Just as the much-anticipated conversation between Donald Trump and Elon Musk was set to begin, users of X (formerly Twitter) were met with a message stating, “This space is no longer available.”
X’s livestreaming audio feature, Spaces, was supposed to host the conversation, but technical difficulties prevented it from working. Clicking on a link to Trump’s inactive account, @RealDonaldTrump, caused the site to freeze and become unusable, leading to complaints from users about being unable to join and browsers crashing.
Musk, the owner of X, posted that it seemed the platform had been hit with a massive DDOS attack. However, the rest of X seemed to be functioning without issues.
The interview was scheduled for 8pm ET, but due to resolving technical problems, Musk announced a 30-minute delay. Eventually, users were able to join the broadcast by clicking a link.
When the hold music on X stopped at 8:30 p.m. ET, a rustling sound could be heard from Trump’s microphone, leading to 10 minutes of silence before the interview finally began. X showed a high listener count of over 1 million as the interview progressed.
Musk mentioned that the DDOS attack had been mostly overcome, stating, “There is strong opposition to listening to President Trump, as evidenced by this massive attack.”
Trump expressed satisfaction with the incident, calling it an honor alongside millions of others.
This mishap is particularly damaging for X’s image as a tech innovator and a reliable advertising platform. The company recently filed a lawsuit against major advertisers for monopolistic practices.
Despite some challenges, Musk continues to position X as a platform at the forefront of politics and free speech.
Source: www.theguardian.com
