Elon Musk isn’t pretending X’s algorithm is perfect — in fact, he called it “dumb” this week. But instead of hiding it, he opened the doors completely. X has now fully open-sourced its Grok-powered ranking system, giving the public an unusually detailed look at how the “For You” feed actually works.
It’s a move we rarely see from major social platforms. Engineers and researchers can dig through the code, understand how posts are ranked, and even point out flaws or improvements. Musk’s stance seems to be: if the algorithm needs work, why not let the world help make it better?
The result is a transparency-first approach that flips the usual playbook. Rather than keeping recommendation systems locked behind proprietary walls, X is betting on openness, community input, and real-time iteration.
Whether people agree with Musk or not, this shift toward open algorithms could set a new standard for how social platforms build trust.