- Follow the Microsoft outage live blog for the latest news on the system failure.
- Have you been affected by the IT crisis? Email ryan.prosser@mailonline.co.uk
Office workers joked that the Microsoft outage could end their workweek early amid a wave of internet memes following the global meltdown.
Industries across the UK have reported severe disruption as a result of the outage, with aviation, rail and GP surgeries all affected by the technical issue.
The crash, believed to have been the result of a faulty software update by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, also took Sky News off air this morning.
Users took to X to share memes, including depictions of the so-called “blue screen of death” and jokes that the outage was an excuse to skip work early on the weekend.
Other memes showed the world on fire, a reference to the massive domino effect that has affected businesses around the world, including the world’s largest airports.
LEAVING WORK: A meme showing a desperate man jumping out of the door of his workplace, in an apparent joke that the power outage is an excuse to leave early for the weekend.
![Office workers are rejoicing after a Microsoft outage shut down systems as staff joke that their work week may end sooner thanks to the 'blue screen of death': 'Happy weekend, thanks Microsoft! 7 A man in a flat cap smoking a cigarette walks away from a large fire engulfing a large house, symbolizing the global effects of the blackout.](https://whatsnew2day.com/wp-content/uploads/cwv-webp-images/2024/07/1721388868_915_Office-workers-are-rejoicing-after-a-Microsoft-outage-shut-down.jpg.webp)
A man in a flat cap smoking a cigarette walks away from a large fire engulfing a large house, symbolizing the global effects of the blackout.
![Office workers are rejoicing after a Microsoft outage shut down systems as staff joke that their work week may end sooner thanks to the 'blue screen of death': 'Happy weekend, thanks Microsoft! 9 A meme shows IT employees scratching their heads and grimacing amid the crisis](https://whatsnew2day.com/wp-content/uploads/cwv-webp-images/2024/07/1721388868_869_Office-workers-are-rejoicing-after-a-Microsoft-outage-shut-down.jpg.webp)
A meme shows IT employees scratching their heads and grimacing amid the crisis
![Office workers are rejoicing after a Microsoft outage shut down systems as staff joke that their work week may end sooner thanks to the 'blue screen of death': 'Happy weekend, thanks Microsoft! 11 BLUE SCREEN: A man covered in blue tan, a reference to the](https://whatsnew2day.com/wp-content/uploads/cwv-webp-images/2024/07/1721388868_501_Office-workers-are-rejoicing-after-a-Microsoft-outage-shut-down.jpg.webp)
BLUE SCREEN: A man covered in blue tan, a reference to the “blue screen of death” that computers experience when they crash.
![Office workers are rejoicing after a Microsoft outage shut down systems as staff joke that their work week may end sooner thanks to the 'blue screen of death': 'Happy weekend, thanks Microsoft! 13 The pandas represent people watching their laptops turn blue due to the global outage.](https://whatsnew2day.com/wp-content/uploads/cwv-webp-images/2024/07/1721388869_529_Office-workers-are-rejoicing-after-a-Microsoft-outage-shut-down.jpg.webp)
The pandas represent people watching their laptops turn blue due to the global outage.
![Office workers are rejoicing after a Microsoft outage shut down systems as staff joke that their work week may end sooner thanks to the 'blue screen of death': 'Happy weekend, thanks Microsoft! 15 A meme shared online shows people surrounding a man being stoned, meant to represent IT employees.](https://whatsnew2day.com/wp-content/uploads/cwv-webp-images/2024/07/1721388869_782_Office-workers-are-rejoicing-after-a-Microsoft-outage-shut-down.jpg.webp)
A meme shared online shows people surrounding a man being stoned, meant to represent IT employees.
![Office workers are rejoicing after a Microsoft outage shut down systems as staff joke that their work week may end sooner thanks to the 'blue screen of death': 'Happy weekend, thanks Microsoft! 17 In this meme, technicians work with overhead cables with a computer displayed on a](https://whatsnew2day.com/wp-content/uploads/cwv-webp-images/2024/07/1721388869_222_Office-workers-are-rejoicing-after-a-Microsoft-outage-shut-down.jpg.webp)
In this meme, technicians work on overhead cables with a computer displayed on a “blue screen.”
![Office workers are rejoicing after a Microsoft outage shut down systems as staff joke that their work week may end sooner thanks to the 'blue screen of death': 'Happy weekend, thanks Microsoft! 19 The Las Vegas sphere is shown with a message saying: 'Your device is experiencing a problem and needs to restart'](https://whatsnew2day.com/wp-content/uploads/cwv-webp-images/2024/07/1721388870_887_Office-workers-are-rejoicing-after-a-Microsoft-outage-shut-down.jpg.webp)
The Las Vegas sphere is shown with a message saying: ‘Your device is experiencing a problem and needs to restart’
![Office workers are rejoicing after a Microsoft outage shut down systems as staff joke that their work week may end sooner thanks to the 'blue screen of death': 'Happy weekend, thanks Microsoft! 21 A worker jokes that](https://whatsnew2day.com/wp-content/uploads/cwv-webp-images/2024/07/1721388870_563_Office-workers-are-rejoicing-after-a-Microsoft-outage-shut-down.jpg.webp)
A worker jokes that “everyone who uses a computer for work should go home early today.”
![Office workers are rejoicing after a Microsoft outage shut down systems as staff joke that their work week may end sooner thanks to the 'blue screen of death': 'Happy weekend, thanks Microsoft! 23 Another blue screen of death meme shows a computer with the message](https://whatsnew2day.com/wp-content/uploads/cwv-webp-images/2024/07/1721388871_727_Office-workers-are-rejoicing-after-a-Microsoft-outage-shut-down.jpg.webp)
Another Blue Screen of Death meme shows a computer with the message “Windows did not load correctly”