Elon Musk Says X Will Open-Source Its New Algorithm Within Days

Elon Musk has said that X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, will make its new recommendation algorithm open source within days, a move framed as a push for greater transparency as the company faces mounting regulatory pressure in Europe.

In a post published on January 10, Musk announced that the platform would publicly release the code used to determine which organic and advertising posts are shown to users. “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,” he wrote, adding that the process would be repeated every four weeks with detailed developer notes explaining changes.

Based on Musk’s timeline, the release is expected around January 17.

The announcement comes as X and Musk’s artificial intelligence company, xAI, remain under scrutiny from regulators in the European Union and the UK. On January 5, authorities said they were aware of reports alleging that X’s AI chatbot, Grok, had been used to generate sexually explicit content, including material that appeared to depict minors.

European Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier criticised the feature, saying: “This is not spicy. This is illegal. This is appalling. This is disgusting.”

Musk previously warned that “anyone using Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content.”

Regulatory pressure has continued to build. On January 8, EU officials said a retention order previously sent to X — requiring the preservation of data linked to potential illegal content and algorithmic practices — would be extended until the end of 2026.

Last month, the European Union fined X €120 million (about $140 million), citing violations of the bloc’s Digital Services Act. The penalty was linked to concerns over the platform’s paid verification system, transparency around advertising data, and limited access for researchers to public platform data.

X has also faced legal challenges in France. In July 2025, French prosecutors launched an investigation into alleged algorithm manipulation and fraudulent data extraction by the company or its executives, following complaints from government officials about suspected foreign interference. Prosecutors later expanded the probe to cover X as both a corporate entity and individual actors.

At the time, X rejected the investigation as politically motivated, warning that authorities were seeking access to its recommendation algorithms and real-time user data under what it described as excessive investigative powers.

As regulators continue to examine how platforms shape online discourse, Musk’s pledge to open-source X’s algorithm is likely to be closely watched by policymakers, researchers, and users alike.