Musk to ban hashtags in X ads starting tomorrow
What's the story
Elon Musk, CEO of X, has announced a ban on hashtags in advertisements starting tomorrow. He described hashtags as an "aesthetic nightmare" and said they will no longer be allowed in advertisements on his social media platform. The decision comes months after Musk had previously criticized hashtags as "ugly" and suggested that AI tools could replace them.
Ad strategy
Users welcome Musk's decision
Musk's decision to ban hashtags from ads on X is aimed at creating a cleaner and more visually appealing user experience. The move has been welcomed by many users who agree with Musk's stance against the use of hashtags in ads. "Hashtags don't work I don't know why many people still use it," one user said. Another added, "Nice move. This should make the timeline more clean."
Tech integration
AI tools to replace traditional hashtags
Musk had previously suggested that AI tools could replace traditional hashtags. He claimed that X's discovery and search algorithm, powered by the Grok AI chatbot developed by his company xAI, can group and display subjects without the need for hashtags. This is part of Musk's broader vision to leverage advanced technology to improve the user experience.
Twitter Post
Take a look at Musk's post
Starting tomorrow, the esthetic nightmare that is hashtags will be banned from ads on 𝕏
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 26, 2025
Mixed responses
Some users are confused by the post
While some users welcomed Musk's decision to ban hashtags from ads on X, others were left confused by the post. However, it doesn't seem that the ban applies to hashtags on normal posts on the platform. Musk's latest move marks another major change since he took over Twitter in late 2022 and rebranded it as X.