Elon Musk calls hashtags ‘unnecessary and ugly’, here’s how users are reacting

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has sparked a lively debate about the relevance of hashtags on the platform. In a recent post, Musk criticized hashtags, describing them as “unnecessary” and “ugly”, igniting a barrage of reactions from users.

The controversy began when Musk responded to feedback shared by an X user that referenced “Grok,” the platform’s AI tool. Musk commented, “Please stop using hashtags. The system doesn’t need them anymore and they look ugly.”

His remarks sparked a series of reactions that divided opinion among users of the social media platform. While some sided with Musk, arguing that hashtags have lost their relevance in an age of advanced algorithms, others staunchly defended their importance in organizing content and promoting discovery.

One user jokingly noted: “Please Mr Musk can I continue to use #TwoTierKeir? I hear he doesn’t like it! It’s a real shame; Keir Starmer is the name that keeps on giving with rhyming slang.”

Criticism of Musk’s stance was also widespread, with some users questioning the wider implications for how content is curated on X. One user commented: “The fact that the algorithm doesn’t ‘use’ hashtags is evidence that the algorithm over-manipulates the content we see. We should see everything posted by accounts we follow with the ability to search hashtags, not force the content the app wants us to see from accounts we don’t follow.”

Others reacted with sarcasm, with one user suggesting, “We should make #StopUsingHashtags trend,” capturing the irony of the situation.

The debate underscores the evolving role of hashtags in social media. Once a cornerstone of platforms like Twitter, hashtags have traditionally been a powerful tool for grouping content, driving community engagement, and amplifying conversations around trending topics. Their decline in relevance could signal a shift in how platforms manage content visibility and user engagement.