workforce as of late October, with further reductions occurring through voluntary resignations and additional cuts by November.^[27]^[28] These actions targeted teams perceived as bloated, including significant portions of the trust and safety division responsible for content moderation, which Musk had criticized for inefficiency and ideological bias prior to the purchase.^[28] Musk justified the reductions as necessary to eliminate redundancies and achieve profitability, stating that the company had far more staff than needed to operate effectively.^[29] Musk announced an emphasis on "free speech, not freedom of reach," pledging to reduce proactive content moderation while forming a "content moderation council with widely diverse viewpoints" to guide policy decisions, explicitly stating no major account suspensions or bans would occur until the council's establishment.^[30] This shift reversed prior practices under the previous regime, which had banned numerous high-profile accounts for violations of rules on misinformation, harassment, and incitement; Musk reinstated several such accounts shortly after taking control, including those of journalist Matt Taibbi and comic Kathy Griffin.^[31] On November 19, 2022, following a user poll on the platform, Musk restored former President Donald Trump's suspended account, which had been banned in January 2021 after the Capitol riot, citing the poll's 51.8% majority in favor.^[32]^[33] One of the first operational changes involved overhauling the verification system: on November 5, 2022, Twitter relaunched Twitter Blue as a $7.99 monthly subscription granting blue checkmarks to subscribers, decoupling verification from notability or identity checks and aiming to fund the platform while combating spam bots.^[34] The rollout faced immediate issues with impersonator accounts exploiting the system, prompting a temporary pause on November 11, 2022, and the introduction of gray checkmarks for certain official organizations before reverting to refinements.^[35]^[36] These modifications aligned with Musk's stated goal of prioritizing user-funded authenticity over legacy gatekeeping, though they drew criticism from mainstream outlets for potentially amplifying misinformation.^[37]

Rebranding to X and domain unification (2023)

In April 2023, Twitter, Inc. merged into X Corp., a newly formed holding company under Elon Musk's control, effectively dissolving the standalone Twitter entity while retaining the platform's operations under the new corporate umbrella.^[38] On July 23, 2023, Musk announced on the platform that the consumer-facing brand would transition from Twitter to X, signaling the retirement of the longstanding bird logo and the shift toward a broader "everything app" encompassing communications, payments, and other services inspired by his early 1999 venture X.com, which evolved into PayPal.^[39]^[40] The rebranding accelerated the next day, July 24, 2023, when the platform's profile image was updated to a stylized black X logo, app icons were altered across iOS and Android stores, and the website began displaying X branding, though core functionalities like posting remained unchanged initially.^[41]^[42] Concurrently, the x.com domain—acquired by Musk in 2017 from PayPal—started redirecting visitors to twitter.com, marking the preliminary unification of domains under the X identity, though full migration of twitter.com to x.com systems occurred later.^[5]^[39] Musk described the move as essential for expanding beyond short-form messaging into a multifunctional platform, citing constraints of the Twitter name which evoked 140-character limits predating the 280-character expansion.^[40] The change drew immediate criticism from branding experts and users for erasing a globally recognized 17-year-old mark, with some reports noting temporary functionality glitches in search and notifications during the rollout.^[43] Despite this, Musk proceeded, aligning the rebrand with prior internal shifts like staff reductions and premium subscription launches to prioritize long-term versatility over legacy associations.^[44]

Post-rebranding developments (2024–2025)

In 2024, X emphasized video content expansion, with users watching 40% more videos year-over-year, positioning the platform as increasingly video-centric.^[45] The integration of Grok AI deepened, becoming available to non-premium users by December and enabling features like image generation and real-time post analysis. Platform updates included the removal of full blocking options in September, allowing public posts to remain visible to blocked accounts to enhance visibility while relying on muting and other controls.^[46] X announced plans for peer-to-peer payments and enhanced creator tools, though full implementation was deferred.^[47] User metrics showed mixed trends: monthly visits reached approximately 4.4 billion by August 2025, but engagement rates per post declined to a median of 0.015% from 0.03% in 2024, amid reports of spam proliferation and algorithmic frustrations.^[48] ^[49] Active users hovered around 415 million globally in 2024, with forecasts for 440 million by year-end 2025, though U.S. teen usage remained low at 17%.^[50] ^[51] X claimed advertising revenue growth and business momentum, yet independent analyses highlighted ongoing advertiser hesitancy due to content moderation challenges.^[52] Early 2025 saw the launch of X Money in partnership with Visa on January 28, introducing digital wallets and peer-to-peer payments to advance the "everything app" vision, with CEO Linda Yaccarino confirming broader rollout including potential investment tools.^[53] ^[54] xAI released Grok-3 on February 17, enhancing reasoning capabilities and making it available to X Premium subscribers, following open-sourcing of prior models.^[55] Algorithmic adjustments prioritized entertaining and informational content in January, cracked down on low-effort spam by mid-year, and emphasized positive recommendations by October, prompting Elon Musk to publicly apologize for persistent negativity issues.^[56] ^[57] Regulatory scrutiny intensified, with X's transparency reports documenting enforcement against harassment and violent content, though critics noted rises in hate speech and misinformation, attributing them to relaxed moderation post-acquisition.^[58] ^[59] EU proceedings under the Digital Services Act targeted deceptive practices, while U.S. states eyed AI moderation policies; X defended its approach as prioritizing free speech over preemptive censorship.^[60] Leadership instability emerged, including the October departure of global ad head John Nitti after 10 months, amid tensions over strategic decisions.^[61] A pay-per-use API beta launched in October further strained third-party developers by requiring revenue shares.^[62]

Features

Core posting and interaction mechanics

Users create posts on X by entering text into the compose box, limited to 280 characters or Unicode glyphs for non-subscribers, with certain glyphs counting as more than one character due to encoding variations.^[63] X Premium subscribers can compose longer posts up to 25,000 characters, displayed in full on timelines with a "Show more" prompt after the initial 280 characters to minimize scrolling disruption.^[64] Posts may incorporate media such as images, GIFs, videos, or polls, applied during composition before selecting an audience (public or followers-only) and publishing.^[65] Interactions enable engagement: reposting duplicates a post to the user's timeline, either verbatim or with added commentary (quote repost); liking adds a heart icon and contributes to visibility algorithms without notifying the original poster publicly; replying initiates a threaded response visible under the post, fostering conversations; and bookmarking saves posts privately for later access via a dedicated folder.^[66] These mechanics prioritize direct sharing and feedback, with reposts and replies amplifying reach through algorithmic promotion based on engagement volume.^[67] Core functionality emphasizes brevity and rapid dissemination, rooted in X's origins as an SMS-based service, where short messages facilitated real-time updates without requiring extended reading.^[68] While experimental features like swipe gestures for actions or hiding engagement buttons (likes, reposts, replies) have been tested to streamline interfaces, the foundational buttons and counts remain integral to user navigation and content discovery as of late 2024.^[69]^[70]

Extended content capabilities

X supports the uploading and sharing of images in formats including JPG, PNG, GIF, and WEBP, with file size limits of 5 MB for static images and 15 MB for animated GIFs.^[71] Users can attach up to four images per post, enabling visual enhancement of textual content.^[72] Video uploads represent a significant extension beyond short clips, particularly for X Premium subscribers, who can post videos up to 4 hours in length at 1080p resolution via the web or iOS app, with file sizes up to 8 GB for videos under 2 hours.^[73] ^[74] Non-subscribers are limited to shorter durations, typically 2 minutes, underscoring the platform's tiered access to extended media capabilities.^[73] Supported formats include MP4 and MOV, with recommendations for 16:9 aspect ratios in landscape orientation to optimize playback.^[75] In March 2024, X introduced Articles, a dedicated feature for Premium+ subscribers and verified organizations to publish long-form written content directly on the platform, supporting rich formatting such as headings, lists, bold text, and italics.^[76] ^[77] These articles are visually distinguished in feeds by a unique icon and layout, allowing for extended narratives that exceed standard post character limits, which are otherwise capped at 25,000 characters for Premium users.^[76] ^[78] Audio capabilities are extended through Spaces, live audio conversations that enable real-time discussions with audiences, often incorporating multimedia elements like shared screens or recordings for later playback.^[79] This feature supports dynamic, voice-based content creation, distinct from static posts, and has been integral to the platform's evolution toward multifaceted media sharing.^[79]

Algorithmic feeds and personalization

X operates two primary timeline views: the "For You" feed, which employs an algorithmic recommendation system to curate content, and the "Following" feed, which displays posts from followed accounts in reverse chronological order.^[80] The "For You" algorithm processes approximately 500 million daily posts to select a personalized subset, prioritizing predictions of user engagement based on machine learning models that analyze signals such as likes, retweets, replies, and follows.^[81]^[82] Personalization in the "For You" feed draws from user-specific data, including past interactions, account follows, and content relevance, while incorporating broader factors like recency, media inclusion (e.g., images or videos), and virality to balance fresh and high-engagement posts.^[83]^[84] The system aims to maximize unregretted user minutes by favoring informative or entertaining content over low-effort or spammy material, with adjustments in 2025 emphasizing crackdowns on spam and shifts toward informational prioritization.^[85]^[56] Following Elon Musk's 2022 acquisition, X open-sourced portions of its recommendation algorithm in March 2023 to enhance transparency, revealing a multi-stage pipeline involving candidate sourcing, ranking, and filtering heuristics.^[85] Further open-sourcing of the "For You" timeline code occurred in September 2025, enabling public scrutiny and collaboration.^[86] In September 2025, Musk announced the transition to a fully AI-driven algorithm by November 2025, powered by xAI's Grok model, with bi-weekly open-source releases to refine personalization and engagement.^[87]^[88] This shift integrates advanced AI for dynamic feed adaptation, allowing users to customize via Grok interactions for heightened relevance.^[89]

AI and third-party integrations

X integrated Grok, an AI chatbot developed by xAI, in late 2023 as an assistant available to Premium+ subscribers, enabling users to query real-time data from posts, trends, and web sources for responses on topics like current events and problem-solving.^[90] By June 2025, the xAI API expanded to incorporate live X data streams, allowing Grok to deliver contextually updated insights distinct from static training datasets used by competitors. In February 2025, X introduced Grok-powered tools for advertisers, automating ad generation, audience targeting, and performance analytics with minimal user input to streamline campaigns.^[91] Further advancements in July 2025 with Grok 4 enhanced platform-wide AI capabilities, including native real-time search across X content, the web, and news APIs, supporting features like document creation and code generation within the interface.^[92] By October 2025, X announced a transition to a fully Grok-powered recommendation algorithm, aiming to dynamically personalize feeds based on inferred user preferences from interaction patterns, with full implementation targeted for November 2025 to improve content relevance over prior rule-based systems.^[88]^[93] For third-party integrations, X provides the API v2 framework, granting developers programmatic access to elements such as posts, user profiles, Spaces, direct messages, lists, trends, and media since its rollout in 2023, facilitating app building and data analysis.^[94] Access requires paid tiers, with costs scaling to millions annually for high-volume third-party developers as of June 2025, reflecting revenue-sharing adjustments to sustain infrastructure.^[95] However, in June 2025, X updated its developer terms to prohibit third parties from using platform content to train large language models, limiting AI-related scraping while permitting authorized API usage for non-training purposes like real-time querying.^[96] Notable partnerships include a October 2025 collaboration with Better Collective, deploying an AI tool called Playbook to generate betting recommendations via X data integration, accessible to users for enhanced engagement in sports wagering.^[97] Developers must implement OAuth flows for user authorization and adhere to rate limits, with tools like endpoint integration guides supporting custom implementations for lists, posts, and direct messages.^[98]^[99]

Business and Operations

Revenue model and monetization

X's primary revenue stream remains advertising, which accounted for approximately 75% of total revenue as of January 2025, though this share has decreased from pre-acquisition levels due to advertiser withdrawals following Elon Musk's 2022 takeover.^[100] In 2023, advertising generated $2.5 billion out of $3.4 billion in total revenue, reflecting a post-acquisition decline amid boycotts linked to changes in content moderation policies.^[101] Projections for 2025 indicate a recovery, with global ad revenues expected to rise 16.5% year-over-year to $2.26 billion, marking the first annual growth since the acquisition, driven by efforts to rebuild advertiser confidence despite earlier drops of up to 60% in 2024-2025.^[102]^[103] To diversify beyond advertising dependency, X introduced subscription-based services under the X Premium program, launched as Twitter Blue in 2021 and expanded post-rebranding. X Premium offers tiered plans—Basic, Premium ($8 per month), and Premium+—providing features such as verification checkmarks, reduced ad exposure, prioritized rankings in conversations, and access to advanced tools like longer video uploads and Grok AI integration.^[9]^[104] Subscriptions have grown as a revenue offset, contributing to total 2025 projections of around $2.9 billion, though advertising still dominates.^[105] Creator monetization forms a key pillar, enabling eligible users to earn through ads revenue sharing and direct subscriptions. The ads revenue sharing program, available globally to X Premium subscribers with at least 500 followers and 5 million impressions over three months, distributes a portion of ad earnings from impressions on creators' content, primarily tied to engagement from Premium users.^[106]^[107] Creator subscriptions allow users to charge followers for exclusive content, with X taking a platform fee; this has reportedly generated more revenue for some creators than ads sharing in certain analyses.^[108] Data licensing, including API access for third-party analytics and training, added about $900 million in 2023 and remains a supplementary stream.^[101] Under Musk's vision for an "everything app," X has pursued broader monetization via payments and commerce integrations, though these contributed minimally to revenue by mid-2025, with focus shifting toward subscriptions and creator tools to reduce ad reliance.^[109] Overall revenue faced headwinds, declining to $2.5 billion in 2024 from $2.9 billion in 2023, but stabilization efforts emphasize user-paid models amid advertising volatility.^[48]

User base and engagement metrics

As of mid-2025, X reports approximately 600 million monthly active users worldwide.^[110] Third-party estimates range from 557 million to 586 million active users during the same period.^[111]^[48]^[51] Following Elon Musk's 2022 acquisition, the platform experienced an initial decline in user metrics due to changes in verification and moderation, but official statements indicate subsequent recovery and growth to these levels.^[49] Daily active users on X total between 200 and 250 million, with 237.8 million classified as monetizable daily active users.^[48]^[49] The user demographic skews male, at 63.7% of the total base, with significant regional concentration in the United States, Japan, and India.^[48] Elon Musk maintains the most-followed account with over 225 million followers as of August 2025.^[51] Engagement metrics reflect high activity volumes, including over 500 million posts per day, or roughly 350,000 posts per minute.^[112]^[113] The platform generates more than 100 billion impressions daily across all content.^[113] Long-form posts alone account for over 3 billion impressions per day.^[114] However, independent trackers report a roughly 10% decline in daily usage during the second quarter of 2025, amid rising competition.^[115] In September 2025, Meta's Threads overtook X in worldwide iOS daily active users, reaching 62.5 million versus X's 56.6 million.^[116]

Ownership and leadership structure

X Corp., the entity operating the X platform, is wholly owned by xAI following a merger announced on March 28, 2025, which valued xAI at $80 billion and X at $33 billion.^[117]^[118] Elon Musk, who founded xAI in 2023 and maintains a majority stake in it, exercises ultimate control over both entities as their primary shareholder and executive leader.^[118] This structure consolidates X under xAI's umbrella, reflecting Musk's broader integration of his ventures, though X operates as a distinct subsidiary focused on social media and payments.^[119] Prior to the merger, Musk acquired the platform (then Twitter, Inc.) on October 27, 2022, for $44 billion through a consortium including his own funds and co-investors like Larry Ellison's trust, which held a notable minority stake.^[120]^[119] The transaction privatized the company, ending public trading and centralizing ownership under Musk's X Holdings Corp. as parent.^[120] Leadership has centered on Musk as owner, executive chair, and chief technology officer, with operational roles delegated amid high turnover. Linda Yaccarino served as CEO from June 2023 to July 9, 2025, when she resigned after two years, citing alignment with Musk's vision but amid reported internal challenges.^[121]^[122] No successor CEO has been publicly named as of October 2025, leaving Musk as the de facto head.^[123] The executive team has experienced instability, with key departures including CFO Mahmoud Reza Banki, appointed in November 2024 and exiting in October 2025, and advertising head John Nitti, who joined in January 2025 and left after 10 months.^[124] This reflects a lean, Musk-directed structure prioritizing rapid iteration over traditional corporate hierarchy, with specialized roles in engineering, compliance, and monetization filled by internal promotions or short-term hires.^[125]

Content Moderation and Free Speech

Pre-acquisition moderation practices

Prior to its acquisition by Elon Musk on October 27, 2022, Twitter employed a multifaceted content moderation system combining algorithmic detection, human reviewers, and policy enforcement teams to address violations including spam, harassment, hate speech, and misinformation. The platform's rules prohibited content deemed to incite violence, glorify extremism, or spread civic misinformation, with enforcement actions ranging from tweet labeling and reduced visibility to temporary restrictions and permanent suspensions.^[126] In its transparency reports, Twitter disclosed suspending millions of accounts annually; for instance, in the second half of 2021, it actioned 4.3 million of 11.6 million reported accounts, including 1.3 million suspensions for policy violations such as platform manipulation and abusive behavior.^[127] Twitter's approach to misinformation intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic, implementing a dedicated policy in 2020 to label or remove posts promoting misleading claims about the virus, treatments, or vaccines, such as assertions that masks were ineffective or that vaccines altered DNA. By March 2021, the company introduced a "five strikes" system, where repeated violations led to permanent account suspension, resulting in the removal of thousands of posts weekly.^[128] This policy, enforced through partnerships with fact-checkers and government advisories, prioritized content aligning with public health consensus but drew criticism for suppressing dissenting views on topics like lab-leak hypotheses or lockdown efficacy, often without transparent criteria for what constituted "misinformation."^[129] High-profile interventions underscored selective enforcement. On October 14, 2020, Twitter blocked users from sharing links to a New York Post article alleging corruption involving Hunter Biden's laptop, citing a policy against hacked materials, which prevented direct posting and limited retweets; the company later acknowledged this as a mistake after internal debate revealed no evidence of hacking.^[130] Similarly, on January 8, 2021, Twitter permanently suspended President Donald Trump's account, citing "the risk of further incitement of violence" following the January 6 Capitol riot, based on two tweets interpreted as glorifying the events despite prior tolerance of analogous language from other users.^[126] Visibility filtering, often termed shadowbanning, was another tool, where algorithms de-amplified or hid replies and search results for accounts flagged for "manipulated media" or "search suggestion bans," disproportionately affecting conservative-leaning users and topics like election fraud claims pre-2020. Internal practices included "Do Not Amplify" labels on profiles, reducing algorithmic promotion without user notification, as documented in pre-acquisition audits showing one in 40 profiles affected.^[131] These measures, while aimed at curbing abuse, fostered perceptions of viewpoint discrimination, with enforcement data indicating higher suspension rates for right-leaning content amid pressures from advertisers and political actors.^[132]

Reforms under Musk's leadership

Following Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter on October 27, 2022, the platform underwent significant restructuring in content moderation to prioritize what Musk described as reduced censorship and enhanced transparency. The trust and safety team, responsible for content enforcement, was reduced by approximately 30% globally, with cuts reaching 80% in certain regions such as Australia, as part of broader layoffs affecting over 3,700 employees by late 2022.^[133] ^[134] This downsizing, including the dissolution of the external Trust and Safety Council on December 12, 2022, aimed to eliminate perceived institutional biases in prior moderation practices, which Musk argued had favored suppression of dissenting viewpoints.^[135] A cornerstone reform was the release of the Twitter Files, a series of internal documents beginning December 2, 2022, shared with journalists like Matt Taibbi and Bari Weiss to reveal pre-acquisition moderation decisions. These disclosures documented instances of selective enforcement, such as the 2020 suppression of the New York Post's Hunter Biden laptop story at the behest of FBI communications and internal debates over visibility filtering for conservative accounts, highlighting systemic pressures that Musk contended violated free speech principles.^[136] Subsequent files exposed collaborations with government entities and algorithmic biases, prompting Musk to advocate for "maximum transparency" in moderation algorithms.^[137] Account reinstatements marked a shift from permanent bans to case-by-case reviews, with high-profile suspensions reversed to align with a policy of reinstating users unless they violated laws.^[138] Former President Donald Trump's account, banned since January 2021 following the Capitol riot, was restored on November 19, 2022, after a user poll garnered 52% support for reinstatement.^[139] Similarly, Kanye West (Ye), suspended in December 2022 for antisemitic posts, had his account reinstated on July 30, 2023, after expressing regret; other figures like Andrew Tate, Jordan Peterson, and the satirical outlet Babylon Bee also returned, reversing prior content-based deplatforming.^[140] ^[141] Musk introduced "freedom of speech, not freedom of reach" as a guiding framework in June 2023, under which violative content is not always removed but has its algorithmic visibility limited, reducing top-down censorship while preserving user access. This was complemented by expanding Community Notes, a crowd-sourced fact-checking system piloted pre-acquisition but elevated under Musk to provide contextual annotations on misleading posts, with notes displayed when a diverse contributor base deems them helpful.^[142] Policy adjustments included scaling back proactive misinformation labeling in favor of user-driven corrections, while strengthening rules against child sexual exploitation, though hate speech enforcement remained inconsistent per external analyses.^[143] These changes correlated with reported increases in certain unmoderated content but also claims of diminished viewpoint discrimination, as evidenced by higher engagement from previously shadowbanned accounts.^[144]

Major controversies and viewpoint clashes

The release of the Twitter Files in late 2022, comprising internal documents shared by journalists like Matt Taibbi and Bari Weiss, exposed pre-acquisition practices of viewpoint-based censorship, including the suppression of the New York Post's October 2020 reporting on Hunter Biden's laptop due to FBI warnings about potential Russian disinformation, despite later verification of the device's contents.^[145] These files also revealed "visibility filtering" and shadowbanning disproportionately affecting conservative accounts, such as those of Stanford's Jay Bhattacharya and anti-vaccine mandate voices, implemented without user notification.^[146] Musk characterized these as evidence of systemic bias favoring left-leaning narratives, prompting reforms to prioritize open discourse, though critics from outlets like NPR argued the files repackaged known policies without proving coercion.^[136] Post-acquisition reinstatements of previously banned accounts intensified clashes, including Donald Trump's on November 19, 2022, following a user poll, and Kanye West's (Ye) on July 29, 2023, after his suspension for praising Hitler in December 2022 tweets.^[138] West's return amplified antisemitic rhetoric, leading to his swift suspension again in February 2025 after praising Hitler anew, which Musk cited as violating updated policies against overt calls for violence.^[147] Supporters viewed these as restorations of free speech, aligning with Musk's "absolutist" stance against permanent bans for non-violent opinions, while opponents, including the Anti-Defamation League, contended they normalized extremism, contributing to advertiser withdrawals.^[148] A pivotal advertiser exodus began in October 2022 after Musk tweeted on October 29 about the Paul Pelosi attack, linking to an article speculating it involved "a lot of people like him" in a non-random context, which he deleted amid backlash for echoing unsubstantiated claims of a domestic dispute rather than the confirmed intruder assault.^[149] This, compounded by perceived lax moderation, prompted boycotts from companies like Apple and Disney, with ad revenue dropping 50% by mid-2023; Musk responded at the November 2023 DealBook Summit by telling advertisers to "go fuck yourself" if fleeing over content disputes, framing it as resistance to de facto censorship via economic pressure.^[150]^[151] Clashes with governments highlighted tensions between platform autonomy and regulatory demands, exemplified by Brazil's Supreme Federal Court ordering X's nationwide block on August 30, 2024, after Musk refused to suspend accounts of critics like journalist Allan dos Santos, accused of misinformation against Justice Alexandre de Moraes.^[152] The ban, affecting 22 million users, lasted until October 8, 2024, following X's appointment of a local representative and payment of a 28.6 million reais ($5 million) fine, which Musk decried as capitulation to authoritarian overreach but necessary to restore access.^[153] Similar refusals in Turkey and India drew accusations of selective compliance, with Musk prioritizing U.S.-style free speech principles over foreign mandates.^[154] Debates over hate speech metrics underscore viewpoint divides, with studies like a February 2025 UC Berkeley analysis reporting a 50% weekly increase in slurs (e.g., 260% rise in transphobic terms) post-October 2022 acquisition, attributed to reduced proactive moderation and algorithmic shifts favoring engagement over suppression.^[155]^[156] However, these findings, often from academia with documented left-leaning institutional biases, focus on keyword counts without contextual validation, contrasting Musk's defense that authentic discourse includes uncomfortable views previously throttled, as evidenced by Twitter Files' documentation of suppressed true stories like COVID-19 lab-leak hypotheses.^[144] Pro-free-speech advocates, including FIRE, criticize X for inconsistencies like December 2022 journalist suspensions over perceived doxxing of Musk's jet, arguing it undermines absolutism claims.^[157] Empirical data shows elevated reports of antisemitic incidents correlating with high-profile posts, yet causal links remain contested amid broader rises in offline extremism predating the ownership change.^[158]

Impact and Reception

Achievements in discourse and innovation

Under Elon Musk's ownership since the October 27, 2022 acquisition, X introduced Community Notes, a crowdsourced fact-checking system that attaches contextual notes to misleading posts, demonstrably reducing their virality by limiting shares and views among users exposed to the notes.^[159] Studies indicate this mechanism convinces posters to voluntarily delete or correct false content at higher rates than traditional moderation, with empirical evidence from user retraction behaviors supporting its efficacy in curbing misinformation without centralized gatekeeping.^[160] Community Notes has influenced competitors, prompting Meta to adopt a similar model in January 2025, highlighting its role in advancing decentralized verification standards across platforms.^[161] X open-sourced its recommendation algorithm code on March 31, 2023, revealing details of its ~48 million parameter neural network trained to optimize for positive engagement signals like replies and bookmarks over raw likes, enabling public scrutiny and iterative improvements.^[85] This transparency extended to the "For You" timeline on September 9, 2025, allowing developers and researchers to audit ranking factors such as recency, relevance, and user interactions, which has facilitated community-driven refinements to reduce spam and amplify diverse content.^[162] By prioritizing smaller accounts in algorithm updates from June to August 2025, X democratized visibility, countering legacy biases toward established influencers and fostering broader participation in public discourse.^[56] Integration of xAI's Grok chatbot, launched on X in 2023 and powering the platform's algorithm by October 19, 2025, leverages real-time post data to generate responses aimed at maximum truth-seeking, enhancing user queries with contextual analysis over sanitized outputs.^[88] This has enabled features like AI-assisted Community Notes testing in July 2025, where Grok and external models provide rapid fact-checks, accelerating the platform's shift toward hybrid human-AI verification for timely discourse correction.^[163] Post-acquisition, X rolled out over 200 features, including encrypted XChat for private discussions, long-form text support up to 25,000 characters, and vertical video enhancements, expanding beyond short-form tweets to support substantive debates and multimedia innovation.^[164]^[165] These developments have sustained X's utility for real-time event coverage, where user-generated insights often precede traditional media, as evidenced by heightened engagement during global incidents.^[100]

Criticisms regarding brand and operations

The rebranding of Twitter to X in July 2023 has drawn substantial criticism for eroding the platform's established brand equity, with analysts attributing a sharp decline in value to the abrupt abandonment of the recognizable "Twitter" name and blue bird logo. Brand Finance reported that X's brand value fell from $5.7 billion in 2022 to $673.3 million by 2024, a loss of over 88%, largely due to the rebrand's failure to retain user familiarity and the dilution of associations with concise, public discourse.^[166]^[167] Critics, including branding experts, argued that the shift to a single letter lacked strategic rationale beyond Elon Musk's personal affinity for "X," severing the linguistic link between the platform's name and its core activity of "tweeting," which had become a verb in common parlance.^[168]^[169] Major brands have been slow to adopt the X logo in advertising, reflecting ongoing confusion over the platform's identity as Musk pursues an "everything app" vision encompassing payments and e-commerce, yet without clear execution.^[170] Operationally, X has faced backlash for persistent technical instability following Musk's acquisition and subsequent 80% staff reductions, which prioritized cost-cutting but compromised reliability. The platform experienced multiple outages, including widespread disruptions in March, May, and June 2025, affecting thousands of users' ability to access feeds, profiles, and posting functions, with some attributing these to understaffed engineering teams and infrastructure strain.^[171]^[172]^[173] Introduction of strict rate limits in 2023—capping unverified users at 500 posts per day and limiting viewable content—sparked user complaints of throttled engagement and degraded experience, ostensibly to combat bots but resulting in broader accessibility issues.^[174] Advertiser exodus has compounded operational critiques, with revenue plummeting amid boycotts triggered by perceived lax content moderation and Musk's public statements endorsing controversial views. U.S. ad revenue dropped to $1.4 billion in 2024, a 28% decline from 2023, while global figures fell 46.4% from $4.5 billion in 2022 to $2.2 billion in 2023; in the UK, it decreased 66.3% to £69.1 million post-acquisition.^[175]^[176]^[177] Over 50 major U.S. advertisers, including Apple and Disney, halted spending, citing brand safety risks from increased hate speech and ads appearing near extremist content, though Musk has countersued alleging an illegal conspiracy coordinated via groups like the Global Alliance for Responsible Media.^[178]^[179] High-profile executive departures, such as ad chief John Nitti after 10 months in 2025, highlight internal turmoil from Musk's management style and strategic pivots, exacerbating revenue challenges despite some reported upticks under prior CEO Linda Yaccarino.^[124]^[180] These issues, often amplified by mainstream media outlets with documented ideological leanings against Musk's free-speech reforms, underscore tensions between operational efficiency gains and perceived declines in advertiser trust and platform stability.^[181]

Broader societal and cultural effects

The rebranding of Twitter to X in July 2023 and subsequent policy shifts under Elon Musk's ownership have contributed to a reconfiguration of online public discourse, fostering greater tolerance for unmoderated viewpoints while exacerbating polarization. Users report X as a primary venue for real-time political engagement and news consumption, with 59% of U.S. adults citing it for following current events as of June 2024.^[182] This shift has enabled rapid dissemination of citizen journalism and diverse perspectives previously suppressed under prior content rules, aligning with Musk's emphasis on free expression as a "social experiment on humanity."^[183] However, longitudinal analyses indicate that these changes have amplified echo chambers, particularly among politically aligned communities, reducing exposure to counterarguments and heightening confirmation bias.^[14] Culturally, X has accelerated the mainstreaming of fringe narratives and memes that challenge institutional narratives, influencing broader media cycles and public sentiment. For instance, Musk's personal posts, reaching over 200 million followers, have directly shaped geopolitical discussions, such as during the 2024 U.S. presidential election where X served as a key amplifier for campaign narratives.^[184] This has democratized information flow, allowing non-traditional voices to bypass legacy media gatekeepers, but it has also correlated with a 50% weekly increase in hate speech rates persisting into 2025, per automated detection metrics from academic studies.^[155] Empirical data from user surveys link heavier X engagement to heightened outrage and political tribalism, potentially eroding interpersonal trust in offline settings.^[185] Critics, including outlets like The Guardian, attribute this toxicity to relaxed enforcement, though such assessments often reflect institutional preferences for prior moderation regimes.^[154] On a societal level, X's evolution has prompted user migrations to alternatives like Bluesky, signaling cultural fragmentation among demographics averse to its perceived right-leaning tilt, with Bluesky's user base surging post-2024 election controversies.^[186] Conversely, it has bolstered resilience against centralized narrative control, evidenced by its role in exposing real-time events like government actions during global protests, which traditional media delayed reporting. This dual dynamic underscores a causal tension: enhanced discursive freedom drives innovation in collective sensemaking but risks societal cohesion through unchecked misinformation vectors, as foreign influence operations exploit algorithmic changes favoring engagement over verification.^[14]^[156] Overall, X's trajectory reflects a pivot toward user sovereignty in information ecosystems, with long-term effects contingent on balancing openness against emergent harms.

Legal and Regulatory Challenges

Antitrust and acquisition scrutiny

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) initiated scrutiny of Elon Musk's April 2022 purchase of a 9.2% stake in Twitter, examining whether Musk violated antitrust notification requirements under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act by failing to disclose the acquisition promptly, which allowed him to buy shares at potentially lower prices.^[187] ^[188] The FTC's review extended to the full $44 billion acquisition announced in April 2022, assessing potential antitrust implications amid broader concerns over Musk's influence across tech sectors, though analysts noted the deal was unlikely to trigger blocking action since it involved privatizing a single company rather than merging competitors that could reduce market competition.^[189] ^[188] The FTC cleared the acquisition on June 3, 2022, allowing the deal to proceed without formal antitrust objections, a decision reached despite the Biden administration's heightened enforcement posture under Chair Lina Khan, who had previously advocated aggressive scrutiny of tech consolidations.^[190] The Department of Justice Antitrust Division did not raise public objections, reflecting the absence of evident competitive harms in the transaction, as Twitter's market position—while significant in microblogging—faced rivals like Meta's platforms and did not constitute a monopoly warranting intervention under Sherman Act standards.^[189] Internationally, Turkey's Competition Authority fined Twitter approximately $400,000 in March 2023 for completing the acquisition without prior merger notification, a "gun-jumping" violation under Turkish antitrust law, with an additional fine imposed on Musk personally in March 2025 for the same procedural lapse.^[191] ^[192] Other jurisdictions, including the European Union, conducted routine reviews but imposed no antitrust blocks, focusing instead on post-acquisition compliance with digital services regulations rather than the buyout itself.^[193] In 2025, reports of potential internal restructuring involving xAI's $33 billion acquisition of X drew calls from U.S. Senators, including Cory Booker and Elizabeth Warren, for FTC and DOJ review, citing risks of leveraging Musk's government advisory role to consolidate data and ad revenue streams across his enterprises, though no formal antitrust probe had been launched by October.^[194] ^[193] Such moves raised theoretical concerns about vertical integration enhancing X's "everything app" ambitions, potentially affecting competition in payments and AI-driven features, but lacked evidence of immediate market foreclosure at the time.^[195] In August 2024, Brazil's Supreme Court ordered the nationwide suspension of X after the platform refused to comply with directives from Justice Alexandre de Moraes to block accounts accused of spreading disinformation, threats, or violating judicial orders, and to appoint a local legal representative.^[196] ^[197] The ban, effective August 30, 2024, affected over 20 million users and stemmed from X's non-compliance with at least 15 prior court orders related to content removal.^[198] X resumed operations on October 8, 2024, following compliance, including account suspensions and payment of outstanding fines totaling approximately 28.6 million reais (about $5.1 million USD).^[199] ^[198] The European Commission initiated formal proceedings against X under the Digital Services Act (DSA) on December 17, 2023, investigating potential breaches in risk assessment, content dissemination of illegal materials, and moderation of systemic risks like disinformation and hate speech.^[200] Violations could result in fines up to 6% of X's global annual turnover, with reports in April 2025 indicating preparations for penalties exceeding $1 billion, alongside mandates for platform changes such as enhanced transparency in algorithmic recommendations and advertising.^[201] ^[202] No outright ban has been imposed, but non-compliance risks service restrictions in the EU, a market comprising about 100 million users for X.^[203] On December 7, 2025, following the European Commission's imposition of a €120 million ($140 million) fine against X for DSA violations on December 5, 2025, X terminated the European Commission’s advertising account, stating: “It seems you believe the rules should not apply to your account. Your ad account has been terminated.” This action, framed as retaliation, escalates ongoing tensions amid the DSA investigations.^[204] In the United States, X filed a lawsuit against California on September 8, 2023, challenging AB 587, a content moderation transparency law requiring large platforms to disclose moderation practices and staffing, arguing it compelled unconstitutional speech and violated First Amendment protections.^[205] ^[206] A federal appeals court partially upheld X's challenge on September 4, 2024, blocking enforcement of certain reporting requirements deemed overbroad.^[207] Separately, on April 23, 2025, X sued Minnesota over a law prohibiting AI-generated deepfakes intended to influence elections, contending it restricted protected political speech without sufficient narrow tailoring.^[208] X has invoked Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act in defamation-related disputes to shield against liability for user-generated content, successfully defending against claims where third-party posts were alleged to be defamatory.^[209] For instance, in a countersuit by Media Matters in March 2025, X faced allegations of strategic defamation litigation tactics, but the platform maintained immunity for hosting content while pursuing its own claims over alleged manipulative reporting.^[210] Account suspensions, such as those challenged in a 2023 appeals case involving former President Trump, have prompted litigation testing moderation consistency, though X prevailed in restoring access post-acquisition reforms.^[211]

Global regulatory pressures

In the European Union, X has been subject to investigations under the Digital Services Act (DSA), enacted to regulate large online platforms' handling of illegal content, disinformation, and systemic risks. On July 12, 2024, the European Commission issued preliminary findings that X breached DSA obligations, including deceptive practices with its paid blue checkmark verification system, which regulators claimed misled users about account authenticity, and insufficient assessments of risks like election interference and foreign disinformation.^[212] By April 2025, EU authorities prepared substantial penalties against X, potentially including fines up to 6% of its global annual revenue—estimated to exceed $1 billion—and mandates for platform changes to enhance content moderation and transparency reporting.^[213] ^[214] On December 5, 2025, the European Commission fined X €120 million under the Digital Services Act for breaching transparency obligations.^[215] Following the fine, X reported record-breaking downloads in Europe, and Elon Musk announced it became the top news app in all EU countries, including France.^[216] In response, on December 7, 2025, X terminated the European Commission's advertising account, stating "It seems you believe the rules should not apply to your account," after the EU used a deceptive tactic in a promoted ad disguising a link as a video to boost reach, while fining X for similar deceptive practices.^[204] Elon Musk commented on the irony: "You logged into your dormant ad account to take advantage of an exploit in our Ad Composer — to post a link that deceives users into thinking it’s a video and to artificially increase its reach."^[217] Despite these regulatory actions, in December 2025, X became the top-ranked news app in 12 additional EU countries—Austria, Belgium, Portugal, Estonia, Slovakia, Malta, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Croatia, Bulgaria, and Slovenia—indicating sustained user growth amid scrutiny.^[218] These actions reflect broader EU efforts to enforce risk mitigation on "very large online platforms," with X's resistance to expansive proactive censorship cited by company executives as a core conflict, though EU officials maintain the measures address verifiable harms without unduly restricting speech.^[219] In Brazil, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered the nationwide suspension of X on August 30, 2024, after the platform failed to appoint a legal representative and comply with judicial directives to block accounts accused of spreading disinformation and threats against democratic institutions.^[220] The ban, which affected over 20 million users, was lifted on October 8, 2024, following X's compliance, including payment of accumulated fines and appointment of local officers, though de Moraes imposed additional penalties, such as an 8.1 million reais fine (approximately $1.4 million) in February 2025 for prior non-compliance.^[221] ^[222] This episode stemmed from ongoing disputes over X's refusal to universally censor content deemed by the court to incite unrest, with Musk publicly denouncing the orders as authoritarian overreach, contrasting Brazilian authorities' emphasis on protecting judicial processes from online harassment. Australia's eSafety Commissioner clashed with X in April 2024 over demands to globally remove footage of a church stabbing incident in Wakeley, arguing it glorified violence; X refused, citing free speech, leading to a federal court case that was dropped on June 5, 2024, after the commissioner conceded practical enforcement challenges.^[223] Musk labeled the regulator a "censorship commissar" for seeking extraterritorial content bans, highlighting tensions under Australia's Online Safety Act, which empowers fines up to 10% of global turnover for non-removal of harmful material.^[224] In India, X challenged government content removal mechanisms, including the Sahyog portal used for blocking orders; a high court dismissed the petition on September 25, 2025, upholding rules requiring swift compliance with directives to remove content threatening public order, following orders to block 2,355 accounts on July 3, 2025, including international outlets.^[225] ^[226] Turkey restricted access to X intermittently, including in September 2025 amid political protests, while X contested 126 account blocks at the Constitutional Court in March 2025, framing them as disproportionate censorship under the country's internet laws.^[227] ^[228] In the United Kingdom, Ofcom has ramped up enforcement under the Online Safety Act, effective from early 2025, imposing duties on platforms like X to proactively mitigate illegal content such as child exploitation and terrorism promotion, with potential fines up to £18 million or 10% of global revenue.^[229] While no major X-specific penalties had materialized by October 2025, Ofcom's 2025 enforcement priorities include transparency audits and risk assessments, echoing global patterns where regulators prioritize harm prevention through mandated moderation, often clashing with X's post-acquisition emphasis on minimal intervention to foster open discourse.^[230] These pressures illustrate a pattern: governments leveraging national laws to demand content controls that X views as incompatible with its free speech commitments, resulting in legal battles, temporary bans, and fines totaling millions, though X has prevailed or negotiated resolutions in several instances by partial compliance or jurisdictional pushback.

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Subscribers can upload videos up to 4 hours long (1080p) on x.com and X for iOS. Subscribers can upload videos up to 10 minutes long on Android.Missing: capabilities | Show results with:capabilities
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Media Studio Library - Help Center
Premium subscribers can upload videos up to ~3 hours long and up to 8GB file size. Videos shorter than 2 hours (1080p) should not exceed 8GB file size.
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‎X Media Guidelines | Sprinklr Help Center
X Media Guidelines ; Format. JPG, PNG, GIF. MP4 and MOV ; File Size. Image: 100 MB. Animated GIF: 15 MB. 512 MB ; Aspect Ratio. 2:1. Landscape and Portrait= 16:9.
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Mar 8, 2024 · X, formerly Twitter, introduces Articles for Premium+ users and verified organisations. Users can write and share long-form content with formatting options and ...
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X Launches Long-Form Articles Option for Premium+ Subscribers
Mar 7, 2024 · “Articles will also be easily distinguishable thanks to a unique icon and layout, ensuring that your long-form content stands out.”
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Grok is a humorous AI assistant on X, powered by xAI, that helps with tasks like answering questions and solving problems.
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Dec 24, 2024 · To qualify for ad revenue sharing, you need to be an X Premium subscriber, have 500 followers, and generate 5 million impressions in three ...2. Post Sponsored Tweets · 4. Utilize Affiliate... · 9. Promote Your Brand's...<|separator|>
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Apr 1, 2025 · X's business model is an AI-powered super app that generates revenue through subscriptions, advertising, data licensing, and creator monetization.
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Grok on X
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X ownership changes from Elon Musk to xAI, exhibits financial ...
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Jan 13, 2025 · Elon Musk is the primary owner of X, having acquired the company for $44 billion in 2022. Several other investors hold stakes in X.
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Linda Yaccarino is leaving Elon Musk's X after two years as CEO
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Linda Yaccarino stepping down as CEO of Elon Musk's X
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X just released its first full transparency report since Elon Musk took ...
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Twitter, prompted by the rapid spread of alternative narratives, started actively warning users about the spread of COVID-19 misinformation.
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Twitter was at the forefront of content moderation. What comes next?
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Dec 12, 2022 · Elon Musk's Twitter has dissolved its Trust and Safety Council, the advisory group of nearly 100 independent civil, human rights and other organizations.Missing: reductions | Show results with:reductions<|separator|>
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Dec 14, 2022 · Twitter owner Elon Musk says he's pulling back the curtain on how the social network has handled high-profile content moderation decisions, ...
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These formerly banned Twitter accounts have been reinstated since ...
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Musk's X social media platform reinstates Kanye West's account
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Elon Musk reinstates Kanye West's Twitter account after ban
Jul 30, 2023 · Kanye West's account on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, has been reinstated almost eight months after he tweeted an image of a swastika.
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Elon Musk initiated the acquisition of Twitter, Inc. on April 14, 2022, and completed it on October 28, 2022. His goal was to transform Twitter into X, an all- ...History · Content moderation · Changes to the algorithm · Major developments
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Community Notes aim to create a better informed world by empowering people on X to collaboratively add context to potentially misleading posts.Missing: implementation date
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Two years after the takeover: Four key policy changes of X under Musk
Oct 28, 2024 · This article outlines four key policy changes of X since Musk's 2022 takeover, highlighting how the platform's approach to content moderation
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Why is Elon Musk's Twitter takeover increasing hate speech?
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What the Twitter Files Reveal About Free Speech and Social Media
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Brazil's Supreme Court bans X - NPR
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Oct 8, 2024 · Brazil's Supreme Court has said it is lifting a ban on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
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Racism, misogyny, lies: how did X become so full of hatred? And is it ...
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X under Musk's leadership: Substantial hate and no reduction in ...
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Community Notes help reduce the virality of false information on X ...
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Elon Musk created Community Notes and Meta is following suit ...
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Social - X (formerly Twitter) is testing AI-generated Community Notes ...
Jul 2, 2025 · X (formerly Twitter) is testing AI-generated Community Notes, allowing both its in-house chatbot Grok and external AI tools to provide contextual fact-checks.
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Elon Musk's Twitter: Changes Since Takeover, How X Is Doing Today
XChat — has begun "rolling out". "All new XChat is rolling out with encryption, vanishing messages and the ...
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X marks ... what? Elon Musk proves once again he's incredibly bad ...
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May 24, 2025 · In March, the site suffered multiple network outages. X has suffered multiple major outages since Musk's $44 billion acquisition of Twitter in ...
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Elon Musk's early Twitter stock buy under FTC scrutiny - Reuters
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Elon Musk's bid to buy Twitter for $44 billion has cleared a regulatory step with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Twitter said Friday.
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Booker, Warren, Senators Raise Alarm About Reports of X Officials ...
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Was it legal for Elon to sell X to Elon?
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Elon Musk's X Corp sues California to undo content moderation law
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Can I Sue X (Formerly Twitter)? - FindLaw
Jun 23, 2025 · Section 230 essentially grants X immunity from most civil claims, including defamation, based on third-party content. You also wouldn't be ...
[209]
Media Matters sues Elon Musk's X over 'libel tourism' legal assault
Mar 10, 2025 · Media Matters sues Elon Musk's X over 'libel tourism' legal ... defamation litigation over the same actions that led to the other lawsuits.
[210]
Trump, Musk's X Corp clash at US appeals court over account ...
Oct 4, 2023 · Musk's X sues nonprofit that fights hate-speech · Trump fights Twitter ban at U.S. appeals court · Trump hires former 9th Circuit judge Kozinski ...
[211]
'Deceives users': Elon Musk's X found in breach of EU online content ...
Jul 12, 2024 · Elon Musk's social media platform X is in breach of the European Union's online content law, according to preliminary findings by regulators.
[212]
E.U. Prepares Major Penalties Against Elon Musk's X
Apr 9, 2025 · European Union regulators are preparing major penalties against Elon Musk's social media platform, X, for breaking a landmark law to combat illicit content and ...Missing: moderation | Show results with:moderation<|separator|>
[213]
Elon Musk's X faces potential $1 billion fine from EU regulators: Report
Apr 4, 2025 · The penalties, which include the fine, would also reportedly require X to make changes to the platform and are expected to be announced this ...
[214]
The EU has fined Meta and Apple. What happened to X? - Politico.eu
fining Apple and Meta hundreds of millions of euros for breaking digital ...
[215]
Musk's X banned in Brazil after disinformation row - BBC
Aug 30, 2024 · X, formerly Twitter, has been banned in Brazil after failing to meet a deadline set by a Supreme Court judge to name a new legal representative in the country.
[216]
Brazil lifts ban on X after Elon Musk complies with court demands
Oct 8, 2024 · Brazilians are set to regain access to X after a supreme court judge lifted a ban introduced nearly six weeks ago as a result of Elon Musk's failure to comply.
[217]
Brazil's top court orders Elon Musk's X platform to pay fine | Reuters
Feb 20, 2025 · Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered the social media platform X owned by billionaire Elon Musk to pay a fine of 8.1 million reais.
[218]
X says 'free speech has prevailed' after eSafety commissioner drops ...
Jun 5, 2024 · Elon Musk's X has declared that free speech has prevailed after the eSafety commissioner decided to drop the federal court case over the company's failure to ...Missing: pressures DSA Brazil ban
[219]
Elon Musk on X: "The Australian censorship commissar is ...
Apr 19, 2024 · The Australian censorship commissar is demanding *global* content bans!Missing: regulatory pressures EU DSA Brazil
[220]
India legal setback for Elon Musk's X in free speech fight - BBC
Sep 25, 2025 · An Indian court dismissed a case filed by X against a government portal that it argued was being used for censorship.
[221]
'Concerned over Centre's order to block accounts, exploring all legal ...
Jul 8, 2025 · "On July 3, 2025, the Indian government ordered X to block 2,355 accounts in India, including international news outlets like @Reuters and @ ...Missing: Turkey UK
[222]
Access to X, YouTube, other online platforms restricted in Turkey ...
Sep 8, 2025 · Access to X, YouTube, other online platforms restricted in Turkey, internet monitor says ... Netblocks said the access blockage came as the main ...Missing: challenges | Show results with:challenges
[223]
Social media platform X challenges 126 account-blocking orders at ...
Mar 26, 2025 · Social media platform X said Wednesday it had filed a legal challenge with Turkey's Constitutional Court against a government order to block 126 user accounts.
[224]
Ofcom's approach to implementing the Online Safety Act
In the meantime, we will publish the final version of our transparency reporting guidance in July 2025, having consulted on this guidance in 2024. The ...
[225]
2025: Ofcom's Year of Enforcement | HUB - K&L Gates
Nov 13, 2024 · This alert outlines Ofcom's future approach to enforcement and recommends how businesses can best respond to avoid enforcement measures.<|separator|>
[226]
X axes European Commission's ad account after €120M EU fine
Politico article detailing X's termination of the European Commission's advertising account following a DSA fine for deceptive practices, highlighting the platform's claims of EU hypocrisy.
[227]
Commission fines X €120 million under the Digital Services Act
Official European Commission press release announcing the fine for breaching DSA transparency obligations.
[228]
X axes European Commission's ad account after €120M EU fine
Politico article detailing X's termination of the EU Commission's advertising account in response to the fine.
[229]
Elon Musk on X record-breaking downloads
Elon Musk's announcement of record-breaking downloads for X in Europe as of December 2025.
[230]
X Tops News App in 12 EU Countries
Report confirming X's achievement as the top news app in 12 specified EU countries in December 2025
[231]
Elon Musk on X
Elon Musk announces X is now the #1 source for news in every EU country following the EU fine.