The Microsoft outage means no incessant email chimes or message pings, but still we stayed online

Detailed summary

BERLIN (AP) — It was the sound of e-silence. No Microsoft Outlook email chimes, no Teams message pings, no new notifications and, very possibly, no work getting done.

No Microsoft Outlook email chimes, no Teams message pings, no new notifications and, very possibly, no work getting done.

Microsoft 365 teetered on the edge of becoming Microsoft 364 as the global outage stretched from Thursday into, ironically (or fittingly, depending on your personal outlook), Friday the 13th. The disruption has impacted an unknown number of netizens, but the total could be as high as 430 million — the figure the tech giant touts as the number of people who use Microsoft 365 apps.

But what really happens when an essential workplace tool goes quiet and the silence is heard around the world?

Sadly, it seems, the extended break online did not mean that we went outside — or even offline. Thousands used the 21st century technology of social media to complain about the 20th century invention of email. Memes sprang up across the internet as brands like airlines rushed to capitalize early Friday on an unexpected long weekend.

“Emails can wait. The world has been waiting long enough,” Air India wrote on X. “Consider this your cue to plan that getaway.”

The airline’s post featured a photo with a view out an airplane window with the quip, “A change of outlook we’d highly recommend.”

Burger King instead opted for a message directed at Microsoft: “whoever’s troubleshooting and working on the outage rn…take your time. go out and get a Whopper.”

The World Health Organization, meanwhile, valiantly pitched some healthy offline ideas like taking a break from screens or stretching and walking.

We could do that. We could take advantage of a world and a workday where our inboxes don’t demand all of our attention. We could savor the unexpected serenity of an enforced e-silence. We could take a walk! Really, we could.

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