Sunday was weird for TikTok users. Not the usual kind of weird where you accidentally end up watching someone organize their fridge for 20 minutes. The app just stopped working. And because timing is everything in life, this happened right after TikTok officially transferred to U.S. control.
Naturally, people lost their minds. The theories started flying faster than a trending sound. Some users were convinced the new owners had already messed something up, while others wondered if this was some kind of intentional reset. One person summed it up perfectly: “TikTok being down days after the people they were forced to sell to take it over does not feel like a coincidence.”
The Boring Truth About Data Centers
TikTok finally broke its silence Monday morning with a statement that was about as exciting as watching paint dry. According to them, a power outage at a U.S. data center knocked out their services. They apologized, said they were working with their partner to fix things, and that was basically it.
The app’s back up and running now. If you’re reading this while scrolling through your For You Page, congratulations, the data center came through. But just because the Technology works again doesn’t mean people have forgotten about Sunday.
Something Feels Different
Here’s where things get interesting. Users aren’t just complaining about the outage anymore. They’re saying the entire app feels different. People are reporting that their For You Pages got completely reset, like the algorithm forgot everything it learned about them over the past few years. Others are seeing AI-generated content flooding their feeds, which is about as appealing as finding a hair in your soup.
The political angle is getting messy too. Some users claim they’re seeing less anti-Trump and anti-ICE content, while comedian Gianmarco Soresi says even his non-political videos are getting zero views. He’s blaming the new management for being incompetent, which is a take that’s resonating with a lot of creators right now.
Trust Issues Run Deep
Whether or not the algorithm actually changed is still up for debate. We need more time to see if these complaints are just paranoia or if something genuinely shifted under the hood. But the fact that so many people believe something changed tells you everything you need about where user trust stands right now.
TikTok hasn’t commented on the algorithm complaints yet. They’re probably hoping this all blows over once people get distracted by the next dance trend or drama. But when you combine a sketchy-timed outage with a controversial ownership change and widespread reports of feed problems, you’ve got yourself a Business problem that won’t disappear overnight.
The app works, sure. But for millions of users who spent years training their algorithm to show them exactly what they want, a reset feels like losing a friend who really got you. And no amount of corporate statements about power outages can fix that kind of relationship damage.
