--- title: "Elon Musk Bragged He Was Going to Open Source Twitter’s Code, Now Furious That Someone Leaked It Online" description: "Swathes of Twitter's source code leaked online months ago on GitHub, The New York Times reports, allowing practically anybody to get a detailed glimpse." date: "2023-03-27" modified: "2023-03-27" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-twitter-source-code" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "elon musk" - "the digest" - "twitter" --- # Elon Musk Bragged He Was Going to Open Source Twitter’s Code, Now Furious That Someone Leaked It Online ![Swathes of Twitter's source code leaked online months ago on GitHub, The New York Times reports, allowing practically anybody to get a detailed glimpse.]() *\Image: Getty Images/Futurism\* ## Source Code Leak Swathes of Twitter's source code leaked online months ago on GitHub, [*The New York Times* reports](), allowing practically anybody to get a detailed glimpse at the Elon Musk-owned company's underlying code. It's still unclear how long the source code was available for download, but according to the *NYT*, GitHub took it down the day after Twitter sent out a copyright infringement notice. The news has clearly ruffled some feathers at Twitter. According to a [Friday court filing](), the social media company is demanding that GitHub singles out the individual responsible for leaking the code. But given the fact that Musk has [repeatedly promised]() — and failed — to make Twitter "open source," that rage seems puzzling. More than a month ago, for instance, Musk [promised]() the algorithm would be "made open source next week," though he never made good on that commitment. After his takeover late last year, Musk [also fired]() the company's entire team dedicated to making the company's algorithms more transparent. ## Inverse Start-Up The leak — and hypocrisy — only add to the already precarious position of Musk and Twitter. On Friday, Musk told employees that the company he originally bought for $44 billion last year is now [only worth around $20 billion](). Musk used the news to justify extensive restructuring and [mass layoffs]() at the company, describing it as "an inverse start-up." It doesn't take much reading between the lines to sense that Twitter is on shaky ground, despite its CEO billionaire [promising]() that it's on a path to profitability and that "advertisers are returning." Whether the source code leak will end up having future consequences for the company remains to be seen. But given the sheer number of fires the company is already having to put out, it's symptomatic of a company that's struggling to keep its ducks in a row. And that's not exactly surprising. After all, many of the employees tending to the company's code have resigned or been fired under Musk's rule. **READ MORE:** [Twitter Says Parts of Its Source Code Were Leaked Online]() \[*The New York Times*\] **More on Twitter:** *[People Are Mad They Aren’t Getting Attention on Twitter After Paying for Twitter Blue]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()