Musk to open-source X recommendation algorithm; Buterin demands verifiable transparency

Beincrypto reports Elon Musk announced that X’s recommendation algorithm — which governs organic and ad content distribution — will be open-sourced in seven days, with updates every four weeks and developer notes explaining changes.

Ethereum co‑founder Vitalik Buterin offered cautious support but emphasized that transparency must be verifiable, not just published code. He proposed auditing anonymized likes and posts with a delay to prevent gaming, warned that four‑week updates may be over‑ambitious, and suggested a longer, possibly one‑year, horizon for full verifiability. Other community voices have urged cryptographic proofs or on‑chain timestamps to show how content is evaluated, while some users have argued for simpler, deterministic feed sorting based on follows, likes and timestamps.

Supporters and critics say open code is only a first step: without verifiable outcomes and replayable data, the power imbalance between platform operators and users would remain. As the open‑source rollout approaches, observers will watch whether Musk’s pledge meets those standards of verifiability or leaves questions about accountability unanswered.

Key Topics

Tech, Elon Musk, Vitalik Buterin, X, Open Source, Zk Proofs