Ki Young Ju, founder of CryptoQuant, has launched a barrage of criticism against platform X (formerly Twitter) for its failing management of cryptocurrency-related content. In a series of public statements, the executive accuses Elon Musk’s social network of penalizing legitimate users instead of tackling the root of the problem: the uncontrolled explosion of automated bots.
An unprecedented spam wave: +1,224% in a single day
The figures revealed by Ki Young Ju are staggering. Within a single day, more than 7.7 million posts containing the keyword « crypto » were generated by bots on X, representing a dizzying increase of 1,224% compared to usual levels. This avalanche of low-quality automated content has triggered a chain reaction that now affects the entire crypto community.
« As artificial intelligence advances, bots are inevitable, » Ju declared, pointing fingers at X’s inability to effectively distinguish automated accounts from human users. According to him, this failure constitutes the real problem. The spam wave has pushed the platform’s algorithm to delete or drastically reduce the visibility of legitimate crypto content, creating a paradoxical situation where real users are punished for the actions of robots.
The paid verification system: a resounding failure
Ki Young Ju did not spare X’s paid verification system, which he accuses of having failed in its role as an anti-spam filter. Worse still, according to him, this system now allows bots to « pay to spam. » This criticism echoes observations from numerous analysts who have documented the existence of automated accounts proudly displaying a blue verification checkmark since the introduction of the paid system.
« It’s absurd that X prefers to ban crypto content rather than improve its bot detection, » Ju protested. Meanwhile, authentic users from the crypto community see their reach considerably reduced, compromising their ability to share crucial information about markets, projects, and on-chain analyses.
The debate on Crypto Twitter’s « suicide »
The controversy took an explosive turn when Nikita Bier, product manager at X and Solana advisor, reversed the perspective by attributing Crypto Twitter’s visibility decline to users’ own behavior rather than to the algorithm. In a now-deleted post, Bier claimed that the crypto community is self-destructing by posting hundreds of low-value daily responses.
According to Bier, each post consumes part of a user’s daily influence capital. Since the average user only sees 20 to 30 posts per day, the platform physically cannot display all posts from an account to all its followers. « Crypto Twitter is committing suicide, it’s not an algorithm problem, » he stated, explaining that users waste their reach on hundreds of repetitive « gm » responses, leaving almost no visibility for their substantial content.
A community divided between self-criticism and accusations
These statements provoked an uproar in the crypto community. KALEO, co-founder of LedgArt, sharply criticized Nikita Bier for not adopting a user-centric approach, accusing him of attempting to stifle the crypto community on X and even calling for his resignation. Faced with this torrent of negative reactions, Bier finally deleted his original post.
The community’s reaction proved mixed. Some members acknowledged that Bier raised a valid point regarding the culture of « engagement farming » and the deluge of low-quality content flooding feeds. Many long-time users expressed frustration with timelines saturated with identical responses that bring no added value.
However, other users vigorously contested this analysis, arguing that it ignores X’s role in disrupting engagement with frequent and unpredictable algorithm changes. « They’re openly suppressing CT content, forgetting it’s an important niche keeping X alive, » said one crypto user, reflecting a widely shared sentiment of injustice.
X remains dominant despite concerning decline
Despite these controversies, X remains the primary real-time communication hub for crypto users, who use the platform to share market analysis, project updates, and breaking news. The platform maintains approximately 611 million active users and generates an average of 328 engagements per post, far surpassing Threads (58) and Bluesky (21).
However, data shows alarming trends. The overall engagement rate on X has steadily decreased, dropping from 5.04% in 2021 to only 1.57% in 2025. The platform’s declared advertising reach has fallen by 33 million users over the past year, while 20% of its daily user base in the United States has left the platform since Elon Musk’s acquisition in October 2022.
X’s initiatives to regain trust
In an attempt to address concerns, X has announced several initiatives. In January 2026, Elon Musk stated that the platform would publish its algorithm as open source within seven days, with updates every four weeks accompanied by detailed notes for developers. This decision aims to increase transparency, although critics wonder whether the code will be complete and truly up-to-date.
Additionally, X launched XChats in 2025, a messaging feature equipped with what Elon Musk calls « Bitcoin-style encryption, » along with ephemeral messages and audio/video calls. Built with the Rust programming language, this architecture aims to compete with WhatsApp and Signal, although experts have highlighted the technical imprecision of the term « Bitcoin-style encryption. »
The emergence of decentralized alternatives
This controversy illustrates the growing tensions between centralized platforms and their specialized communities. The crypto community is actively exploring decentralized alternatives like Bluesky, Mastodon, Farcaster, and Lens Protocol. These platforms have benefited from the exodus of users from X, with Bluesky reaching over 20 million users.
For crypto traders and investors who rely on X to detect market signals and sentiment, these developments require increased vigilance. As Ki Young Ju noted, the bot spam spike and algorithmic bans mean that trend and sentiment metrics extracted from the platform must be interpreted with particular caution.
The question remains: will X succeed in resolving its bot problem while maintaining the crypto community’s trust, or will this controversy accelerate migration to alternative platforms more respectful of specialized communities?
