Having made the API incredibly hard to access & having attached incredibly harsh terms of service, both of which make X basically impervious to the kinds of academic research that the firehose there used to allow, there's really a feeling of X as Dark Forest. You never know what propoganda network is out there doing what, selling what, putting out whatever message it is you've happened to alone and naked in the dark X forest. You are but a (hu)man, with no ability to assess any background or context or behaviors over the things you run into.

This was such a wonderful & amazing move. It's a small move! But going from having nothing to having even a small breadcrumb of context gives users some understanding of the network around them with: at least it's something.

Thanks Sean & Zach for writing this up. Founder/executive types, putting their word down about what a phase change this was, from everyone just being utterly lost & adrift.