Elon Musk has announced a significant overhaul to the algorithm of X. Speaking through a series of posts on the platform, Musk emphasized enhancing user experience by promoting content that resonates positively with users and aligns with his concept of “unregretted user-seconds.”
The forthcoming changes allegedly aim to boost informational and entertaining posts while deprioritizing “negative” content.
In a series of posts, Musk detailed plans to highlight more informational and entertaining content while reducing the prominence of negativity in user feeds. “Algorithm tweak coming soon to promote more informational/entertaining content. We will publish the changes to @XEng. Our goal is to maximize unregretted user-seconds,” he wrote. Musk further suggested that content generating outrage or conflict, while it may increase time spent on the platform, often fails to leave users feeling satisfied.
This focus on “unregretted user-seconds”—time users perceive as valuable and free of regret—has drawn mixed reactions.
Proponents see it as a step toward improving user experience, but skeptics question how such an ambiguous metric will be defined and enforced. Who decides what content qualifies as “unregrettable,” and what happens to the voices and discussions that might not fit this mold?
However, Musk also revealed plans to allow users greater control over their content feeds. “We’re also working on easy ways for you to adjust the content feed dynamically, so you can have what you want at any given moment,” he stated. While this might sound empowering, it does raise some deeper questions. If the platform is steering users toward content deemed “unregrettable,” some have argued it may subtly enforce a sanitized version of discourse that prioritizes comfort over complexity or controversy.
Some users have already expressed unease about the announcement. “So… the beginning of a social credit system. Got it,” one commenter wrote, referencing fears that algorithmic changes could lead to content policing. Others questioned the vagueness of the terminology. “Am I the only one who doesn’t understand what unregretted user-seconds means?” one user asked, while another quipped, “Is this happy enough for you?!”
