Mark Zuckerberg Loses $2.79 Billion After Global Outage Hits Meta Apps For 2 Hours

By Thea Felicity

Mar 06, 2024 12:30 PM EST

(Photo : Photo by Stephen Lam/Getty Images)
MENLO PARK, CA - JANUARY 15: Facebook Chairman and Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg introduces Graph Search features during a presentation January 15, 2013 in Menlo Park. Facebook announced a search function that works within the website and allows users to search content that people have shared with you or is public.

On the morning of Mar. 5, VCPost reported that Meta apps experienced a global outage, with apps like Facebook, Instagram, and Threads inaccessible for 2 hours. This outage also affected WhatsApp Business, with around 200 reported outages on Downdetector. 

According to Meta Quest's X account, users of Meta's VR headset also encountered problems during the outage, which affected services like Horizon Worlds. 

The outage frustrated users who experienced difficulties logging in or accessing the apps. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency was not satisfied with Meta's response, citing a possible cyberattack. 

Now, Zuckerberg is looking at a huge loss of $2.7 billion, with Meta's stock price dropping by 1.6% or $490.22, as reported by NASDAQ

Meta has revealed that the global outage was due to a "technical issue," but did not provide further details. 

Many flocked to X to air out their frustrations. During the outage, X CEO Elon Musk took a dig at Meta on social media with a meme, possibly hinting at their platforms' reliability issues. 

READ NEXT: Meta Platforms Experience Widespread Outage; Facebook, Instagram, and Threads Inaccessible For 2 Hours

Despite the setback, Zuckerberg remained the world's fourth-richest person, with his net worth at $176 billion, per a recent Bloomberg Billionaires Index report.

The financial impact of Meta's worldwide outage raises questions about its future financial stability. In February 2024 alone, Zuckerberg's net worth soared by $27.1 billion after Meta's strong quarterly results, making him the fourth richest person globally. 

Earlier this year, Meta also announced a quarterly cash dividend of 50 cents per share for its Class A and B common stock, potentially earning Zuckerberg about $175 million each quarter.

READ MORE: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to Receive $700 Million a Year From the Company's New Dividend

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