Elon Musk blamed a "massive cyberattack" for the widespread disruption that crippled X on March 10, 2025, leaving tens of thousands of users unable to access the platform.
The outage began around 5:00 AM EST and continued into the afternoon, affecting the platform's app functionality, website access, and server connections globally. According to user reports, over 40,000 individuals experienced issues during the peak of the outage.
Most users received an error message stating, "Something went wrong, try reloading," with 58% of problems relating to app functionality and 32% linked to website access difficulties. The remaining 10% of complaints concerned server connection failures.
Musk asserted the disruption was "done with a lot of resources," suggesting involvement from a large, coordinated group or possibly a nation-state. However, he provided no immediate evidence to substantiate these claims. This marks the second time Musk has attributed platform issues to cyberattacks, following a similar unsubstantiated claim in August 2024.
The service disruption manifested as two separate 45-minute outages occurring on the same day. Users across multiple continents reported problems, with the United States recording approximately 21,000 complaints and the United Kingdom logging 10,800 reports. Curiously, Musk and some other users maintained functionality during the outage, raising questions about its selective nature. India experienced relatively minimal impact.
This incident adds to a pattern of technical difficulties that have plagued the platform since Musk acquired Twitter, now X, in October 2022.
Previous significant outages occurred in August 2024, affecting 66% of users, while various feature glitches emerged in July 2023.
Many frustrated users shared their experiences on alternative platforms like Reddit and Bluesky during the downtime.
The platform instability raises substantial concerns for X's business model and advertiser confidence. Tesla shares dropped 15.7% amid news of the outage, prompting renewed scrutiny of Musk's operational decisions and cost-reduction strategies implemented since the acquisition.
For businesses and advertisers reliant on social media presence, the recurring technical failures may prompt consideration of alternative platforms for digital engagement and marketing initiatives.
