URGENT UPDATE: Anthropic’s popular AI chatbot, Claude, is currently experiencing a major outage, impacting thousands of users worldwide. Reports began flooding in at approximately 11:49 UTC (6:49 a.m. ET) today, with users unable to log in or access services across platforms, including claude.ai and Claude Code.
The outage has led to a sharp spike in complaints, peaking at nearly 2,000 reports around 6:40 a.m. ET, according to Downdetector. Users are reporting issues with the chat interface (39%), mobile app (35%), and the website (15-20%), facing frustrating error messages such as HTTP 500s and timeouts.
Anthropic confirmed on its official status page that it is “currently investigating” elevated errors affecting consumer-facing surfaces. The company has identified specific issues related to web access and authentication methods while stating that the core Claude API remains operational. However, no estimated time for a full resolution has been provided.
As of early afternoon UTC, Anthropic reported it had pinpointed the root cause and was actively implementing a fix, but intermittent issues continue to affect login flows and web access. Users have been encouraged to monitor the status page for real-time updates.
The disruption comes amid rising scrutiny of Anthropic, particularly related to its U.S. government contracts. Speculation has arisen about the outage’s connection to “unprecedented demand” for Claude as it competes with ChatGPT. Social media platforms are alive with user frustration, with many sharing memes and expressing their dissatisfaction with the outage, especially those relying on Claude for coding or productivity.
Despite ongoing challenges, some users have reported partial recovery, although many are still facing issues. As Anthropic works to resolve the situation, users are shifting to alternatives like Grok and ChatGPT while awaiting service restoration.
This incident highlights the critical need for reliable AI infrastructure, particularly as usage surges. Users worldwide are left grappling with workflow interruptions, underscoring the importance of stability in AI services. Anthropic has a history of high uptime, making today’s outage particularly notable in its scope and visibility.
Stay tuned for further developments as Anthropic continues to address the situation.
