X pauses creator monetization changes after user backlash

Social media platform X has officially paused its planned changes to its creator revenue-sharing program—the platform’s monetization feature—following widespread user criticism. Late Tuesday, Nikita Bier, X’s Head of Product, announced the policy change, which was scheduled to start on Thursday. However, hours after the announcement, Elon Musk, owner of X, confirmed the reversal, stating the company will “pause moving forward with this until further consideration,” which effectively halted the rollout of the new rules for creator monetization.

The proposed policy aimed to prioritize impressions from a creator’s home region to discourage users from gaming the algorithm—defined as manipulating platform metrics to gain artificial reach—by targeting larger audiences in the U.S. or Japan. Nikita Bier, X’s Head of Product, noted the goal was to foster more relevant, local conversations rather than incentivizing global reach. He explained that X would give more weight to impressions from a creator’s home region to encourage content that resonates with people in their own country, neighboring countries, and those who speak the same language. He added that while the company appreciates opinions on American politics, the change was intended to disincentivize gaming the attention of US or Japanese accounts, encouraging creators to build local audiences to make X a richer community when there are relevant posts for people in all parts of the world.

The proposed creator payout feature seemingly has roots similar to previous profile information changes intended to combat misinformation. Last November, X introduced a new field in the profile information section to show the country or region where an account is based, aiming to identify if an account is authentic or a bad actor looking to spread misinformation. This aligns with other recent policy shifts. Earlier this year, X changed its rules to bar accounts from creator payouts for 90 days if they use AI to post misleading content about war without disclosures. These measures come amid ongoing scrutiny of the platform’s content moderation. Last month, the publication Wired reported that X was reportedly a ripe ground of misinformation after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran.

Why it matters

The platform’s attempt to curb algorithm gaming by prioritizing local-region impressions faced significant user backlash, highlighting the tension between fostering local community engagement and the reality of creators who rely on global audiences.