Slack, the popular workplace communication platform, experienced a widespread outage across the United States, leaving millions of users unable to send messages, access threads, or log in. The disruption has caused significant delays for businesses relying on the platform for collaboration.
What Happened?
The outage began at 10:27 AM ET, according to Slack’s status page. Within 21 minutes, the company confirmed that several critical features were affected, including:
- Sending and receiving messages
- Loading threads
- API-related functionalities
- Workflows
Slack assured users that its team is actively working to restore full functionality.
How Widespread Is the Outage?
Slack boasts over 33 million users worldwide, but the exact number of affected users remains unclear. Reports from Downdetector, a platform that tracks online outages, indicate that:
- 60% of issues were related to the app
- 24% involved server connection problems
- 16% were tied to the website
An outage map revealed that the East Coast was particularly impacted, though users across the country reported difficulties.
How Are Users Reacting?
While the outage has disrupted workflows, some users are finding humor in the situation. On social media platform X (formerly Twitter), one user joked:
“Slack is down. I haven’t felt peace like this in five years.”
Another user saw the outage as a sign to take a break:
“Slack is down, and it’s going to be 59 degrees outside. This is God telling us to touch grass.”
What Is Slack Doing to Fix the Issue?
Slack has acknowledged the problem and is working to resolve it. In a statement, the company said:
“Thank you for your continued patience as we continue investigating. We’ll be following up with further updates as they become available.”
The team is focusing on restoring functionality to key features like messaging, workflows, and API endpoints.
What Can Businesses Do in the Meantime?
For businesses heavily reliant on Slack, the outage serves as a reminder to have backup communication tools in place. Here are a few suggestions:
- Use email for urgent communications
- Switch to alternative messaging platforms like Microsoft Teams or Google Chat
- Leverage phone calls or video conferencing tools
Final Thoughts
While the Slack outage has caused frustration for many, it also highlights the importance of diversifying communication channels in the workplace. Stay tuned for updates from Slack as they work to resolve the issue.
References
