Elon Musk transforms X platform with private likes

Elon Musk, the visionary behind the X platform, has decided to revolutionize the way users interact by eliminating public likes. This decision has stirred various reactions among users, with the Director of Engineering, Haofei Wang, confirming that likes will soon transition to being private.

The announcement of removing public likes came to light through Aaron Perris, a diligent researcher who uncovered a new feature in the X app for iOS that disables the likes tab on user profiles. Wang explained that this change aims to deter negative behavior that could be influenced by the visibility of likes. Many users tend to hold back from liking content due to concerns about potential criticism or maintaining a specific public image.

With likes becoming private, users are anticipated to engage more openly on the platform, leading to enhancements in the content recommendation algorithm. While users will retain the ability to see who liked their posts and the total number of likes on posts and replies, they will no longer have access to information regarding likes on other users' posts. Furthermore, the tab displaying all the posts a user has liked will be removed.

This shift, unlike Musk's previous announcements, seems to be progressing smoothly towards implementation. Although X had previously offered Premium subscribers the option to hide their likes, this forthcoming update will extend this feature to all users universally. The primary goal is to protect users from potential consequences of interacting with controversial content, as Wang elaborated.

Elon Musk's decision to make likes private on the X platform marks a significant step towards fostering a more positive and authentic user experience. By encouraging users to engage without the pressure of public scrutiny, X aims to create a more inclusive and supportive online community.