diff --git a/packages/nx/src/utils/find-matching-projects.spec.ts b/packages/nx/src/utils/find-matching-projects.spec.ts
index 7420b22faa470..99272de67ea92 100644
--- a/packages/nx/src/utils/find-matching-projects.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/nx/src/utils/find-matching-projects.spec.ts
@@ -162,22 +162,6 @@ describe('findMatchingProjects', () => {
       'nested',
     ]);
   });
-
-  it('should support "all except" style patterns', () => {
-    expect(findMatchingProjects(['!a'], projectGraph)).toEqual([
-      'test-project',
-      'b',
-      'c',
-      'nested',
-    ]);
-    expect(findMatchingProjects(['!tag:api'], projectGraph)).toEqual([
-      'b',
-      'nested',
-    ]);
-    expect(
-      findMatchingProjects(['!tag:api', 'test-project'], projectGraph)
-    ).toEqual(['b', 'nested', 'test-project']);
-  });
 });
 
 const projects = [
diff --git a/packages/nx/src/utils/find-matching-projects.ts b/packages/nx/src/utils/find-matching-projects.ts
index 2b17d8703c63d..bdef3dd085353 100644
--- a/packages/nx/src/utils/find-matching-projects.ts
+++ b/packages/nx/src/utils/find-matching-projects.ts
@@ -39,16 +39,6 @@ export function findMatchingProjects(
 
   const matchedProjects: Set<string> = new Set();
 
-  // If the first pattern is an exclude pattern,
-  // we add a wildcard pattern at the first to select
-  // all projects, except the ones that match the exclude pattern.
-  // e.g. ['!tag:someTag', 'project2'] will match all projects except
-  // the ones with the tag 'someTag', and also match the project 'project2',
-  // regardless of its tags.
-  if (isExcludePattern(patterns[0])) {
-    patterns.unshift('*');
-  }
-
   for (const stringPattern of patterns) {
     if (!stringPattern.length) {
       continue;
@@ -215,15 +205,11 @@ function addMatchingProjectsByTag(
   }
 }
 
-function isExcludePattern(pattern: string): boolean {
-  return pattern.startsWith('!');
-}
-
 function parseStringPattern(
   pattern: string,
   projects: Record<string, ProjectGraphProjectNode>
 ): ProjectPattern {
-  const isExclude = isExcludePattern(pattern);
+  const isExclude = pattern.startsWith('!');
 
   // Support for things like: `!{type}:value`
   if (isExclude) {