Slack outage: Performance issues are making remote work difficult Monday

ByClare Duffy, CNN Business, CNNWire
Monday, October 5, 2020
This undated stock photo shows the Slack application on an iPhone.
Shutterstock

Slack is having performance issues Monday - which could mean trouble for the many companies that rely on the workplace communication tool to keep remote teams running.

The company noted on Monday morning around 10 am ET that some users might be experiencing slowness with Slack's desktop, mobile and browser applications. It said the issue was causing delays in some messages and calls. About two hours later, Slack said some users may be unable to connect to the service, while others are still experiencing "general performance issues," adding that the company is "continuing to dig in on our side" and will provide updates.

With millions of people unable to work in their offices, Slack and rival Microsoft Teams have become crucial communications tools to keep many businesses up and running during the pandemic. Slack has more than 12 million daily active users, including many major tech companies and news organizations.

"Our teams are aware and are investigating the issue," a Slack spokesperson said in a statement to CNN Business. "We know how important it is for people to stay connected and we are working hard to get everyone running as normal. For the latest updates please keep an eye on @slackstatus and status.slack.com."

Slack declined to say how many users are affected. The website Down Detector listed as many as 1,900 reports, including problems related to connecting and sending messages. Down Detector showed the majority of the Slack reports were from the United States.

"Slack" was also trending on Twitter Monday morning, with users complaining of slow service and challenges with logging in.

"Slack being down is the WFH snow day," one Twitter user said.

The-CNN-Wire

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