Microsoft Challenges Delta's Account of $500 Million IT Outage
Microsoft is pushing back against Delta Air Lines' claims regarding a major IT outage last month, escalating tensions between the tech giant and the airline.
Key points:
- Microsoft disputes Delta's blame for the outage that cost the airline $500 million
- The tech company claims it offered assistance multiple times, which Delta rejected
- Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella reportedly reached out to Delta CEO Ed Bastian, who did not respond
In a strongly worded letter, Microsoft's legal representative Mark Cheffo accused Delta of making incomplete, false, misleading, and damaging statements about Microsoft's role in the incident.
Offers of assistance rejected
According to Cheffo, Microsoft immediately jumped in and offered to assist Delta at no charge following the July 19 outage. The company claims its employees repeated these offers until July 23, but Delta consistently turned them down.
Perhaps most notably, Microsoft alleges that CEO Satya Nadella personally emailed Delta CEO Ed Bastian on July 24 to offer help, but Bastian never replied.
Alternative explanations
Microsoft suggests that Delta's reluctance to accept help may be because the IT system it was most having trouble restoring—its crew-tracking and scheduling system—was being serviced by other technology providers, such as IBM, rather than Microsoft's systems.
This contradicts Delta CEO Ed Bastian's earlier statements calling Microsoft Windows the most fragile platform and comparing it unfavorably to competitors like Apple.
Broader implications
The dispute highlights the complex relationships between major corporations and their technology providers, especially in critical infrastructure sectors like air travel. As companies become increasingly reliant on digital systems, the impact of outages and the assignment of responsibility for them are likely to remain contentious issues.
Both Microsoft and cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, which Delta also blamed for the outage, have requested that the airline preserve all documents and communications related to the incident. This suggests that legal action may be on the horizon if the parties cannot resolve their differences privately.
As this situation develops, it serves as a reminder of the high stakes involved in enterprise IT systems and the potential for significant financial and reputational damage when they fail.
 |
|---|
| Travelers endure the wait at Delta Air Lines terminal amidst significant airline disruptions, reflecting the human impact of a major IT outage |