X Algorithm Explained: What Nobody Tells You
A like is worth 1 point.
A reply is worth 27.
If you reply back to someone who replied to you: 150 points.
That's from the actual source code. Not my guess.
The Algorithm Is Public. Nobody Reads It.
X published the code powering your For You feed to GitHub in 2025. It's called xai-org/x-algorithm. 16,500 stars, sitting there, free to read.
I went through it. Here's what actually matters.
The Weight Table (This Is What You're Missing)
The algorithm scores every post by predicting what action you'll take. Then it multiplies by weights:
One reply thread beats 150 likes. Every single time. The algorithm isn't measuring popularity, it's measuring conversation.
5 Things That Actually Change Your Reach
1. The first 15 minutes are everything.
Here's how the algorithm tests your post:
- 3+ engagements in 5 min → small boost, shown to more followers
- 10+ engagements in 15 min → expanded to non-followers
- Under 3 engagements at minute 15 → the tweet dies
Set a timer for 10 minutes after you post. Reply to everyone who engages. Every time you reply back to a comment, that's 150× a like. Most people post and disappear.
2. Stop putting links in your main tweet.
External links cut your reach by roughly 50%.
Since March 2026, non-Premium accounts with links in the main tweet get near-zero distribution. The algorithm suppresses anything that sends users off-platform.
The fix: post your content natively. Drop the link as your first reply. Same information. Double the reach. Takes 10 extra seconds.
3. Hashtags are a spam signal now.
The ranking model is a Grok-based AI that reads what your tweet actually says. It doesn't need hashtags.
Three or more hashtags triggers the spam filter. Use zero.
4. One report can ruin your week.
The negative weights are brutal:
A few spam reports can suppress your distribution for days. The Grok model also reads your tone, combative posts get lower reach even when engagement is high. Hot takes work. Being antagonistic doesn't.
5. Text beats video on X.
This is the only major platform where that's true. Text-only posts consistently outperform native video by around 30%. The reason: text drives replies. Replies are what the algorithm actually rewards.
What to Do Starting Today
If you only change one thing: reply to every comment in the first 15 minutes after you post.
That author-reply signal (150×) is the highest-weighted interaction in the entire model. You're leaving an enormous amount of reach on the table if you post and disappear.
Everything else in order of impact:
- Put links in Reply #1, never the main tweet
- Post at 8–10am ET or 12–1pm ET (velocity in the first window is everything)
- Use 0 hashtags
- End every post with something that makes people want to respond
The algorithm is trying to find conversations worth having. Your job is to start them.
Source: github.com/xai-org/x-algorithm — the actual repo, not a summary of a summary.
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