X Shows Giant Pointing Hand to Push Users Toward Paid ‘Promote’ Button

Overview

• Reports from multiple outlets and user screenshots show a large pointing-hand graphic appearing on X’s compose screen and directing attention to the platform’s paid Promote button.
• The prompt began appearing on Oct. 26–27 and seems to be shown only to a subset of accounts, with several reports noting it appears for verified or X Premium users.
• X has not issued an official explanation for the graphic, and Grok described it as a compose-screen nudge encouraging paid promotion but did not confirm the design’s intent.
• Users reacted negatively, calling the animation jarring or like a jump scare, and some criticized that the prompt pushes paid promotion instead of basic posting actions.
• The rollout follows recent product leadership changes at X, which has sharpened scrutiny that the company may be testing bolder UI nudges to drive paid conversions.