X has tweaked its recommendation algorithm so conversations show more posts and replies from people who follow each other. Nikita Bier says mutual-follow data was missing from parts of X’s ranking system, which meant friends were showing up less often in replies and Threads were starting to feel like battlegrounds run by strangers. This update gives mutuals a lift in one of X’s most visible areas. It also lines up with a broader push to favor better conversations over raw engagement: more weight on replies, more reward for original posts, and less payoff for outrage, pile-ons, reposts, and content that’s recycled or flat-out stolen.
If you use X to actually talk with people, this is a change to keep an eye on. X still hasn’t shared any A/B test results or user data, though. And it’s happening while Meta’s Threads keeps adding community features, Bluesky leans harder into smaller, more personal spaces, and X shifts users away from Communities and toward group chats and custom timelines.
