Microsoft apologizes for 24-hour global outage of Outlook and Teams

Microsoft apologized Friday for a global outage lasting roughly 24 hours that disrupted its Outlook email and Teams messaging services, affecting hundreds of millions of users worldwide. The company attributed the incident to server issues, ruling out malicious activity or artificial intelligence as causes. The outage, which began around 4:25 am AEDT, hit features tied to Exchange Online, leaving unconnected applications operational. Microsoft said a broader roll-out of software fixes was stabilizing systems, though organizations hosting services on their own servers were somewhat spared. The disruption is among the longest in Microsoft's history and its second this year. The incident affected businesses globally, including European exchange operator Euronext, UK insurer Aviva, and Danish shipping giant Maersk, while Indian airlines reported email support disruptions. It also disrupted fund management at Taiwanese financial firms, with one cancelling a bond repurchase transaction. The outage raises questions about global reliance on major tech companies, though analysts note steep switching costs may deter customers from moving to rivals.