xQc loses it at “busted” Twitter algorithm always promoting Elon Musk posts

Top Twitch and Kick streamer Felix ‘xQc’ Lengyel couldn’t hide his frustration after being faced with numerous Elon Musk posts every time he refreshed Twitter (or X), calling out the “busted” algorithm.

Ever since Elon Musk bought Twitter for $44bn in April 2022, the platform has changed pretty dramatically.

It’s been rebranded to simply ‘X’, completely changed its verification process, laid off a huge number of staff, and is also reinventing the ‘block’ system.

It has even been reported that Musk demanded the platform’s algorithm purposely push his posts far more than any others, “artificially inflating his tweets by a factor of 1,000.”

xQc experienced that first-hand while livestreaming on Kick on October 20, and couldn’t contain his frustration at the constant appearance of Musk at the top of his feed.

“Look, oh my god, I’m about to go schizo mode,” he shouted, frequently refreshing his For You page and finding Musk’s posts right at the top. “Brother… On my phone, on my laptop, on my PC, on my alt account, I swear to god, every time I refresh, I get Elon Musk on my top page. That’s f**king busted.”

He ended his rant by simply saying that it is weird: “He buys the algorithm to favor himself. That’s so weird.”

At the time of the reported algorithm changes, Musk called out the reporting and said the source of it was just a disgruntled employee “poisoning the well on the way out,” but since then many users, just like xQc, see his posts at the top of their feeds every time they use the app.

While Musk has never openly admitted to “gaming” the algorithm in his favor, xQc certainly believes it to be true. He does always have the option of ‘muting’ Musk, which will prevent his posts from showing up. Alternatively, he could block him, but the block feature has also undergone some sweeping changes in 2024.