Elon Musk Confronts Fresh Setback as $44B Acquisition Plummets
Elon Musk’s X (Formerly Twitter) Hit by Major Outage Amid Tesla Turmoil
[Image: X/Twitter app displaying outage error]
Elon Musk’s social media platform X, formerly Twitter, suffered a widespread outage Friday afternoon, affecting users across the U.S. The disruption began around 2:30pm ET, with Downdetector logging over 50,000 reports by 3pm. Issues were concentrated in eastern and midwestern cities like New York, Chicago, Dallas, and Atlanta, leaving users locked out of the app and website. Some feared accidental bans after encountering “unauthorized access” messages, including for Musk’s AI chatbot, Grok.
The outage sparked frustration online, with one user tweeting, “Elon is literally the richest man alive and still can’t keep his dmn website up.”* Despite the hiccup, X’s valuation held steady at $44 billion, matching Musk’s 2022 purchase price.
[Image: Tesla cars vandalized or on fire]
The outage coincided with escalating turmoil at Tesla, Musk’s electric vehicle company. Protesters have targeted dealerships, with incidents ranging from arson to vandalism. In Austin, Texas, police responded to a bomb threat at a Tesla showroom Monday after anonymous callers reported explosive devices. Though no arrests were made, the incident underscored mounting tensions.
Attacks on Tesla vehicles have surged recently, including four Cybertrucks set ablaze in Seattle last week. Activists in New York protested outside a showroom, waving signs like “Block Fascism Now” and chanting against Musk. Former President Donald Trump, who owns a Cybertruck, denounced the attacks as “domestic terrorism,” pledging harsh consequences for perpetrators.
[Image: Trump speaking about Tesla attacks]
Trump’s administration has linked Musk’s role as head of the Department of Government Efficiency—where he has slashed federal spending—to the backlash. Attorney General Pam Bondi echoed Trump’s stance, vowing to pursue charges with “five-year mandatory minimum sentences” for those involved.
Musk, facing both corporate and public scrutiny, has seen his net worth drop by $130 billion since January amid Tesla’s stock slump and ongoing controversies.
[Image: Protesters outside Tesla showroom]
As outages and attacks challenge Musk’s ventures, the billionaire continues to navigate crises on multiple fronts. X’s brief downtime, while resolved swiftly, highlighted vulnerabilities in his tech empire, while Tesla’s struggles reflect deepening societal divisions over his influence.
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