What X's $1 million creator contest revealed about Musk's platform
Source: NBC News
Feb. 7, 2026, 12:13 PM EST
When Elon Musk’s social media platform X launched a contest to promote its “Articles” feature, the guidelines were explicit: Submissions “must not contain political, or religious statements.” But when the company announced the winners on Tuesday, the results appeared to contradict those rules. While the stated criteria emphasized high-quality writing and nonpolitical content, more than $2 million in prize money largely flowed to users ranging from popular right-wing influencers to anonymous accounts whose content mirrored the policy positions and grievances Musk has amplified since acquiring the platform.
The $1 million grand prize went to X user @beaverd for an article titled “Deloitte, a $74 billion cancer metastasized across America,” which aggregated data about government contracts with the consulting giant. Deloitte contracts were targeted for cuts by the Department of Government Efficiency when Musk was leading the Trump administration initiative. DOGE terminated at least 127 Deloitte contracts, according to Business Insider.
Musk personally engaged with the winner prior to the announcement, replying “Troubling” to the user’s article on Jan. 20. Musk had also responded to a post by @beaverd claiming fraud at Minneapolis day care centers, writing, “Wow.” The user has a history of racist and fringe posts on X.
In one post, @beaverd wrote, “i think america is ready for a shade of white lets send those somali’s back.” In another, the user said, “we gave multi culturalism a good college try it doesnt work. no more white guilt.” In December, Musk made a post saying “No more white guilt” as well.
Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/x-pays-1-million-prize-creator-history-racist-posts-rcna257768
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