Elon Musk may be the world’s richest man, but even he can’t seem to fix the technical issues on his platform, X, as shown during a glitchy interview with Donald Trump.
The interview was delayed by 40 minutes due to tech problems on X, which isn’t the first time the platform has faced such issues.
Back in May 2023, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis also experienced problems during his presidential campaign launch on X with Musk. The interview was plagued with glitches from the start, forcing DeSantis to wait before he could speak.
Before his interview with Trump, Musk announced he would be running “system scaling tests” on X’s audio chat feature, Spaces, to avoid similar problems. However, even with the preparation, tech issues persisted, with around 1.3 million people tuning in at one point, according to Reuters.
When the interview was supposed to begin, many users were met with a blank screen, and the word “crashed” quickly trended on X as people commented on the high-profile failure. Some blamed Musk, while others suggested the interview was so popular it “crashed the internet.”
Musk, however, claimed the problems were due to a massive cyber attack known as a DDoS attack, where a website is overloaded with traffic, making it hard to use.
But according to the BBC, tech experts and sources at X were divided on whether a cyber attack actually occurred. Some experts suggested the platform’s issues were more likely due to the large number of listeners rather than an attack.
Another possible explanation for the problems is the deep cuts Musk made to X’s workforce. Many experts believe the platform’s technical struggles might be related to the fact that Musk laid off a large portion of X’s engineers, who are essential for defending against cyber threats and maintaining the platform’s stability.
In the end, instead of showcasing X’s potential as an “everything app,” the interview highlighted the platform’s ongoing technical challenges.
According to the BBC, whether the problems were due to a cyber attack or internal issues, the outcome was the same—X still struggles with the same old glitches.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy0np2y5197o