The highly anticipated interview between Elon Musk and former President Donald Trump faced technical difficulties on Monday, with users experiencing issues joining the audio conversation on X’s Spaces platform.
Eighteen minutes into the scheduled 8 p.m. EDT interview, Musk informed users on X that the platform was under a “massive” denial-of-service attack (DDOS), a cybercrime tactic that overwhelms a system with data to disrupt its services.
Although Downdetector reported an increase in reports of X being inaccessible before the interview, it was unclear whether it was a malicious attack. Users speculated whether the glitch was due to a DDOS attack or simply from the high volume of listeners trying to tune into the Spaces event.
Finally, at 8:42 p.m., the interview commenced.
X has faced numerous technical challenges under Musk’s leadership, with significant personnel changes impacting the platform’s operations.
During a previous interview event, Trump had criticized Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for similar technical issues experienced during his campaign launch on X in May 2023.
The event faced server strain due to the high volume of listeners, resulting in delays and technical disruptions that ultimately impacted DeSantis’ campaign.
DeSantis later withdrew from the race following a lackluster performance in Iowa’s caucuses.
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