Image Credit: metamorworks / getty 
Hundreds of left-wing Twitter users are posting complaints about losing thousands of followers the day after billionaire Tesla founder Elon Musk bought the platform.
Some users are assuming the losses are due to a mass exodus of Musk-hating liberals and others are convinced bots are being removed.
The truth is likely a combination of the two.
While many people are surely going to delete their accounts in a reactional tantrum only to return one day later, some bot farms are also likely removing their hordes of false accounts before being exposed under the company’s new leadership.
Wow. I'm losing followers today because lefties can't stand Elon Musk. New Twitter is going to be
— Stephen Taylor (@stephen_taylor) April 26, 2022
Is anyone else losing followers too? I'm seeing people across Twitter report they have lost thousands today. I am down 5,000. Though much of that could be because I'm an idiot with way too many followers. Idk
— David Hogg
(@davidhogg111) April 25, 2022
Just lost 2000 followers. Anyone else losing followers?
— Neera Tanden
I lost nearly 4k followers on Twitter yesterday, and gained nearly 1k on Facebook.
If you are unsure, it’s an alternative until we find something better than both, which I believe will be soon.
I have managed to grow a huge community there that is a safe space for discussion.
— Amy Siskind
(@Amy_Siskind) April 26, 2022
Just lost over 500 followers in one day. Is anyone else seeing this?
— Scott Huffman for NC
(@HuffmanForNC) April 26, 2022
While these prominent liberals publicly declare their confusion over losing bot followers and people who got triggered over Musk and deleted their accounts, several conservative or libertarian accounts said they gained followers.
One person even looked at hosts for MSNBC and Fox News to learn the left-wing outlet’s hosts lost followers on Twitter while the conservative outlet’s hosts “gained a significant number of followers.”
Anybody else notice their tweets reaching more people and followers going up? Did they already mess with the algorithm??
— Hodgetwins (@hodgetwins) April 26, 2022
Weird getting a bunch of followers again.
— Catturd
(@catturd2) April 26, 2022
I’m suddenly up 2,000 twitter followers after @elonmusk took over Twitter. Does this mean I was being throttled previously by “professional Twitter fact checkers”?
— Dr Taylor Marshall
Yesterday, I was going to say thanks for 720,000 followers!
But today, I'll say thanks for 735,000!
— ZUBY: (@ZubyMusic) April 26, 2022
Is this proof that the “popularity” of left-wing users was being artificially inflated by fake bot accounts?