Key Highlights:

• X will roll out “Starterpacks” to help users find accounts by interest.
• The feature mirrors Bluesky’s popular Starter Packs.
• Unlike Bluesky, X builds these lists internally using platform data.
• The move highlights a growing focus on better onboarding and discovery.

X is adding a new discovery feature called “Starterpacks,” inspired by Bluesky’s viral Starter Packs. The goal is simple. Help users find relevant voices faster. It matters because user discovery remains one of X’s biggest weak spots.

On Wednesday, X’s head of product, Nikita Bier, announced the update. The Elon Musk-owned platform will soon show curated lists of accounts across categories like News, Politics, Fashion, Technology, Gaming, Stocks, Memes, and more.

The feature will roll out to everyone in the coming weeks.

What are X Starterpacks?

Starterpacks are bundles of suggested accounts grouped by interest. Instead of searching from scratch, users can follow a ready-made list in one tap.

Bluesky popularised this format in 2024. Anyone on that platform can create and share Starter Packs. They quickly became the easiest way to build a feed around tech, art, journalism, or niche communities.

X is now adopting the same idea, with one key difference.

How X’s approach is different

Bluesky’s Starter Packs are community-made. X’s Starterpacks are not.

Bier says X spent months scanning the platform to identify top posters in every niche and country. The company then built these lists internally using its own data.

In short, users cannot create or share their own packs. X controls what goes into each list.

This makes the feature more centralized. It also gives X direct influence over which voices get boosted during onboarding.

Why X needs this feature

Discovery has always shaped X’s identity. Even in its Twitter era, the platform helped people follow strangers with shared interests.

Back then, Twitter offered “Suggested Users” lists. Those lists sparked controversy. Being featured could instantly multiply a user’s followers. In 2010, Twitter shifted to algorithm-driven recommendations to reduce bias.

Starterpacks revive that old power dynamic in a modern form.

Meanwhile, competitors are moving fast. Threads began testing user-made Starter Packs in December 2024. Mastodon is building “Packs” for onboarding. Bluesky turned curated lists into a cultural feature.

X cannot afford to fall behind.

What this means for users

For new users, Starterpacks could remove friction. Instead of an empty feed, they get instant context.

For creators, inclusion may bring visibility. Exclusion may feel opaque.

For X, the move signals a renewed focus on retention. Better discovery keeps people scrolling.

In a crowded social landscape, the battle is no longer just about posts. It is about who you see first. With Starterpacks, X is reshaping that first impression.

And in the attention economy, first impressions decide everything on X.