URGENT UPDATE: A significant outage of Amazon Web Services (AWS) is wreaking havoc on numerous online platforms, including Snapchat, Signal, and Perplexity. The disruption began early on October 23, 2023, affecting a staggering 35 services according to AWS’s status page.
Reports from DownDetector, a site that monitors online outages, indicate that popular applications such as Zoom, Strava, and Amazon’s own Alexa assistant are also experiencing significant disruptions. Users are reporting issues with accessing these platforms, amplifying the urgency of the situation.
Aravind Srinivas, CEO of AI startup Perplexity, confirmed via an X post that their service is currently down, attributing the problem directly to AWS. “The root cause is an AWS issue,” he stated. “We’re working on resolving it.”
The widespread impact of this outage is felt globally, with users unable to access essential services for communication, fitness tracking, and AI assistance. As businesses and individuals rely heavily on these platforms, the outage raises concerns about the reliability of cloud services.
Amazon has been contacted for comment, but no immediate response has been provided. The situation remains fluid, with updates expected as AWS works to restore its services.
As this story develops, users are encouraged to stay tuned for further updates on the status of the affected platforms. This incident underscores the critical role that AWS plays in the digital landscape and the ripple effects that outages can have on everyday life.
Check back for more details as they emerge.
