Platform X is back online after a global outage: reasons and details
The X platform returned to normal operation on Monday afternoon, following a sudden technical outage that affected thousands of users around the world and caused confusion in the flow of information across the site, which is one of the most important sources of breaking news globally.
Details of the technical malfunction and service restoration
The problem began when users in several countries noticed they were unable to refresh the homepage or see new posts, instead receiving error messages indicating a server issue. According to DownDetector, a website that monitors outages, there was a sharp and sudden spike in outage reports about two hours before service was restored, specifically around 3:30 PM GMT, when the site, owned by American billionaire Elon Musk, displaying content and allowing interaction as usual.
The truth about the connection between the outage and the internet disruption
In an effort to clarify the cause, NetBlocks, an organization dedicated to monitoring network security and internet freedom, issued a statement confirming that the outage was due to an "international disruption" affecting the platform's servers. The organization emphasized a crucial point to dispel rumors, asserting that the disruption "had no connection to nationwide internet shutdowns or government-imposed censorship," indicating that the problem stemmed from an internal technical issue within the platform's infrastructure.
This outage comes as part of a series of frequent disruptions that the platform has recently experienced, with NetBlocks recording similar outages on the 9th and 1st of February, raising questions about the site's technical stability.
The impact of the new structure and Elon Musk's acquisition
These recurring outages cannot be separated from the historical context and radical transformations the platform has undergone since Elon Musk's acquisition of it in October 2022, in a massive deal exceeding $44 billion. Since then, Musk has laid off thousands of employees, including key engineering teams responsible for the site's stability and maintenance, making the platform more vulnerable to technical problems, according to technology experts.
This outage directly affected journalistic work, as journalists from global news agencies such as Agence France-Presse in France, Thailand and other countries faced great difficulty in accessing the platform, which is a key tool for monitoring news, while company spokespeople remained silent and did not issue any immediate official comment on the causes of the problem.
The platform's future and plans for integration with artificial intelligence
As part of Musk's vision to transform "X" into an "app for everything," complex restructuring is currently underway, including integrating the platform's data with his AI subsidiary, xAI, the developer of the Grok chatbot. Economic reports indicate that the rocket giant SpaceX plans to acquire the AI startup, a move aimed at consolidating technical and financial resources. The new company is expected to go public by the summer of 2026, presenting the platform with significant technical and investment challenges in the coming years.
