Amazon Web Services (AWS) recently experienced a day-long outage, leaving Americans reliant on the internet and highlighting how dependent society is on just one company. The outages affected various services including healthcare communications, mobile banking, smart home devices, and e-commerce platforms.
AWS is a cloud computing giant that provides businesses with backend computing tools needed to power daily operations. However, when it goes down, it has a cascading effect on operations at warehouses, deliveries, and online sales.
The outage caused disruptions in various industries, including healthcare, education, and retail. Many people experienced delays and difficulties in accessing essential services due to the technical issue.
One expert estimated that the total impact of the disruption could be in the billions of dollars. The outage also raised concerns about relying too heavily on a single company for critical infrastructure.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/10/21/tech/aws-outage-internet-vulnerable