The social media platform X, owned by Elon Musk, hit another major snag on Thursday, May 22. Thousands of users worldwide found themselves locked out—unable to load their feeds, post updates, or even access the site and app. This outage marks yet another technical glitch in what’s becoming a frustrating pattern since the platform’s acquisition and rebranding.
Outage tracking websites quickly filled up with reports from users across North America, Europe, Asia, and beyond. The trouble seemed to start around 2:30 PM EDT, with complaints spiking almost immediately. Although there was a brief lull in issues, a fresh wave of reports surged back, hitting thousands at its peak.
Users Face Frustration and Disconnect
For those trying to get on X, it was a mixed bag of error messages or just plain dead screens. Many found their home feeds stuck on outdated posts—or worse, showing nothing at all. Attempting to post new content often ended in error notices, making communication and engagement impossible during the outage.
A common refrain was the dreaded: “Something went wrong. Try reloading.” For a platform that many rely on for real-time news and conversations, this kind of disruption hits harder than one might think. Businesses that depend on X for marketing and customer interaction were left in the lurch, facing delays and operational hiccups.
The problem wasn’t limited to just one access point either. Both the website and the mobile app struggled, and a chunk of users reported server connection issues as well. So it wasn’t just a glitch on one front—it was widespread.
A Recurring Problem for X
This isn’t the first time X has stumbled like this. Over the past year, outages have popped up more frequently. Just in March 2025, there were multiple global disruptions, including one on March 10 where over 40,000 users worldwide reported problems. The US, UK, India, and Canada seemed to bear the brunt of it.
Elon Musk has sometimes pointed to “massive cyberattacks” behind these outages, suggesting they’re caused by “a large, coordinated group and/or a country.” Back in March, he mentioned a cyberattack traced to IP addresses in the “Ukraine area” as a culprit. Still, cybersecurity experts caution that IPs can easily be faked, and sometimes outages stem from far less complicated issues.
The platform’s big shift—from Twitter to X.com—and the overhaul of its tech infrastructure have certainly come with growing pains. Since Musk took over in October 2022, X has also seen huge staff cuts—reportedly around 80% of the workforce—which naturally raises doubts about whether the platform can keep up with the tech demands and respond quickly when problems arise.
The Impact on Users and Businesses
For everyday users, these outages mean a frustrating pause in what has become an essential communication tool. Whether it’s catching up on news, chatting with friends, or just scrolling for entertainment, a sudden disconnect can be more than just a mild inconvenience.
For businesses, the stakes are even higher. Many rely on X to run marketing campaigns, answer customer questions, and share urgent updates. When the platform goes down, scheduled posts fail, customer service grinds to a halt, and important messages can’t get out. Over time, this kind of unreliability might push companies to diversify and explore other platforms—just in case.
What’s Next for X?
These ongoing technical challenges underscore how crucial platform stability really is. Any major social media service needs solid backup systems, regular maintenance, and strong security protocols to keep running smoothly. What’s been missing lately is clear communication from X during outages, which leaves users and businesses uncertain about what’s going on or how long they’ll be offline.
As X tries to iron out these persistent issues, everyone’s watching closely. Whether it can become a dependable player in the crowded social media arena might hinge on its ability to deliver consistent, reliable service—and soon.
