Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, experienced widespread outages on Monday, leaving thousands of users in the U.S. and UK unable to access the service.
According to Downdetector, an outage-tracking website, the number of reported issues peaked at around 40,000 earlier in the day before dropping to 26,579. In the UK, over 10,800 users also reported disruptions.
The cause of the outage is still unclear at the time of filing this report at about 5:00pm WAT, and X has not yet responded to requests for comment from Reuters. The intermittent outages have sparked frustration among users, many of whom rely on the platform for communication, news, and networking.
Downdetector Data Highlights Scale of X Platform Outages
Downdetector, which collects user-submitted reports, showed a significant spike in outage complaints throughout the day.
The platform’s data also revealed that the disruptions affected users across multiple regions, with the U.S. and UK being the most impacted. The fluctuating number of reports suggests that the outages were intermittent, with some users regaining access while others continued to experience issues.
The lack of an official statement from X has left users speculating about the cause of the disruptions. Potential factors could include server overloads, technical glitches, or cybersecurity incidents.
However, without confirmation from the company, the exact reason remains unknown.
Impact on Users and Businesses
The outages have disrupted the daily activities of millions of X users, including individuals, businesses, and organizations that rely on the platform for marketing, customer engagement, and real-time updates.
For many, the inability to access X has caused delays in communication and lost opportunities, particularly for time-sensitive content.
Small businesses and influencers who depend on X for outreach and monetization have been particularly affected. The outages highlight the platform’s critical role in the digital economy and the potential consequences of service disruptions.
Elon Musk’s X Platform Under Scrutiny
This is not the first time X has faced technical issues since Elon Musk acquired the platform. Since taking over, Musk has implemented numerous changes, including staff reductions and updates to the platform’s infrastructure.
While some changes have been praised, others have led to criticism and concerns about the platform’s stability. The latest outages have however, reignited debates about the platform’s reliability under Musk’s leadership.
Critics argue that the frequent disruptions undermine user trust, while supporters believe the issues are temporary growing pains as the platform evolves.