ChatGPT Users Hit by Global Outage as OpenAI Struggles to Keep Pace
A major outage is crippling access to popular chatbot platform ChatGPT, leaving millions of users worldwide unable to sign in, create new accounts, or load previous conversations. The issue, which began at approximately 8 PM ET on Wednesday, August 19, has been acknowledged by OpenAI, the company behind the chatbot.
The outage is not limited to ChatGPT alone; it also affects Codex, OpenAI’s coding platform, and several API endpoints listed as having issues on the company’s status page. Users attempting to sign in or create new accounts are met with error messages citing “too many concurrent requests.” Even those who have successfully logged in may find themselves stuck at loading animations for the sidebar, unable to send messages due to technical difficulties.
According to OpenAI’s own status page, the issue is attributed to a surge of login attempts across its impacted services. The company has acknowledged the problem and is working on implementing a mitigation strategy to address it. While the exact cause remains unclear, it’s evident that the sheer volume of users attempting to access ChatGPT has overwhelmed the system.
The outage highlights the vulnerability of even the most popular online platforms when faced with an unprecedented demand for access. For many users, ChatGPT is more than just a chatbot – it’s a vital tool for work or education. The disruption caused by this outage may have significant consequences, particularly for those who rely on it for critical tasks.
As OpenAI struggles to restore service, users are left waiting anxiously for an update. While the company has been transparent about the issue, some users have taken to social media to express their frustration and disappointment with the downtime. As the situation continues to unfold, one thing is certain: a robust online platform must be designed to handle even the most extreme usage scenarios.
For those affected by this outage, it’s essential to remember that these types of disruptions can happen to anyone, regardless of how popular or secure your account may be. To minimize the impact of similar events in the future, consider keeping your login credentials up to date and exploring alternative platforms for critical tasks.
Source: Bleeping Computer — 2026-08-20