Image: AP
The coiner of "Londonmaxxing" says its popularity is a reaction to the pessimism about London online.

If you’ve been anywhere near X this past week, you’ll have seen the same word popping up again and again: Londonmaxxing.

Now Sir Sadiq Khan has jumped on it too. In a nod to the kind of viral trend-hopping that saw Kamala Harris embrace “brat”, the London Mayor has updated his X bio to read: “Londonmaxxing since 2016,” referencing the year he first took office.

But what does it actually mean?

City News tracked down the man who gave the phrase its current life online.

Charlie Ward, founder of East London co-working community ramenspace.com, says Londonmaxxing is really about reclaiming the city’s reputation.

“It’s about optimism,” he told City News. “It’s about being proud of living and building in London.”

The trend kicked off last week, when Ward responded “Londonmaxxing” to a tweet deriding the “doomer slop” on the platform surrounding London, setting off a series of posts among users in the AI and technology space.

“It is quite tech-focused,” said Ward. “Putting on events, growing the tech scene here, being optimistic about how good this city could be, as well as being optimistic about where it currently is.”

Since that first post, the phrase has spilled beyond tech and beyond X, helped along by viral posts like this one, which describes the iconic All Souls Church off Regent Street as a “hidden gem.”

Ward said the appeal of Londonmaxxing is a pushback against the drip-feed of London doom on platforms like X.

“People like Londonmaxxing because there’s a lot of people who actually really love living here and who see a lot of potential here,” he said.

“It’s definitely a reaction to the negativity.”

Aside from being picked up by Sir Sadiq Khan, Londonmaxxing has now been embraced by the Government’s new AI Incubator, and the soon-to-launch £500 million Sovereign AI investment fund.

 

In a moment when Sir Sadiq Khan is trying to reverse the tide of opinion on London and attract investment from the booming tech sector, Londonmaxxing has quickly become a publicity blessing.

But is Londonmaxxing really a movement, or just Londoners basking in last week’s sunny start to spring?

“No, it’s not just the weather,” says Ward. “There’s a pent-up energy in London that was bound to come out eventually.

“Londoners should embrace a little delusional optimism,” he adds. “It works for the Americans.”

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