X's new feature faces community backlash: Smart Cashtags feature release timing sparks controversy

X (formerly Twitter) is facing a community trust crisis. Less than 24 hours after the platform faced fierce backlash from the crypto community over plans to limit high-activity user interaction frequency, Product Director Nikita Bier announced the launch of a new financial hashtag feature, “Smart Cashtags.” This pattern of causing trouble first and then making amends makes it difficult to determine whether it is merely a coincidence or a deliberate crisis public relations strategy.

Restricting Interactions Sparks Crypto Community Backlash

The incident was triggered by a post from Nikita Bier that was later deleted. The post was widely interpreted as implying that X plans to limit reply frequency for high-interaction users, which stirred a storm within the crypto community that emphasizes real-time interaction and rapid dissemination. Crypto analyst KALEO bluntly criticized that this policy is as absurd as “telling streamers they can’t chat with viewers too often,” essentially destroying the social ecosystem. Users generally worry that restricting replies will directly impact content reach and weaken community-driven discussions.

This tense relationship between X and the crypto community exposes potential flaws in the platform’s understanding of the core needs of financial communities.

Details of the Smart Cashtags Feature

The day after widespread community dissatisfaction, Nikita Bier published a lengthy article introducing “Smart Cashtags,” claiming it would solve the current chaos in asset tagging. This new feature can automatically recognize stock symbols and cryptocurrency tokens, allowing users to precisely specify the particular asset or smart contract involved when entering an asset code.

According to the official interface mockup released, when users input the “$” symbol, the system will automatically list available assets for selection. The screenshots show options like Bitcoin, BONK, and Base already integrated into the system. Users can simply click on tags within posts to view real-time price data and related discussion threads directly on their feed, greatly improving information access efficiency.

Nikita Bier emphasized, “X is one of the most important sources of financial information globally, with billions of dollars in market capital based on the content people see here.” The team is currently collecting user feedback, and if progress goes smoothly, they plan to release it publicly in the near future.

Community Reactions Reveal Timing Concerns

Solana Labs quickly reposted the news, stating that in the future, users will be able to precisely tag Solana ecosystem tokens and view real-time prices, charts, and related discussions with a single click, enabling seamless integration of community interaction and market information. However, this endorsement cannot fully conceal an awkward fact: the timing of the feature release and the controversy backlash was too close.

Although Nikita Bier did not respond to the previous interaction restriction controversy when announcing Smart Cashtags, and X has not confirmed whether the new feature is a “calming” move, the close timing between the two events continues to fuel speculation within the crypto community. Whether this is a carefully crafted PR strategy or simply a coincidence in timing remains an open question that only X insiders can truly answer.

For the crypto community, rebuilding trust in X will require more than just new features — they want to see genuine respect for the core needs of the community.