Anupam Kher to Elon Musk: Why Did I Lose 9 Lakh Followers Overnight? Grok Reveals the Truth

Veteran Actor Anupam Kher sparked a conversation on Wednesday when he publicly questioned the sudden disappearance of over 900,000 followers from his X account within 15 days. Tagging Elon Musk directly, Kher asked if the platform could explain the unexpected decline. Though he clarified that his post was an observation rather than a complaint, it quickly captured public attention and triggered widespread speculation across social media.

Users on X rushed to offer theories, with many claiming the platform was removing inactive or bot accounts. Some suggested that such sharp declines might be the “new normal” as part of Musk's aggressive push to cleanse the platform. A section of users speculated it could even be due to account deactivations or mass profile deletions by users themselves. Amid growing chatter, it became evident that Anupam Kher was not the only public figure witnessing drastic changes to follower counts.

Shortly afterward, an official clarification from X surfaced, confirming that the platform was indeed conducting a massive cleanup operation to eliminate fake, spam-driven, and dormant accounts. This sweeping purge affected thousands of users globally, including top-tier celebrities like Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, and Cristiano Ronaldo, all of whom experienced steep follower declines. Justin Bieber reportedly lost around 20 million followers, while Ronaldo saw a drop of almost 9 million, highlighting the scale of the platform-wide overhaul.

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The mystery was further addressed by Grok, the AI chatbot developed by Elon Musk’s xAI. Responding to user queries, Grok explained that X’s ongoing anti-spam initiative had triggered the widespread follower drops. The purge targeted accounts involved in crypto scams, automated content, impersonation, spam networks, and various other forms of inauthentic activity. According to Grok, Anupam Kher’s loss of 900,000 followers was simply collateral in this major authenticity drive and not linked to any specific personal issues on the platform.

This massive cleanup is part of Elon Musk’s continued campaign to restore credibility and transparency across X. The process follows the April 2024 spam crackdown, during which millions of fraudulent and bot-operated accounts were removed. Musk has repeatedly emphasized the importance of reducing platform manipulation and improving user trust—something he believes requires “aggressive and ongoing action” against spam networks and fake accounts.

As X undergoes this transformation, users can expect periodic fluctuations in their follower numbers. While the cleanup has caused momentary confusion among celebrities and users alike, the platform maintains that these measures are essential for creating a more authentic and trustworthy digital environment—one that prioritizes real engagement over inflated numbers.

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