On March 10, 2025, Elon Musk’s social media platform X, previously known as Twitter, suffered significant outages, leaving users frustrated and unable to access their accounts. Reports began flooding in around 8:30 AM CET (12:30 AM PT), with many unable to see tweets or even log on to their accounts. The problems persisted for 45 minutes, with the service resuming around 9:15 AM CET.
The outage was widespread, affecting users globally. Downdetector, which monitors online service interruptions, recorded over 22,000 complaints from the U.S. alone, with additional reports coming from the U.K., India, and Bangkok. Approximately 18,000 incidents were logged from the U.S., with around 10,800 complaints from users based in the U.K. alone.
Upon attempting to access the platform, many users were met with the error message: “Something went wrong, try reloading.” This disruption prompted significant backlash on social media, with users taking to alternative platforms like Threads to voice their concerns. Comments such as, “Twitter was down for like 30 minutes and I felt my world collapsing,” illustrated the growing frustration among users.
Despite the significant number of reports, X has not released any formal statement addressing the outages or outlining potential causes. This follows the trend of previous outages the platform has faced under Musk's ownership, with one notable incident occurring back in August 2024, when around 66% of users reported similar issues.
During the height of the outage, Downdetector indicated the majority of the logged issues were related to the app, with 60% of errors stemming from app concerns, and 35% reporting problems with the website. Many of the complaints originated from large cities, with hotspots of trouble reported from New York, Los Angeles, London, and Birmingham.
This incident marks yet another point of criticism for Musk, who acquired Twitter for $44 billion back in October 2022, and has since rebranded it to X during July 2023. Since his takeover, Musk has made sweeping changes, including the reduction of the workforce by about 80%. With so much transformation, the stability of the platform has come under scrutiny.
Users have been expressing their frustrations over not being able to access features, and many have noted the outlines of premium services and features offered since the rebranding. X has introduced several tiers of subscription services, with prices of £3, £8, and £31 per month, depending on the features required.
Its recent outages fuel speculation about the platform’s resilience, particularly when the service is so heavily relied upon by millions for real-time news, updates, and social interaction. Questions arise about whether X is adequately prepared for the demands of its vast user base, and how they respond to this recent incident will be closely watched.
The last major service disruption before this was seen back in 2024, prompting users to question whether this indicates longer-standing issues within the infrastructure of the platform. Musk, who not only leads X but also Tesla and SpaceX, has not yet provided any public commentary on the outage either on X itself or through other means.
Even as users express their dissatisfaction, the community remains alert to how the company will handle such situations moving forward. With the rapid growth of platforms like Threads, competition could become fierce, especially when trust and efficiency become key factors for users seeking reliable social media experiences.
The significance of these outages could ripple across Musk’s other business ventures and possibly impact user perception, particularly as the public seeks to gauge reliability alongside his ambitious plans across different sectors. How X handles the fallout from these outages and what improvements are made to service reliability will undoubtedly influence user loyalty going forward.