Elon Musk has offered an explanation following widespread outages on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
Millions of users reported issues with the platform on March 10, with problems persisting throughout the day.
Musk, who serves as the executive chairman of the company, claimed that a significant cyberattack was to blame.
Musk Alleges Large-Scale Cyberattack
In response to a user questioning the outage, Musk, 53, addressed the situation publicly.
“There was (still is) a massive cyberattack against X,” he wrote on March 10.
“We get attacked every day, but this was done with a lot of resources. Either a large, coordinated group and/or a country is involved. Tracing …”
While Musk suggested that a well-funded and highly organized entity was behind the attack, he did not provide further details regarding the source or extent of the breach.
Widespread Technical Issues Reported
The outage affected a large number of X users worldwide. Reports surfaced early in the morning, with many experiencing difficulties refreshing their feeds, posting content, or even accessing the platform. Some users received error messages from Cloudflare, a cybersecurity firm that provides protection against online threats. The message read, “Web server is returning an unknown error.”
Although service was restored for some users after the initial disruption, the problems resurfaced a few hours later, sparking fresh complaints. The cause of the continued issues remains unclear, and X has yet to provide a full statement on the incident beyond Musk’s brief response.
X’s Transformation Under Musk’s Ownership
Musk acquired Twitter in 2022, later rebranding it as X in an effort to overhaul the platform and expand its capabilities beyond traditional social media functions. While he remains the majority shareholder and a key figure in decision-making, he appointed advertising executive Linda Yaccarino as CEO in 2023.
Since the rebranding, X has faced numerous technical challenges, policy changes, and controversies, with some critics questioning the platform’s long-term stability under Musk’s leadership. This latest outage adds to a growing list of issues that have emerged since the billionaire took control.
SpaceX Faces a Setback with Starship Explosion
The cyberattack on X isn’t the only challenge Musk has encountered recently. Just days before the platform’s outage, his aerospace company, SpaceX, faced a major setback when its highly anticipated Starship test flight ended in failure.
On March 6, SpaceX launched its latest Starship megarocket, the most powerful spacecraft ever built, designed for future missions to Mars and beyond. However, the test flight ended in disaster when the rocket exploded midair after multiple engine failures.
“Prior to the end of the ascent burn, an energetic event in the aft portion of Starship resulted in the loss of several Raptor engines,” SpaceX stated. “This in turn led to a loss of attitude control and ultimately a loss of communications with Starship.”
Despite the mission’s failure, SpaceX reassured the public that extensive safety measures were in place to prevent any potential harm from falling debris.
Dan Hout, SpaceX’s communications manager, addressed concerns during the company’s launch livestream, stating, “We’ve got a lot of measures in place, like debris response areas, where we coordinate very closely with air traffic control. We have a lot of measures put before we ever launch a rocket to make sure that we’re keeping the public safe.”
Musk Faces Mounting Challenges
The recent cyberattack on X and the failed SpaceX launch highlight the challenges Musk is currently facing across his business ventures. While he remains one of the most influential figures in technology and space exploration, these setbacks serve as reminders of the complexities involved in leading multiple high-stakes enterprises.
As investigations continue into the X outage and SpaceX works to improve Starship’s reliability, Musk will undoubtedly be under increased scrutiny. Whether these incidents are just temporary obstacles or signs of larger issues remains to be seen, but for now, all eyes remain on the billionaire and how he navigates these turbulent times.
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