X product chief says feed update will favor mutual followers
Nikita Bier said X had lacked data needed to show posts to mutual follows, and said a change should make the site feel more community-driven.
By Maya Lindqvist · Senior Technology Correspondent
2 min read
X is changing how its feed ranks posts after its head of product said the system had failed to account for an important social signal: mutual follows. Nikita Bier said Monday that the platform had been missing data tied to showing users posts from people they follow who also follow them back.
Bier said in a post on X that the change will increase the visibility of users’ posts among their mutuals. He framed the adjustment as a way to strengthen community on the platform, rather than have feeds dominated by posts from strangers and arguments that spread widely.
The comment amounted to an acknowledgment that X’s ranking system had not been using a piece of data that many users would expect to matter. Bier did not say how the data was absent from the algorithm or how long the problem had affected the service.
The Verge reported that Bier’s post came after other recent remarks about X’s ranking priorities. Last week, Bier said users who publish original material would “climb faster” on the platform.
That statement followed his admission that some top accounts on X had been sharing recycled or “stolen” material from other users, according to The Verge. The latest feed change appears aimed at shifting attention toward more direct social connections, though Bier did not provide technical details about the adjustment.
The update is part of a broader effort by X’s product team to change what gains reach on the service. Based on Bier’s comments, the company is trying to give more weight to posts from accounts with reciprocal relationships and to reward original posting over reused content.
X has not, based on the information reported by The Verge, provided a full explanation of the ranking error or published data showing how the mutual-follow change will affect reach. Bier’s comments leave open whether users will see a noticeable difference in their feeds or in engagement from people they know on the platform.
This story draws on original reporting from The Verge.