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X to remove repeat follow-back spam accounts from creator payouts

X to remove repeat follow-back spam accounts from creator payouts

X said it removed nearly 4,000 accounts under tighter creator payout rules, as upgraded duplicate-content detection identifies stolen posts and shifts monetized views back to original creators.

Fact Check
The primary source—a post by Nikita Bier, X's head of product—confirms all core elements of the claim: ~4,000 accounts removed under tightened creator payout rules, upgraded duplicate-content detection (3x prior rate), and monetized impressions/views redirected to original creators, with over $1 million returned. The Odaily report independently corroborates with matching figures, and the Guardian confirms both Bier's role and the broader ongoing policy of cutting aggregator/clickbait payouts and redirecting revenue to original authors. The claim's headline framing ('repeat follow-back spam accounts') is a mild simplification of the actual categories (engagement solicitation plus duplicate content), but the substance is accurate.
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Summary

X has tightened enforcement around its creator revenue-sharing program by banning repeated “reply-for-follow” tactics and expanding detection of copied content. Accounts that use the tactic three times consecutively can be removed from the payout program and may face bans, and X said nearly 4,000 accounts were removed under the policy. The company also said its Grok-powered system now detects duplicate content with three times the accuracy of earlier models, allowing monetized views to be credited to original creators even when reposted content is altered with watermarks or intros. In the current cycle, X identified 1.5 million stolen posts and said more than $1 million in revenue will be returned to original creators, with repeated violations leading to permanent removal from the program.

Terms & Concepts
  • creator revenue-sharing program: A system that shares platform revenue with eligible creators based on platform monetization rules.
  • duplicate content: Reposted or copied material that is not original to the account publishing it.
  • monetized views: Views that count toward revenue earned by creators under a platform's payout system.