Elon Musk has suffered a major blow as his $44 billion social media platform X crashed, leaving users across the U.S. frustrated.
Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk is facing another major setback.
His social media platform X experienced a widespread and disruptive outage on Friday.
The incident is the latest in a series of challenges for Musk, as his ventures face growing scrutiny and instability.
Elon Musk faces major trouble as his $44B ‘pride and joy’ suffers widespread crash
Users in major U.S. cities like New York, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Chicago reported being unable to access X, formerly Twitter.
The outage started around 11 a.m. Eastern Time and worsened by early afternoon, hitting both the website and mobile app.
Downdetector, a service that monitors digital outages, recorded thousands of reports within hours.
Approximately 56 percent of users experienced issues with the website, 35 percent with the mobile app, and 9 percent reported problems connecting to X’s servers.
Users turned to other platforms like Discord and YouTube to express their frustrations.
One post read, “This is why Discord and YouTube are better platforms. Rarely do they experience random outages like this. #ElonMuskResign.”
Technical glitches add to mounting challenges
The technical failure, though temporary, highlights larger concerns about the stability of X under Musk’s leadership.
Server failures risk user security and data loss, raising concerns about the platform’s reliability and infrastructure.
This comes at a time when X is seen as Musk’s primary tool for communication, especially for his controversial and politically charged statements.
The crash disrupted casual use and halted updates from one of the most followed figures in tech and politics.
Political setbacks undermine Musk’s influence
Beyond the tech troubles, Musk is also navigating political disappointment.
Despite investing over $20 million in support of Republican Brad Schimel, Elon Musk’s recent effort in Wisconsin’s Supreme Court election ended in defeat.
The election was won by Democrat Susan Crawford, who was backed by prominent donors like George Soros and J.B. Pritzker.
The loss is particularly significant for Musk, who claimed the race was a referendum on voter ID laws, a cause he publicly championed.
The failure to sway the election result has called into question the effectiveness of his political spending and influence.
Tesla stock dips amid growing competition
Meanwhile, Tesla’s stock has taken a hit, plunging 13 percent in April alone.
Analysts link the decline to Musk’s polarizing social media presence and rising competition in China’s electric vehicle market.
Chinese manufacturers have gained ground by offering competitively priced EVs, starting to reduce Tesla’s global market share.
Financial volatility and Musk’s controversies have unsettled investors and sparked debates over corporate leadership.
Elon Musk also faces global criticism after the White House exit
Musk’s troubles aren’t limited to the boardroom or ballot box. His online behavior has sparked international backlash.
This intensified after rumors, strongly denied by Musk, that he made a Nazi salute during Donald Trump’s inauguration.
The claim, though unsubstantiated, has stirred outrage and spurred anti-Tesla protests worldwide.
Tesla vehicles like the Cybertruck and Model X have faced vandalism by protestors in Europe and parts of the U.S.
Some protests have raised environmental and political concerns about Musk’s influence.
Adding to the turmoil, Musk’s once-prominent role in the White House has abruptly ended.
Elon Musk spent President Trump’s first 100 days embedded in the administration, attending meetings and traveling on Air Force One.
He even brought his toddler son to budget briefings but is now reportedly no longer involved in federal affairs.