In a striking incident that has captured the attention of users globally, Elon Musk’s communication platform X has reportedly faced three significant outages this morning, which the billionaire attributes to a coordinated cyberattack. This assertion from Musk raises eyebrows, as outages in online services can stem from a variety of technical issues.
The timeline of the disturbances, as tracked by outage monitoring site DownDetector, indicates that problems started at approximately 6 a.m. ET, when around 20,538 users reported difficulties accessing the platform. The situation appeared to stabilize momentarily, only to resurface with a peak of nearly 40,000 user complaints around 10 a.m. ET. By 12:30 p.m. ET, the number of outage reports had diminished to about 26,000. While these figures illustrate a considerable disruption, it’s important to acknowledge the self-reported nature of DownDetector’s data, which may not fully encompass the actual scale of the issue.
Many users flocking to DownDetector expressed frustration, noting that the app was completely unresponsive. Furthermore, evidence suggests that the outage was not confined to a specific region; users from various parts of the globe, as reported through DownDetector’s international outlets, experienced similar malfunctions. Despite the notable volume of user complaints, CNN has attempted to reach out to representatives from X for clarification or comments, though the company has a well-documented history of being reticent when it comes to addressing media inquiries.
Musk, known for his propensity to link technical setbacks to larger conspiracies, suggested on the platform that “a large, coordinated group and/or a country is involved” in this cyberattack. However, he has not provided concrete evidence or elaboration regarding the motives or identities of the alleged attackers. This isn’t the first time Musk has invoked the specter of cyber threats. Notably, during an event last August when a conversation with former President Donald Trump was delayed by 42 minutes, Musk speculated that a cyberattack might be at play.
In a past statement made during the aforementioned event, Musk asserted that the significance of the discussion warranted a “100% probability of DDOS attacks,” referencing the distributed denial-of-service attacks that can incapacitate services by flooding servers with excessive traffic. This pattern of attributing technical failures to cyber incidents extends beyond mere speculation; for example, the announcement of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s presidential campaign on X in 2023 was similarly affected by substantial technical difficulties, amplifying the narrative around the platform’s vulnerabilities.
The context of these outages also intertwines with Musk’s controversial management decisions since he acquired X, then known as Twitter, in 2022. Following his takeover of the social media giant, Musk enacted sweeping layoffs, terminating several top executives and cutting approximately 3,500 positions, which constituted about half of the existing workforce at that time. Reports indicate that a staggering 80% of the staff were let go, leading to significant operational changes. Amidst these drastic personnel reductions, Musk mandated that remaining employees must return to the office, a decision that has been met with mixed reactions and further scrutiny.
The implications of today’s disruptions extend beyond X itself, as they are part of a more extensive narrative concerning Musk’s ventures, particularly Tesla. Recent reports indicate a substantial decline in Tesla’s stock, with shares experiencing a drop of as much as 12% during midday trading on Monday, erasing gains made since Donald Trump’s re-election in November 2024. This backdrop of corporate turbulence raises questions regarding the resiliency of Musk’s enterprises in the face of both operational and financial challenges.
As the situation unfolds, updates will likely provide further insight into the causes and ramifications of these outages. At this juncture, reports from CNN indicate that Clare Duffy and Hadas Gold have contributed to the coverage surrounding this incident, keeping stakeholders informed as developments materialize.
