Elon Musk, CEO of the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), announced that starting June 27, 2025, hashtags will be banned from all advertisements on the platform. Musk described hashtags as an "esthetic nightmare" and criticized their cluttered appearance in ads. This decision follows Musk's earlier comments in December 2024, when he called hashtags "ugly" and suggested the platform no longer needed them. The ban aims to improve the visual appeal and effectiveness of ads on X. According to the platform, the updated recommendation engine powered by xAI renders hashtags unnecessary for engagement, allowing ads to perform better without them. While hashtags will no longer appear in paid advertisements, regular user posts are not currently affected, though future changes may extend to general posts. Advertisers are advised to update their campaigns to comply with the new policy. Additionally, Musk has indicated plans to introduce vertical size-based pricing for advertisements on X at an unspecified future date.