X is reducing payments to accounts that excessively post clickbait and rapid news aggregation, according to head of product Nikita Bier. All aggregators will see payouts decreased to 60% this pay cycle, with an additional 20% reduction in payments expected for the following pay cycle. Payments will also be reduced for users who frequently use “🚨BREAKING” in their posts.
All aggregators had their payouts reduced to 60% this cycle. We will add another 20% deduction in the next cycle.
It became abundantly clear: flooding the timeline with 100 stolen reposts and clickbait everyday crowded-out real creators and hurt new author growth.
The next step…
— Nikita Bier (@nikitabier) April 11, 2026
Bier emphasized that the platform will not support content manipulation and intends to enhance real creator growth. He stated, “It became abundantly clear: flooding the timeline with 100 stolen reposts and clickbait everyday crowded-out real creators and hurt new author growth.” His comments were prompted by reports from conservative news accounts indicating they had been demonetized.
Dominick McGee, known as Dom Lucre, expressed frustration over being demonetized without explanation. McGee, who has 1.6 million followers, claimed, “I was the first creator demonetized on this platform and I was for an entire year. I got it back and just lost it without any insight.” He previously reported earnings of $55,000 annually from X.
🔥🚨BREAKING: X just emailed me saying my creator monetization is paused and I received now warning. I was the first creator demonetized on this platform and I was for an entire year. I got it back and just lost it without any insight. How could this be possible? I am one of the… pic.twitter.com/L9L2q87Dp0
— Dom Lucre | Stealer of Narratives (@dom_lucre) April 10, 2026
McGee criticized the platform’s response to complaints, asserting that X is listening to those who do not create content. He acknowledged the labeling of posts as clickbait but defended his posting habits, stating, “I post hundreds of times and very few are BREAKING.” Some users noted discrepancies, citing that he used the term “BREAKING” 91 times within a week.
Other users expressed concern about the payout reductions. An account named PoliMath claimed to be unfairly categorized as an aggregator, stating, “I just had my lowest payout in a long time so I’m a little nervous that I somehow got caught in this ‘aggregators’ bucket.”
I think I appreciate what Nikita is trying to do there but I just had my lowest payout in a long time so I'm a little nervous that I somehow got caught in this "aggregators" bucket
Which, to be fair, I've had an unnaturally slow couple of weeks but also it seems like my reach… https://t.co/8wTfsA5SaM
— PoIiMath (@politicalmath) April 12, 2026
Bier’s announcement coincided with broader discussions regarding the platform’s value. Data analyst Nate Silver highlighted the difficulties of driving traffic from X to external websites and criticized the dominance of right-wing accounts. Bier countered Silver’s claims, asserting they were inaccurate, while Elon Musk referred to Silver’s posts as “bullshit.” Other analyses, however, have aligned with Silver’s observations about the platform.
