Amid Nazi salute row, Elon Musk says Twitter algorithm ‘sucks’; here's why

Elon Musk’s hand gestures at the inauguration ceremony for US President Donald Trump have sparked controversy online. Some compared them to Nazi salutes. Several far-right groups shared clips of Musk’s actions, where he placed his hand on his chest and extended it outward twice before saying. “My heart goes out to you.”

Neo-Nazi leaders, including one from Australia, highlighted the moment on social media. Some called it a “white power moment”, according to reports reviewed by AFP.

Elon Musk has now humorously criticised the algorithm for X (formerly Twitter), a social media platform he owns.

“If I see one more damn Nazi salute in my feed, I’m gonna lose my mind. This algorithm sucks!!” Elon Musk tweeted with a zany face emoticon, a goofy expression.

Elon Musk is defending himself after making the gesture at Trump’s oath-taking ceremony. While several critics have termed it a “Nazi Salute”, the world’s richest man calls it “dirty tricks”.

"Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The 'everyone is Hitler' attack is sooo tired," the Tesla CEO earlier tweeted.

On January 23, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended Elon Musk against claims that he gave a “Nazi salute”.

“Elon Musk is being falsely smeared. Elon is a great friend of Israel. He visited Israel after the October 7 massacre in which Hamas terrorists committed the worst atrocity against the Jewish people since the Holocaust,” Netanyahu wrote on X.

“He has since repeatedly and forcefully supported Israel’s right to defend itself against genocidal terrorists and regimes who seek to annihilate the one and only Jewish state. I thank him for this,” the Israel PM added.

Protest on Reddit

Meanwhile, over 100 Reddit communities have banned users from sharing links to X in protest against Elon Musk’s controversial hand gesture, according to the BBC.

Many Reddit users have said that they are unconvinced by Elon Musk’s defence. They have called his actions “hateful”.