On Thursday, March 27, a simultaneous outage hit Reddit and X, two of the world’s largest social media platforms, affecting thousands of users globally. Around 11:30 a.m. Pacific Time, the services began experiencing issues, with reports of difficulties loading pages, accessing posts, and sending messages. The peak of the problems occurred around 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time, when over 50,000 users reported instabilities on X, while Reddit faced a wave of nearly 20,000 complaints. The disruption, which lasted for hours, sparked frustration among internet users, many of whom migrated to alternative platforms like Bluesky for updates. Suspicion of a failure in Amazon Web Services (AWS) servers, which host both platforms, gained traction, though it was not officially confirmed. The situation only began to stabilize late in the afternoon, but the incident reignited debates about reliance on centralized internet infrastructure.
Reddit users reported error messages such as “Server Error. Try again later” when attempting to access individual posts, while the homepage loaded only partially. On X, the number of complaints dropped sharply after the initial peak, suggesting a faster recovery, yet it still left a mark on the day’s online interactions. The impact was felt across various regions, particularly in the United States, where the user base is largest. The timing of the outage coincided with issues in other services, like MLB.TV, fueling speculation about a broader collapse in digital infrastructure.
The reaction from those affected was immediate on alternative networks. On Bluesky, for instance, the Awful Announcing account posted about facing a “Network Error,” while on X, before the problem peaked, users were already commenting on Reddit’s instability. The disruption exposed vulnerabilities in the platforms and raised questions about the robustness of the systems underpinning modern digital communication.
The simultaneous collapse of Reddit and X caught many off guard. Initial reports indicated that Reddit began showing “degraded performance” around noon Pacific Time, as noted on its status page. Meanwhile, X, which lacks an official monitoring page, saw complaint numbers skyrocket on Down Detector, a widely used outage tracking tool. The issue on Reddit escalated from partial difficulties, such as slow comments, to a full blackout, with some users seeing only a blank screen with the message “Internal Server Error.” On X, the problem appeared to resolve more quickly, with reports dropping from 20,000 to 1,400 in minutes after the peak.
The scope of the issue extended beyond the two main platforms. MLB.TV, a baseball streaming service, also faced disruptions at the same time, reinforcing the theory of a bottleneck in AWS infrastructure. In the United States, where MLB.TV has a significant subscriber base, users reported trouble accessing live broadcasts, though the Big Feed feature on Roku worked for some during the outage. The temporal overlap between the three services heightened suspicions of a larger event impacting Amazon’s servers, though AWS’s status page reported no official incidents.
As Reddit and X grappled with turbulence, users sought refuge on other platforms. Bluesky, a rising social network, saw a surge in traffic as people shared experiences and tried to gauge the outage’s extent. Posts on X, before the situation worsened, already noted that Reddit was “down,” while other networks like Threads remained stable. This temporary migration highlighted how quickly internet users adapt to disruptions, but also underscored their reliance on a handful of platforms for online interaction.
For Reddit, recovery was gradual. After peaking at nearly 20,000 reports, errors began to subside, and users regained access to posts and comments, though occasional error messages persisted. X, on the other hand, demonstrated resilience by sharply reducing issues within an hour of the crisis peak. The difference in recovery speed between the two platforms may tie to their internal infrastructure, but the incident made it clear that even tech giants are not immune to failures.
The exact cause of the outage remains unclear, but the coincidence of issues with Reddit, X, and MLB.TV points to a potential failure in AWS services. All three platforms rely on Amazon’s infrastructure, and isolated reports of AWS instability emerged during the same period, though without official confirmation. Reddit stated it had implemented a fix and was monitoring results, while X provided no details on the cause. The lack of clear statements from the companies left users speculating about server failures, cyberattacks, or traffic overload.
The disruption highlighted the fragility of centralized systems. Reddit, with its millions of daily active users, and X, a hub for real-time discussions, are cornerstones of the modern internet. When both go down simultaneously, the impact extends beyond inconvenience, affecting everything from news dissemination to digital entertainment. MLB.TV, for instance, offers out-of-market game access for $149.99 per season in the U.S., and its failure that day frustrated subscribers eager to watch live games.
Reddit and X are no strangers to outages. On March 25, Reddit faced a less severe issue, resolved in about two hours. X has experienced significant disruptions in recent years, often tied to internal changes or usage spikes. However, the March 27 incident stands out due to its simultaneity and scope, impacting multiple platforms at once. The reliance on services like AWS, which powers much of the internet, reveals a weak point capable of bringing down several systems simultaneously.
For users, the experience was a mix of frustration and adaptation. On Reddit, sports communities, like the baseball subreddit, saw discussions about MLB.TV halted, while on X, outage-related memes emerged as soon as service resumed. User resilience was evident, but the episode served as a reminder of technological vulnerability in a hyperconnected world.
The outage followed a clear sequence. It began around 11:30 a.m. Pacific Time with the first signs of instability. On Reddit, the issue escalated quickly, peaking around 12:25 p.m. with nearly 19,500 complaints. On X, the height came later, at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time, with over 50,000 reports. Recovery started at different times: X saw a sharp drop in issues shortly after the peak, while Reddit took longer to stabilize.
The outage affected more than just platform access. Small businesses relying on Reddit for engagement and X for promotion felt the instability’s weight. Sports fans, particularly MLB.TV subscribers, missed live game access, while content creators faced delays in posting. The incident also coincided with increased Bluesky usage, positioning it as an alternative to X and hinting at potential long-term shifts in user behavior.
The return to normalcy was a relief but didn’t erase the outage’s impact. On Reddit, users resumed interrupted discussions, while on X, posting flowed back to its usual pace. MLB.TV also recovered, with reports of games becoming accessible again by late afternoon. The collective experience underscored the need for redundant systems and greater transparency from companies during crises.
The March 27 outage brought some interesting facts to light. It was the first significant simultaneous downtime for Reddit and X in months. Additionally, MLB.TV, operational since 2000, faced a rare disruption in its recent history, especially on a day without major scheduled sports events. The user response on Bluesky, a still-growing platform, also marked a turning point for its visibility.