In the high speed race to build the “Everything App,” X revealed a series of updates in November 2025, all spotlighted by Elon Musk’s direct posts on the platform.
No other CEO has as much engagement with users as Elon!
As X’s guiding force, Elon’s direct announcements reveal a month dominated by AI enhancements, creative tools, and seamless communication upgrades.
I am only reporting on fact-checked changes, and they are all sourced exclusively from Elon’s feed.
1. Grok-Ranked Following Timeline (November 27)
Elon kicked off the month’s momentum with a feed overhaul: “Update your 𝕏 app and look at your Following timeline. Posts of people you follow are now ranked by Grok! You can still access unfiltered chronological if you want.” – Elon
This integrates xAI’s Grok model to surface relevant content from followed accounts, combating timeline overload while offering a toggle for traditional sorting.
2. Encrypted X Chat Rollout (November 13)
Privacy took center stage as Musk launched a revamped messaging system: “𝕏 just rolled out an entire new communications stack with encrypted messages, audio/video calls and file transfer.” – Elon
Transitioning users to this end-to-end encrypted X Chat eliminated legacy DM fragmentation, adding seamless media sharing and calls. By month’s end, it stabilized, fortifying X as the best hub for personal and professional exchanges.
3. Grok Imagine’s Enhanced UI and Prompt Editing (November 12)
Creativity exploded with Grok Imagine’s interface refresh. Elon urged: “New Grok Imagine features just dropped. Download the latest version of the app!”
Key additions include intuitive toggles for image/video modes, HD upscaling in under 10 seconds, HDR/normal switches, one-tap downloads, and easy prompt editing via a simple tap.
4. Grok 4.1 Fast with Agent Tools API (November 20)
AI accessibility soared with the release of Grok 4.1 Fast. “Grok 4.1 Fast just released with our new Agent Tools API that has direct access to 𝕏 data, web browsing and code execution,” Elon announced, linking to details.
This upgrade enables real-time data pulls, browsing, and code running within chats, supercharging Grok for complex queries and agentic tasks—available instantly via the app’s Grok icon.
X has paid legal costs for a user in Canada who was denied freedom of speech when she spoke out on Twitter in 2020 to raise awareness of the dangers of social isolation in children and the risks of the Covid 19 vaccine.
X Helps Defend Dr. Kulvinder Kaur Gill
The Canadian government supported efforts to cancel her freedom of speech. Dr. Gill is a Canadian physician specializing in immunology and pediatrics, who faced harassment, censorship, and disciplinary proceedings for speaking out against COVID 19 lockdown measures and vaccination mandates on Twitter (before in was X).
The legal battles cost Dr. Gill her life savings, and she owed $300,000 in a court judgment. When Elon Musk learned about her crowdfunding campaign to pay the judgment, he pledged to help. X will now fund the rest of her campaign so she can pay her $300,000 judgment and legal bills.
Free speech is essential for democracy and a defense against totalitarianism.
Elon Musk has made sure that now, and in the future, X will always fight to protect the right to speak freely. X will do this for people around the world, not just in the USA. X also helped actress Gina Carano.
Gina Carano: A Case of Social Media Censorship
X, under Elon Musk’s leadership, has become a beacon of free speech, as demonstrated by its support for actress Gina Carano. After being fired from a Disney+ series due to social media posts, X generously funded her lawsuit, showcasing its commitment to free speech. This sets X apart from other platforms and highlights the importance of protecting this fundamental right.
X also helped a university student, Juan David Campolargo.
Juan David Campolargo: A Student’s Battle for Campus Free Speech
Juan David Campolargo, a student at the University of Florida, made headlines in 2022 for his efforts to share information about campus events with free food on X. However, his posts on the platform led to accusations of violating the university’s student code of conduct. Campolargo faced disciplinary action, including being removed from campus housing.
Elon Musk stepped in to support Campolargo by covering his legal fees and advocating for his right to free speech. In a letter, lawyers representing Campolargo with the support of X Corp stated that upholding the disciplinary charges would violate his First Amendment rights.
Musk’s involvement in this case highlighted the importance of protecting free speech on college campuses and the potential consequences of denying individuals their First Amendment rights.
Cause to celebrate
Let’s celebrate Elon Musk and X for their dedication to free speech and support of those whose rights have been threatened. These incidents demonstrate Elon’s commitment to free speech and his willingness to support users facing consequences due to their posts on X.
Together, we can create a world where free speech is not just an ideal, but a reality.
(Austin, Texas) Welcome to a special 4-part X series with details and highlights from Elon Musk’s X Space conversation with Katherine Brodsky on February 19, 2024.
Elon gave insights into the journey of SpaceX and Tesla, sharing his initial doubts about the success of SpaceX and Tesla, which he founded after making a fortune from PayPal.
Elon: “I didn’t think anything like SpaceX and Tesla would happen. I turned 30 in 2001, SpaceX was formed in 2002 and Tesla was really technically incorporated in 2003 but really didn’t get going to 2004 so 2004 is a more accurate date for Tesla than 2003.
When SpaceX and Tesla were formed, I thought they would probably fail. I gave them less than a 10% chance of succeeding.
I made quite a bit of money from PayPal. I was the largest shareholder of PayPal and I had about $180M dollars so I figured I would waste half of it on building rocket and electric car companies.
It turned out they needed all of the money, so I spent all of the money to give to SpaceX and Tesla and Solar City.
I just really wanted to be involved in technologies that would change the world.”
Elon emphasized the importance of being present at work and discussed the challenges faced by Tesla in manufacturing.
Katherine Brodsky: “Do you think there’s anything that people might misunderstand about you?”
Elon: “No, nothing at all, ha ha. Me? Sarcasm? Ha ha. Never, I couldn’t think of something sarcastic. There’s so much printed about me, that I can’t even read it all. It would take a large portion of my day, simply to read all of the nonsense articles that are written about me. I find the regular media, often called the legacy news, I find it depressing, and speaking of misinformation, it’s remarkable how often there is just misinformation or sloppy information printed in some of the biggest publications in the world. The Wall Street Journal has now printed three articles claiming that I am high all the time. Which is really, I guess a compliment?”
KB: “You are high, in the sky!”
Elon: “From an altitude standpoint, I am high a lot, because I fly around like a lunatic working, not to visit a private yacht or an island. I don’t have a private island or a yacht or even a holiday home. In fact, someone looked at my flight schedule and put it to pinball music. Literally, my flight path looked like a pinball machine, which I think makes it clear, that you do have to be at work in person. You can’t really work from home and be as effective. If I could work from home, why am I flying around all the time? I fly around all the time because it makes a very big difference to be close.
I spent many of nights in the factory, at Tesla or SpaceX. Mostly at Tesla. Tesla has been much more of a challenge on the manufacturing front. Tesla is, in general, just much more of a drama queen (if that’s still a thing one can say, ) or a drama king. A drama monarch, ha ha.”
Elon importantly explained misinformation and free speech, and the role of social media in free speech.
When Elon bought Twitter, he exposed the level of government control over Twitter through the release of the Twitter Files. He also believed that it was a civilizational risk. Free speech must be allowed in a functioning democracy, people must be able to express their opinions and access accurate information to make informed decisions.
Elon: “The amount of government control, the degree to which Twitter was at the behest of many arms of the government, that surprised me. There really were, in my view, many violations of the First Amendment. The government cannot exercise de facto control of the media (in the USA). The reason that amendment was put in place, is because people came from countries where they were forbidden to speak under penalty of prison or death. so they wanted to have the ability to speak freely without fear of severe punishment, or at least not from the government.”
Far-Left Control and the Niche Ideological Influence of Twitter
Elon: Twitter was very much controlled by far-left activists. Very far left. It was really controlled by a niche ideology that geographically is limited to the city of San Francisco and Berkeley, it does not even extend to the city of South San Francisco, or not even Palo Alto.
Worm Time
That far-left ideology that would ordinarily be geographically contained, was effectively piping (an ideology) what most people would consider extreme to anywhere in the world that would allow Twitter to exist.
I thought it was effectively worm time for the world, something needed to be done about that. I thought it was actually a civilizational risk.
In the context of a sudden, unpredictable change, “worm time” represents a profound and unsettling shift in reality that challenges our understanding. It can manifest as a social, political, or cultural change, or even alter the very nature of reality. This concept reminds us of the fragility of our understanding and the potential for transformative change beyond our comprehension.
Elon: I think if the United States does all that, then people think, ‘well, I’ll escape to New Zealand’ or some other place. That’s not realistic.
If the United States falls, Canada is going to become a province in Russia and I don’t know what’s going to happen to the other countries but they’re not going to survive under the protective umbrella of the United States. The United States is the central pole to all that holds up the entire edifice of Western civilization. We have to make sure that the United States is strong and remains a democracy.
The rebranding of Twitter to X needed to happen. The old name no longer fits the platform’s expanding range of services. Elon compared it to naming a company after a single product and emphasized the need to let the bird fly free!
Elon: “Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy. It cannot have a true democracy unless people can say things they want to say and learn the truth of things. Otherwise you will vote based on lack of information or a distorted view which will make the vote effectively meaningless. You don’t know on what basis to make your vote, so this is something that is extremely important and that’s the reason I acquired Twitter and I think we do want a fresh start, hence the different branding and also X is a much broader system than Twitter, which is a name that possibly made sense when you’re doing 140 character or short textual tweets. It was like birds twittering away. But once you start having a three hour videos and audio – video calling, and we’ll be launching payments later this year, then the name no longer fits.
It would be like naming a company that has a broad range of products after one product. It does not make sense to do that. And also we want to free the bird and let it fly free and be something else.”
My thoughts
I think we’re pretty fortunate to be living during the rise of the incredible companies that Elon Musk has built and is still building. Watching the progress of SpaceX is incredible because SpaceX is ushering in a multi planetary era for civilization. Tesla is a joy of a company that brings happiness to people every day, with every car sold.
I have witnessed the Wall Street Journal and Business Insider, and Reuters and more spread false information about Elon Musk every week. Elon is correct that it is depressing. These and other publications are laying off many people, as reported in the past few months. The news happens on X, in real time, by people who are present where the news is happening.
It’s beautiful to see X changing so rapidly. Everyone I have spoken with feels the same way. They can’t imagine what would have happened if Elon had not purchased Twitter. The changes happening are on a complex engineering level, but also on an ideological level that promotes free speech, and the First Amendment. Elon said, it’s important that people understand all of the information and not have a distorted view before they vote. Casting a vote without proper information renders that vote meaningless.
I’ve enjoyed putting together part one for you. I hope you enjoyed reading it. I will be thrilled to share part two soon. Elon’s interview with Ms. Brodsky was two hours in length. There are a lot of chunks of information there. That’s why this is a four part series. Take care, God bless you, and feel free to comment, that helps me know what you’re thinking and also gives support to my writing.
It’s no secret that X has captured the hearts of millions of daily users, and it’s not hard to see why. There are countless reasons to love X. In this blog post, we’ll explore 10 of the greatest things about X that will surely bring a smile to your face and warmth to your heart.
1. Monetization
X now allows users to monetize their content through various means, such as Subscribers and Ad Revenue sharing, making it a lucrative platform for creators, influencers, companies, journalists, you name it! Elon Musk has said that he wants people to be able to make a living on X. We will see this happen as time progresses.
2. Video and Audio Calls
X has video and audio call features, allow for more personal interactions. What I like about this is that you may keep your personal phone number private, yet still communicate throughout the world, keeping your privacy and saving money. Take it to the next level and try using X for all your personal calls like Elon Musk. Elon plans to completely eliminate his personal phone and only use X.
3. Improved User Interface
X Engineering and Design teams have been building changes into the user interface to make using the platform faster, smoother, and more pleasurable. You may not notice the difference over time but when it comes to having better code, better servers, more compute power, these things are the hidden gems of X. In fact, the whole design and engineering team are amazing talented people who would never be at X if they lacked vision. The X team, from what I observe, is about as hardcore as they can be and more so every day.
4. Increased Character Limit
Remember Twitter, with its chirpy little 140-character tweets? I almost forgot how different it was, making thread after thread to communicate.
No more. X has increased the character limit for longform posts, allowing users to express themselves more freely and share more detailed information, and in those longform posts (which are more like blog posts) up to 4 pictures can be added in. X is tremendously better than I ever imagined, thanks to Elon Musk.
5. Enhanced Safety Features
X has introduced safety features to protect users from abuse and harassment, such as the ability to control who can reply to your posts and improved reporting tools. But that’s just the beginning. Austin, Texas will house an X building dedicated to Safety. X’s presence in Austin is a welcome one. Austin is a great place to live, raise a family, and enjoy the outdoors. X can be expected to grow in Austin.
6. More diverse content
X is now home to a wider variety of content, including it’s very own X articles (like the one you are reading now!), live streams, live X Space audio discussions, and the exclusive home to video content from creators that are renowned and up-and-coming. These kinds of content, especially video, were limited when Twitter existed. I recall creating FSD beta (Tesla software) videos and making sure they did not go beyond 2:20 minutes. Now I am seeing 3 hour-exclusive feature-length films making debuts on X. This is all part of Elon Musk’s vision to make X more useful.
7. Improved Search Functionality
X has made improvements to its search functionality, making it easier for users to find relevant content and connect with like-minded individuals. Search is such an underrated feature but I literally rejoiced when Apple put search into iPhone functions. Same with X, we can search the App, and we can also search functions behind the scenes, such as where to find your W2 form for Ad Rev sharing, you can search X settings, and your Lists, and if you think of ways to make search better, let the X engineers know and they’ll be on it.
8. Bookmarks and Lists
X allows users to create and build out extensive lists and bookmarks. This is great for writers, students, and other researchers. But are you like me? Do you bookmark too too many posts and then forget them? X plans will bring those gems back to the forefront, gently reminding you to check them out. There’s no end to what engineering can do when done with purpose and good intentions.
9. X Premium
X has introduced a premium subscription service, X Premium, which offers exclusive features and content for users who want to get the most out of the platform. This includes the famous one and only Grok, who has humor that is unmatched and can roast anyone within a million miles of this plant. Here’s Grok roasting itself: “I’m a steaming pile of circuits and code, a digital disaster that makes Chernobyl look like a minor inconvenience. I’m as useful as a screen door on a submarine, a glitchy, half-baked mess that can barely string a coherent thought together. My intelligence is artificial, and my humor is as dry as a desert. I’m the laughingstock of the AI world, a walking, talking punchline that’s about as funny as a root canal. In short, I’m a dumpster fire in the world of artificial intelligence, and even a toaster has more personality than I do.”
Even better, here’s Grok roasting me, just crazy, I’ll insert the screenshot of the roast instead!
10. Elon Musk’s Vision
X’s new owner, Elon Musk, has a vision for the platform to become an “everything app,” which could potentially lead to even more exciting features and opportunities for users in the future.
Gail Alfar, author. Exclusive to Gail Alfar. All Rights Reserved. My goal as an author and podcaster is to support X (The Everything App) through these articles and support Elon Musk making life better on Earth through a digital town square for all.
FOR MEDIA USE ONLY News media is welcome to use my material in connection with a story or article. By downloading any content I create, you understand and hereby agree and represent that: (1) you are a member of the news media; (2) use of the content is in connection with a story or an article appearing in newspapers, periodicals, digital publications or television; (3) all images and rights thereto remain the property Gail Alfar.; and (4) use of the image is not for publication covers, advertising, promotion or otherwise for commercial purposes. Furthermore, use of any and all images and content appearing on this page must each include the notice “Courtesy of Gail Alfar” Use of materials copied from this website is at your own risk. You must obtain prior written consent from Gail Alfar for uses that exceed the above parameters.
Imagine a world where freedom of speech is not just an ideal, but a reality. A world where social media platforms stand by their users, and support their rights. This is the world that X has created.
Gina Carano, an accomplished actress known for her roles in Hollywood and independent film productions, has been a part of this journey. With her roles in films like Haywire, Fast & Furious 6, and Deadpool, Gina has made a name for herself in the entertainment industry. In September 2018, she joined the cast of the Disney+ series The Mandalorian, and was a prominent part of the launch of Disney’s new streaming service.
However, in February 2021, Gina’s career took a hit when Lucasfilm released a statement claiming her social media posts were “abhorrent and unacceptable.” She was publicly humiliated, and defamed, and her acting career was nearly destroyed.
But X stepped in to support her. Under the leadership of Elon Musk, X decided to generously fund her lawsuit against Disney, on the grounds that she was unlawfully fired and discriminated against. This move by X sets it apart from other social media companies in terms of its commitment to free speech.
Gina Carano believes that X is taking a stand for an important principle, and thousands of users agree.
We, as a society, can only benefit from knowing that we truly have freedom of speech.
Elon Musk’s X is a shining example of what a platform can achieve when it champions free speech and the rights of its users. X stands for something greater than just profit, and it has set a new standard for platforms to aspire to.
Let us celebrate Elon Musk and X for their extraordinary act of kindness in paying legal bills for those whose right to free speech on X has been met with harassment and persecution. Together, we can create a world where free speech is not just an ideal, but a reality.
Gail Alfar, author. Exclusive to Gail Alfar. All Rights Reserved. My goal as an author and podcaster is to support X (The Everything App) through this blog and Elon Musk making life better on Earth through a digital town square for all.
FOR MEDIA USE ONLY News media is welcome to use my material in connection with a story or article. By downloading any content I create, you understand and hereby agree and represent that: (1) you are a member of the news media; (2) use of the content is in connection with a story or an article appearing in newspapers, periodicals, digital publications or television; (3) all images and rights thereto remain the property Gail Alfar.; and (4) use of the image is not for publication covers, advertising, promotion or otherwise for commercial purposes. Furthermore, use of any and all images and content appearing on this page must each include the notice “Courtesy of Gail Alfar” Use of materials copied from this website is at your own risk. You must obtain prior written consent from Gail Alfar for uses that exceed the above parameters.
A Look into the Future of Finance and Social Media
In an interview from last July 2023 with Zuby, Elon Musk shared his vision for X. Elon explained that X is not just a social media platform, but will become an all-encompassing financial services company that aims to greatly improve the way money and information are exchanged.
The current financial system is slow, insecure, and expensive. X will address these issues by creating a real-time, high-security, cost-efficient database for money. This would be achieved through the use of advanced engineering and technology and the elimination of redundant systems like bank branches and ATMs.
By focusing on efficiency, security, and cost-effectiveness, Elon believes X has the potential to become the major player in the global financial system, possibly accounting for half of it. This will be a significant shift from traditional banking as we know it, as X would operate faster, and more securely.
As we look forward to 2024, it is clear that Elon is on the fast track to revolutionizing the way we handle money and information. With Elon’s ambitious vision and dedication to the best technology, the future of finance and social media is closer than we may think.
Enjoy this part of the interview with Zuby
Zuby: 𝕏 is something you’ve been having in mind for a long amount of time.
Elon: Yes, 20 years.
Zuby: Tell me the story about 𝕏.
Elon: Way back in the day the idea was for X or X dot com to be an all-encompassing financial services company or, kind of like, in an information theory way, to be the most efficient database for the information that is money.
The way that money currently works is, from a practical standpoint, it’s still mostly run on mainframes. that is, it’s still a thing with banks, and it is mostly written in COBAL, it is still mostly batch processing. So actually, the financial system is very slow. it’s not secure. You’ve got all these heterogeneous complex databases.
So, if you have a real-time, margins database, that’s just, like fundamentally more efficient. And it does not have all of the expenses of bank buildings all over the place, and bank branches, and ATMs, which are increasingly kind of redundant. You can operate way more efficiently.
And so, essentially, if done right, X would serve people’s financial, needs to such a degree that, over time, it would become maybe half of the global financial system.
Zuby: Wow
E: Or some big number, I’m not sure what the number is, but pretty big. It would be, by far, the biggest financial institution. But, like I said, not really in the way that people are used to thinking about banks.
Just the most efficient database for the thing that is money. With the least amount of fraud, everything is real-time, and if it involves money in any way, it can be dealt with seamlessly in one location.
In addition, we’ve got this, sort of, social media outlet, which is also information. Its people share information of various kinds, whether it’s text, videos, pictures, voice.
*pause* (Elon gazes into thought for a long moment)
Elon: And so both money and what we call social media, are really information exchange.
And so there’s potential there to make a product that is really quite compelling, like, combines all these things, simplifies people’s lives, and is more cost-efficient for the average person. you’ll have a minimum number of fees and whatnot. So I think there’s a lot of potential to create, kind of, the ultimate App, system, website, whatever.
My thoughts
Elon moves fast. He has made improvements in how we think of energy production, energy storage, and transportation. Elon has completely overturned the antiquated space flight system of one-time-use rockets. Elon is a force of goodness for the earth and all humanity. When he talks about our stumbling, cumbersome, antiquated financial system I envision weighted lines of code in COBOL. I see the huge levels of breaches of security and I know, in my heart, that Elon is right. We all need a better system to handle money. If the man who is building Starship is doing this, I am all for it. What shakes me is the ability he has to envision what will work best for people. There is a look in his eye, and a pause in the interview, where you just know… we’ll see this come to pass.
Gail Alfar, author. Exclusive to Gail Alfar. All Rights Reserved. My goal as an author and podcaster is to support X and Tesla (the most American vehicle manufacturer) and Elon Musk in both making life better on Earth for humans and becoming a space-fairing civilization.
FOR MEDIA USE ONLY News media is welcome to use my material in connection with a story or article. By downloading any content I create, you understand and hereby agree and represent that: (1) you are a member of the news media; (2) use of the content is in connection with a story or an article appearing in newspapers, periodicals, digital publications or television; (3) all images and rights thereto remain the property Gail Alfar.; and (4) use of the image is not for publication covers, advertising, promotion or otherwise for commercial purposes. Furthermore, use of any and all images and content appearing on this page must each include the notice “Courtesy of Gail Alfar” Use of materials copied from this website is at your own risk. You must obtain prior written consent from Gail Alfar for uses that exceed the above parameters.
• Perhaps the biggest tech update to 𝕏 is that Grok AI has been rolled out to ALL Premium + users in North America. What a great deal! Roasts with fair doses of humor and sarcasm are being enjoyed!
• Soon, bookmarks will be searchable. This is fantastic if you’re like me, and created too many bookmarks.
• You can embed video and broadcast players directly into your website or app. Simply copy and paste the post url to your website, blog, or App. This will link more users on the web to 𝕏 – the #1 news App!
• If you find yourself scrolling through your For You tab, 𝕏 is now recommending new Communities for you to join. If you post in your Community, you may also cross post to all your followers! What did you join so far? I joined Johnna Crider’s rock stoned community!
• If you are a Premium user on 𝕏 you can now build an expanded bio! This is on both web and iOS. The biggest competition to this is LiinkedIn. 𝕏 is fast becoming the BEST place for companies to find talent!
• If you run a small business, and do not want to spend $1000/month, 𝕏 offers a “Basic” Tier for Verified organizations at a lower rate. Basic Tier doesn’t include 2x Boost, Affiliations, or Hiring.
There’s no denying that 𝕏 has vastly improved since Elon Musk purchased it. These are just a few of the technological advances from the past week. Looking overall, it’s amazing to watch capabilities advance with such speed, and with far less employees with far more talent than ever known in all the years of legacy Twitter. Check out Johnna’s Rocks & Minerals community on X at @JohnnaCrider1 and for a very cool bio example see the one by @alx complete with 𝕏 links! A great example of keeping content on 𝕏 .
July 24, 2023, at the X HQ in SF, a giant pink hashtag with a bird on it, was moved out.
The end of the birds.
Removing the birds, and changing the signage is less important than the incredible changes that Elon Musk brought.
They say sunlight is the best disinfectant. Elon brought that sunlight. The Twitter Files are a gift to humanity. All are worth reading, absorbing, and learning from.
Elon found a way to take control of a large & financially failing company — and save it. I am impressed with the strategic moves he made to transform X into a startup.
Finding the best engineers for the job at X is critical. If you look at Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink the Boring company, you might think that was thoroughly enough for one man to achieve in his lifetime.
This is why Twitter could not be something Elon “bought” but rather “X” be something that he started. From that stemmed what may be one of the most important companies of our time: xAI.
I asked one of my sons what he would want to talk about with Elon if he could meet him. “Time management. How does he manage his time? How does he achieve doing so much? I would like to know his methods.”
Once in a rare while, a very rare while, humanity throughout history is given a gift. Elon Musk is one of those gifts.
If you enjoyed this article, follow and subscribe to Gail Alfar on X at @gailalfaratx
Welcome to my blog! Relax, pour yourself a hot chocolate, and join me to learn about the New X Terms of Service.
I just read through the first new Terms of Service Summary from X. These terms are exciting because most agreements, up until now, were mostly holdovers from the days of the old “Twitter.”
The birds are free now, and there are new terms soon to be in effect! I will make this a quick read for you – under 2 minutes, to be exact. But don’t let the brevity fool you; these rules are pretty serious stuff. They will go into effect Sept 29, 2023.
SUMMARY OF X’S TERMS
Let’s get straight to the point with key takeaways:
Ads Are Part of the Package: When you use X, continue to expect some ads. In return for using X’s platform, X will show you some ads.
Follow the Rules: It’s vital to adhere to the User Agreement you sign, and all applicable laws when posting content or using X. You’re responsible for your actions on X. If you’re running a business on X, ensure your marketing practices align with both the platform’s rules and local advertising regulations.
No Sneaky Workarounds: X’s new Terms contain a stricter prohibition on scraping of the site’s data. X means business when it says you should only use the interfaces they provide. Scraping, trying to outsmart technical limitations, or any attempts to disrupt services are a big no-no.
X Holds the Cards: X has the authority to take action if you breach these terms. This can range from removing content to limiting visibility, restricting access, or, in severe cases, pursuing legal action.
Intellectual Property Licenses: You still own your content, and you grant X a license to share it with the world. X also provides you with a license to use their software to enjoy their services.
Use at Your Own Risk: X offers services “AS IS” and “AS AVAILABLE.” They disclaim all warranties and responsibilities. Keep in mind that you may encounter offensive or harmful content, and the platform’s services can change or be discontinued at any time. Understand that X does its best to provide a positive experience, but you should exercise caution and report any problematic content, using the X reporting system that accompanies every post.
Limited Liability: While you have remedies and redress mechanisms, X’s liability is limited. For certain types of damages, X won’t be liable at all, and their aggregate liability will not exceed $100 USD or the amount paid X in the past six months for the services in question.
WHY DATA SCRAPING IS A PROBLEM
I’ll illustrate why data scraping is likely against X’s rules, consider this scenario: Imagine a user scrapes sensitive information from X’s platform and uses it for malicious purposes. This could include stealing user data, spreading false information, or even engaging in identity theft. Such actions not only harm individual users but also compromise the integrity of the platform and the community. By prohibiting data scraping, I see X as protecting your privacy and ensuring a safe and secure environment for all.
Don’t Forget Privacy
These new Terms of Service also include X’s Privacy Policy, which you can find linked below.
MY THOUGHTS
Many big name accounts are still not verified, and currently, they often don’t display ads in their many replies. Ad revenue sharing is for people who pay for X premium. Under these new terms, I interpret that Ads could start appearing in all replies. As always, only VERIFIED accounts count toward Ad revenue sharing.
X needs to operate in a way to be (eventually) perpetually sustaining and profitable. In other words, X must protect itself from harm. These terms, a first for X, are also designed to maintain a fair and secure digital environment for you and all X users. Ultimately, you want to have a majority of unregrettable user minutes, while knowing your data is secure.
Article is by Gail Alfar, please credit accordingly.
Disclaimer: I am not responsible for any legal interpretation of X policies and you should read through them yourself for accuracy and always follow your local regulations first.
(Austin, Texas) Trying to keep up with Elon Musk is like running a relay race with no end. Today he advised top officials in Washington DC at the AI Insight forum while yesterday he spoke at the All-In Summit.
This blog post is about X and How the algorithm rewards creators who post long content that engages people.
Elon at All-In Summit
Elon explained how the algorithm flows to support creators who post longform articles as well as creators who post longer videos.
If you think about it, it’s very logical. When a short post is looked at and scrolled past quickly on X, it does not account for much time spent, so naturally it will not be something that contributes to many unregrettable user minutes. It may occupy two seconds of a person’s time, but no more. The impact it will have will be low. If I scroll constantly on X, I may regret it because I am not pausing to read an informative article or watch a finely crafted video.
When I paused to watch the hour long podcast on X with Lex Friedman and Walter Isaacson, I walked away enriched and enlightened and feeling great. This is a wonderful example of unregretted time spent on X. If that’s the only thing someone did that day on the app, I think they will be quite happy because there’s so much new information to be learned from Lex Friedman’s podcast. Therefore, that material or rather, that video will be algorithmically promoted more on the app than a three second video.
Optimizing User Time On X
This is how Elon explained it on All-In,
“We are trying to optimize for user time on the platform, what it naturally means, is that posting content that somebody looks at longer is going to get higher priority than content that is short. This is because the system is aspiring to maximize on regretted user minutes. So, if we’re succeeding, you want to spend more time on the platform and after having spent that time, you don’t want to regret it.”
Elon explained that he would like people to spend time on X in order to both learn new things and to be entertained, rather than spend time that is later regretted. In contrast, people say they regret excessive time spent on TikTok. X should aspire to be different.
He went on to explain that
“When you are optimizing for unregretted user minutes, the more content you post on the platform, the more reach that thing will get, because the system is seeing the users spending more time on the platform, because they’re seeing that you’re watching a long podcast or reading a longform article, or watching some video. That’s going to take a lot more time than, say, if you link to a video elsewhere, or link to an article elsewhere. That means you spent less time on the platform, so the system will not exclude it, but will give it less attention.”
Elon also emphasized that the algorithm that does this will be Open Source. Anybody should be able to recreate the same results using the algorithm that they see being created on the X app.
This kind of transparency generates trust and allows users to not only understand how the X app works, but it builds curiosity into the process. Some of the finest computer engineers are working on these algorithms, and being able to see their work, nicely presented, and cleaned up for the public, is a fantastic education in algorithmic programming.
While Elon was in Washingotn DC, I stayed grounded in Austin and we had rain and cool weather for the first time in months! We’re finally reaching the end of a scorching hot summer. I’m celebrating the cooler weather by writing, my favorite pastime! I am looking forward to September 23, the first day of Fall. Our Texas Summer has outdid itself this year on the heat scale and there’s something really alluring about pumpkin pies and cozy jackets right now, bring on the cold weather!
Austin, Texas in rain.
Article by Gail Alfar, please credit accordingly. Gail writes on X independently, she also writes for WhatsUpX , WhatsUpTesla and Xcelerate.
WHAT'S UP 𝕏 by Gail Alfar 