Social Network X to Charge Ads Based on Vertical Size and Remove Hashtags

Nuevos cambios en X. Elon Musk, owner of the social network, announced on Thursday night that from Friday, his platform will remove hashtags from advertisements. Additionally, the magnate confirmed that advertising will be charged based on its vertical size, although he did not announce the date when this measure will be implemented.

"Starting tomorrow, the aesthetic nightmare that are hashtags will be banned in X ads," Musk said in a tweet on his social network. A decision aimed at offering a "cleaner and more elegant" advertising experience, he explained.

Musk's decision will not affect regular users, who can continue using hashtags in their personal posts. However, the measure marks a significant change in how advertising is conceived on the platform.

Additionally, the owner of X announced, without specifying when this measure will come into effect, that depending on the size of the ad, the cost will vary: "An ad that takes up the entire screen will cost more than one that takes up a quarter of the screen." This measure is taken because "otherwise the incentive is to create giant ads that impair the user experience."

Since the birth of Twitter, now X, hashtags have been a fundamental tool for users to connect with different topics, trends, and movements discussed on the social network.

Elon Musk has always been opposed to hashtags, which he described as unnecessary and "ugly" in December 2024. In fact, Musk believes that AI-based systems, like the Grok chatbot developed by xAI, are now capable of grouping and presenting trends without relying on tags.

In fact, if you ask Grok about Elon Musk's message and whether there could be possible sanctions for continuing to use hashtags, it responds that "hashtags are still allowed in regular posts, so their widespread use is unlikely to result in suspensions or platform shutdowns." "The ban, which begins on June 27, 2025, only applies to ads. X typically uses moderation, such as reach limits for policy violations, not extreme measures. A shutdown or mass suspensions would harm the platform's business, making them unlikely," Grok adds. "If the use of hashtags becomes spam, standard moderation could be applied, but there is no evidence to suggest drastic measures for regular posts," Grok concludes in its response.