X has begun cutting payments to accounts accused of flooding timelines with clickbait and rapid fire news aggregation, in a move aimed at rebalancing content visibility and creator incentives on the platform. The company’s Head of Product, Nikita Bier, disclosed that payouts to aggregators were reduced to 60 per cent in the latest cycle, with a further 20 per cent cut expected in the next round.
Bier explained that the decision followed growing concerns that high volume reposting and sensational content were crowding out original creators and limiting growth opportunities for new voices. He added that accounts repeatedly using attention grabbing labels such as “breaking” on nearly every post would also face reduced earnings, stressing that while the platform would not restrict speech or reach, it would not reward manipulative practices.
The development comes amid complaints from some high profile users who reported being demonetised without clear explanations. Among them is Dominick McGee, a content creator with over one million followers, who argued that the changes unfairly affected active creators despite their contributions to engagement on the platform.
The policy shift has also sparked broader debate about the evolving value of X for content distribution. Analyst Nate Silver raised concerns about declining referral traffic and changes in the platform’s content ecosystem, claims disputed by X leadership and owner Elon Musk. Observers say the crackdown signals a tightening of monetisation rules as the platform seeks to prioritise originality and improve the overall quality of user engagement.