Elon Musk is raising the possibility that X (formerly Twitter) may soon remove the number of likes and reposts.
At Morgan Stanley's tech conference on Wednesday, the X owner said the current display for posts, particularly the number indicators, "could visually clutter content on the platform."
(Photo : Kirsty Wigglesworth/WPA Pool via Getty Images)
No confirmation date has been given on when the changes will roll out.
Reuters first reported Musk's statements.
The possible changes on X posts display came along with Musk announcing that the social media platform has received approval for online remittance in New York and California, as part of the sweeping changes the billionaire rolled out for his "everything app."
Also Read: Elon Musk's X Now Allows Video, Audio Calls; Users Tell Others to Turn it Off
Elon Musk Rolls Out Changes to X Amid Backlash
The possible removal of likes and reposts count is the latest questionable changes Musk has proposed since he acquired Twitter in October 2022.
Just a few months back, the billionaire also disclosed plans to remove the headlines and texts in article links posted on X because it "will greatly improve the aesthetics" of the platform.
This is coming from me directly. Will greatly improve the esthetics.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 22, 2023
The removal was implemented in October but was reversed just after a month following backlash from many users.
And just recently, in February, X rolled out audio and video calls for all users on the app.
Users quickly advised others to turn off the feature because it could leak a person's IP address to strangers and bot accounts.
A similar change was made to YouTube's dislike count in 2021, a decision that was met with strong pushback from its users. The same reaction is expected to result from Musk's announcement.
Related Article: X Brings Back Headlines for Linked Posts
X Still Struggling to Regain Lost Ad Revenues
It is also worth noting that the changes in the posts display came amidst X's efforts to bring more advertisers back to the platform.
X CEO Linda Yaccarino, for over the past months, has been encouraging brands to return to X after Musk hurled profanities at the company.
Several big brands initially left the platform following a report exposing X of airing pro-Nazi and Antisemitic posts next to ads.
The exodus reportedly slumped X's ad revenues for the whole year.
