X to Open Source "All Code" for Post Recommendations Next Week
Elon Musk has dropped a major announcement regarding the inner workings of X (formerly Twitter). In a move promising radical transparency, Musk stated that the platform will make its new recommendation algorithm open source within the next seven days.
Unlike previous partial releases, this update promises to include all code used to determine what users see—covering both organic content and advertisements.
The Announcement
On Saturday, January 10, 2026, Musk took to X to pledge that the platform's "black box" would be opened to the public. He wrote:
“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 further committed to a recurring schedule, stating that this process will be repeated every four weeks, accompanied by comprehensive developer notes to help the public understand exactly what has changed between versions.
What Is Being Released?
Musk’s promise covers the two most critical aspects of the user experience:
Organic Recommendations: This is the code that powers the "For You" feed. It determines which viral tweets, news, and replies surface in your timeline versus which ones get buried.
Advertising Logic: Unusually for a social media giant, Musk claims this release will include the logic behind ad targeting. This could reveal exactly why you are seeing specific products or sponsored posts.
Why This Matters Now
This isn't the first time X has dabbled in open source. In 2023, the company released parts of its recommendation code to GitHub. However, critics and developers noted that the release was static, quickly outdated, and lacked key components that would explain why specific content was prioritized.
This new initiative appears to be a response to two growing pressures:
Regulatory Scrutiny: The European Commission and French prosecutors have recently ramped up investigations into X regarding algorithmic bias, the dissemination of illegal content, and transparency obligations under the Digital Services Act.
The AI Shift: X has been aggressively integrating its AI model, Grok, into the recommendation pipeline. Musk has previously stated his goal for the recommendation engine to be "purely AI." Opening the code may be a way to audit how Grok is influencing what 100+ million daily users see.
What to Expect Next Week
If the rollout happens as promised, we can expect a new repository (likely on GitHub) that developers, researchers, and competitors will immediately begin to dissect.
Key things to look for:
Bias Detection: Researchers will look for "boosts" or "penalties" applied to specific topics, links, or media types.
Ad Transparency: Advertisers will be keen to see if the code matches the performance metrics they are sold.
Shadowbanning: The code may confirm or debunk long-standing theories about how the platform limits the visibility of controversial accounts.
While skepticism remains high given the platform's history of delayed features, a recurring, monthly open-source update would set a new industry standard for social media transparency.
Stay tuned for our technical breakdown once the code goes live next week.
