Elon is Right: Twitter Should Open Up the Algorithm

As long as they don’t commoditize the database of tweets and users, then it makes sense to increase the supply of algorithms that users rely on to get value every day from that database.

Some might make the argument that this would only increase polarization by sorting people into ever more distant filter bubbles. Right now we all already construct our own filter bubbles based on who we follow, this could take it one step deeper by integrating the filter bubble into the algorithm itself.  But I don’t think this is a real risk.... See more

Allowing anyone to develop algorithms would be a good idea for Twitter because it abides by the classic law of technology: “commoditize your complement”.  It sounds fancy but the basic idea is simple: if you’re selling a thing (like, for example, a smartphone), and there are other things that go well with that thing (like apps) then it’s a goo... See more

As everybody knows, Elon Musk wants to buy the company, and one of the ideas he’s pushing is to open-source the algorithm that decides how tweets are ranked in all of our timelines. Whether or not the sale goes through (seems unlikely), I actually think this is a great idea. In fact I would go further and argue Twitter should not only open-source t... See more

 I can imagine all sorts of fun experiments people could do here. For example, could you create an algorithm that downranks tweets that seem like shallow outrage, while promoting tweets that seem nuanced and thoughtful? What would an algorithm look like that is maximally aggressive in filtering out spam and bots? How about one that attempts to... See more