Major AWS Outage Disrupts Services Like Snapchat and Alexa

UPDATE: A significant Amazon Web Services (AWS) outage has just been reported, impacting numerous major online services including Snapchat, Signal, and Perplexity. As of early Monday morning, October 23, 2023, AWS’s status page indicated that at least 35 tools were affected, causing widespread disruptions.

Users have flocked to DownDetector to report issues with other services reliant on AWS infrastructure, including Zoom and Strava. This outage is not only hindering communication but also affecting countless businesses and individuals dependent on these platforms.

Aravind Srinivas, CEO of AI startup Perplexity, confirmed the outage in a post on X, stating, “The root cause is an AWS issue. We’re working on resolving it.” This highlights the urgency of the situation as companies scramble to restore functionality.

Reports suggest that customers are experiencing issues with basic functionalities, leading to significant frustration. Services like Amazon’s Alexa assistant are also down, further complicating daily tasks for users relying on voice-activated technology.

The timing of this outage is particularly critical, with many users reporting problems during peak usage hours. The disruption is likely to escalate as more people log on, increasing the strain on the affected services.

Amazon has yet to provide an official comment regarding the outage, but the company typically addresses such incidents as they unfold. In the meantime, users are being urged to remain patient as engineers work to rectify the situation.

This is a developing story. Stay updated for further details as they emerge. The immediate impact on communication and online services is profound, affecting millions globally.