'Let's circle back in January': Funny, relatable reactions to the global Microsoft outage
For Pinoys, it was the ultimate Friday the 13th prank, made even more surreal when they realized people across the world were simultaneously experiencing it, too. And then the jokes poured in.
On Friday, Nov. 13, Philippine time, Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft 365 suffered a major outage in multiple regions and left tens of thousands of users unable to access their email. But while Microsoft blamed an "elevated load" on its infrastructure for the outage, affected workers got on social media to jokingly assure the tech giant they didn't mind the interruption at all.
These posts and memes were particularly accurate in capturing public sentiment.
'No rush, Microsoft'
Several netizens suggested that Microsoft employees take the time to relax instead of panicking about the outage.
X user Mike Beauvais tweeted that "there's really no point in Outlook coming back now" as it was "almost Friday" from where he was.
"And it's November, so it's almost Christmas. No point really coming back until January if you think about it," he added. "Let's circle back then."
CONTINUE READING BELOW
Another Internet user with the handle @omgsidewalks wrote a letter to Microsoft on X on behalf of "every corporate employee."
X user @amelia_tweetz also told Microsoft employees, "please don't push yourselves too hard."
"Your health matters more than any deadline. Take a long weekend, relax, and come back Monday feeling refreshed," she wrote. "You've worked hard enough this week, and I promise those 400 unread emails aren't going anywhere."
Nothing to do
Other workers displayed how they passed the time waiting for the outage to be over.
Happy long weekend
With the outage beginning on Thursday in the US and spilling over to Friday, and the interruption starting in the Philippines just as Pinoys were beginning their workday on Friday, employees celebrated the outage as an early beginning to their weekend. Employee happiness was off the charts.
Another X user @JesterJum said, "Microsoft accomplished more today in 3 hours for employee happiness than HR has in 20 years. Thank you Microsoft."
Internet user Ezeuzor Chuudi also referred to the Outlook outage as a "valid reason not to work today and enjoy yourself."
He said the weekend was "pretty going to be very long and sweet."
Fake despair
Outwardly, some employees felt they needed to be upset about work being interrupted. But inside, it was a different story.
As of 8:21 p.m. on Nov. 13, Philippine time, the global Microsoft outage was still ongoing.
According to CNN, Microsoft said in a statement that it's making “additional progress toward recovery.” It added that it's “seeing improvements in key scenarios, including mailbox access and delayed email processing, though some intermittent issues may continue.”
WATCH: How to experience Bangkok and Kanchanaburi in one trip
October 21, 2026