Only 1 engineer left to handle Twitter API after Elon Musk's cost-cutting measures: Report

The engineer, who is now single-handedly responsible for managing the tech giant's API made a "bad configuration change" that caused the API to break.

FPJ Web Desk Updated: Tuesday, March 07, 2023, 12:30 PM IST
Only 1 engineer left to handle Twitter API after Elon Musk's cost-cutting measures: Report | Image: Wikipedia (Representative)

Only 1 engineer left to handle Twitter API after Elon Musk's cost-cutting measures: Report | Image: Wikipedia (Representative)

On Monday, Twitter experienced an outage due to an engineer's mistake, according to a report by Platformer. The engineer, who is now single-handedly responsible for managing the tech giant's API made a "bad configuration change" that caused the API to break.

As a result, Twitter's internal tools were also affected. The outage impacted users in the US the most, with some users seeing a cryptic message on their feeds. “Your current API plan does not include access to this endpoint, please see https://developer.twitter.com/en/docs/twitter-api for more information,” read the message.

Despite the frequent outages, Twitter employees have reportedly become "immune" to them.

Last month, Twitter announced that it would no longer support free access to its API and that the service would become paid. However, according to the report, only one engineer was working on the project to shut down the free API access, despite the company's announcement. Elon Musk, who has been known for his cost-cutting measures at the company, tweeted about the outage and criticized the code stack, calling for a complete rewrite.

Issue was soon resolved in the night

The issue was eventually resolved, and Twitter Support confirmed that things were working as normal. "Things should now be working as normal. Thanks for sticking with us," a tweet on its handle read.

The frequent outages at Twitter have become a common occurrence, with employees of the microblogging platform reportedly becoming "immune" to them. The report by Platformer sheds light on the company's internal workings and the impact of cost-cutting measures on its operations.

Despite these challenges, Twitter continues to be a popular platform for users to share news and connect with others. The company's efforts to monetize its services and provide better user experiences will likely continue to be a key focus in the months ahead.

Published on: Tuesday, March 07, 2023, 12:30 PM IST

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