Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta Platforms, addressed the recent disruptions during the Meta Connect event in Menlo Park, California, on September 25, 2024. Users of Meta’s popular applications, including Facebook and Instagram, faced significant downtime on Wednesday, preventing them from accessing these services.
The outages commenced around 9:57 a.m. PST and affected a range of Meta’s core applications, including Threads, WhatsApp, and Messenger, as reported by users on Downdetector, a website that monitors internet service performance. At the peak, over 100,000 users reported issues with Facebook alone at 10:11 a.m. PST.
Meta recognized the outage, posting on the social media site X that they were “aware that a technical issue is impacting some users’ ability to access our apps.” The company expressed its commitment to resolve the issue quickly and apologized for any inconvenience.
Following the morning announcements, Meta continued to provide updates, acknowledging that the technical problems still persisted. By the afternoon, they informed users they were “99% of the way there,” conducting final checks. Shortly thereafter, Instagram announced that it had returned online, thanking users for their patience.
This incident recalls a previous outage in March 2024 that coincided with Super Tuesday of the U.S. presidential primaries, which also caused frustrations among users.
In summary, while technical issues can temporarily disrupt service, Meta’s swift communication and dedication to resolving the problem are commendable. This incident serves as a reminder of the importance of maintaining transparent communication with users, especially during service disruptions. As technology continues to evolve, companies like Meta are improving their ability to recover from such challenges, ultimately leading to a more reliable user experience in the future.