{"id":5684,"date":"2025-10-03T16:05:57","date_gmt":"2025-10-03T23:05:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tweetdelete.net\/resources\/?p=5684"},"modified":"2025-10-09T18:09:02","modified_gmt":"2025-10-10T01:09:02","slug":"elon-musk-fired-x-engineer-after-being-told-his-posts-were-losing-reach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tweetdelete.net\/resources\/elon-musk-fired-x-engineer-after-being-told-his-posts-were-losing-reach\/","title":{"rendered":"Elon Musk Fired X Engineer After Being Told His Posts Were Losing Reach"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Elon Musk fired an X engineer after being told his posts were losing engagement, a new book and earlier reporting say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"666\" data-id=\"5686\" src=\"https:\/\/tweetdelete.net\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1000w_q95.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5686\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tweetdelete.net\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1000w_q95.webp 1000w, https:\/\/tweetdelete.net\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1000w_q95-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/tweetdelete.net\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1000w_q95-768x511.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Elon Musk \u2014 U.S. Air Force photo by Trevor Cokley (public domain)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_75 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-69d4f1c81ba39\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-69d4f1c81ba39\"  aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/tweetdelete.net\/resources\/elon-musk-fired-x-engineer-after-being-told-his-posts-were-losing-reach\/#What_the_new_book_says\" >What the new book says<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/tweetdelete.net\/resources\/elon-musk-fired-x-engineer-after-being-told-his-posts-were-losing-reach\/#The_meeting_and_the_firing\" >The meeting and the firing<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/tweetdelete.net\/resources\/elon-musk-fired-x-engineer-after-being-told-his-posts-were-losing-reach\/#A_concrete_example_that_followed\" >A concrete example that followed<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/tweetdelete.net\/resources\/elon-musk-fired-x-engineer-after-being-told-his-posts-were-losing-reach\/#Context_inside_X_after_the_takeover\" >Context inside X after the takeover<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/tweetdelete.net\/resources\/elon-musk-fired-x-engineer-after-being-told-his-posts-were-losing-reach\/#What_to_bear_in_mind\" >What to bear in mind<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_the_new_book_says\"><\/span>What the new book says<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Jacob Silverman\u2019s upcoming book <em>Gilded Rage: Elon Musk and the Radicalization of Silicon Valley<\/em> recounts an episode from 2023 in which Musk reacted angrily when engineers told him his account was attracting far fewer impressions than his follower count would suggest. The excerpt frames the episode as part of a wider pattern of upheaval after Musk\u2019s $44 billion purchase of Twitter, now X.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_meeting_and_the_firing\"><\/span>The meeting and the firing<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>According to reporting first published by Platformer and repeated in Silverman\u2019s book, Musk convened senior engineers to investigate why his tweets were getting only \u201ctens of thousands\u201d of impressions despite having more than 100 million followers. Engineers presented internal metrics and Google Trends data showing a sharp fall in public interest. One of the company\u2019s two remaining principal engineers reportedly gave that explanation and was told by Musk, \u201cYou\u2019re fired, you\u2019re fired.\u201d Platformer withheld the engineer\u2019s name for safety reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_concrete_example_that_followed\"><\/span>A concrete example that followed<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The book and contemporaneous reports highlight a Super Bowl incident in which President Biden\u2019s tweet about the game drew roughly three times the views of Musk\u2019s own post. That comparison allegedly prompted Musk to demand changes to the recommendation algorithm and to order staff to track how often his tweets were recommended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Context_inside_X_after_the_takeover\"><\/span>Context inside X after the takeover<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Silverman\u2019s account places the firing in a larger collapse of engineering and moderation systems after the takeover. The company cut roughly half its workforce, restored previously banned accounts, and suffered a steep drop in advertising revenue. The episode is presented as an example of how decisions about the platform became tightly focused on Musk\u2019s personal priorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_to_bear_in_mind\"><\/span>What to bear in mind<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The story in Silverman\u2019s book is based on reporting that first appeared in Platformer in 2023. Multiple news outlets have repeated the account; Platformer and other outlets have redacted the engineer\u2019s name because of documented harassment directed at former employees. The book is due from Bloomsbury in October.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Elon Musk fired an X engineer after being told his posts were losing engagement, a new book and earlier reporting say. What the new book says Jacob Silverman\u2019s upcoming book Gilded Rage: Elon Musk and the Radicalization of Silicon Valley recounts an episode from 2023 in which Musk reacted angrily when engineers told him his &#8230; <a title=\"Elon Musk Fired X Engineer After Being Told His Posts Were Losing Reach\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/tweetdelete.net\/resources\/elon-musk-fired-x-engineer-after-being-told-his-posts-were-losing-reach\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Elon Musk Fired X Engineer After Being Told His Posts Were Losing Reach\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":5686,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[],"coauthors":[19],"class_list":["post-5684","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tweetdelete.net\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5684","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tweetdelete.net\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tweetdelete.net\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tweetdelete.net\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tweetdelete.net\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5684"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/tweetdelete.net\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5684\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5703,"href":"https:\/\/tweetdelete.net\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5684\/revisions\/5703"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tweetdelete.net\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5686"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tweetdelete.net\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5684"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tweetdelete.net\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5684"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tweetdelete.net\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5684"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tweetdelete.net\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=5684"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}