On March 5, 2026, thousands of users reported issues with Amazon’s website, experiencing page errors when attempting to access the site. The problems began around 2:15 p.m., with over 18,000 reports logged on Downdetector.
As the situation unfolded, reports of problems began to decline around 2:20 p.m., but they surged again around 3:00 p.m., indicating ongoing instability. By 7 p.m., the number of Amazon-related reports had decreased to fewer than 1,300, suggesting that service restoration was underway.
Nature of the Outage
During the outage, shoppers faced various issues, including difficulties with checkout, payment errors, and fluctuating prices on items. Additionally, Amazon Fresh experienced significant disruptions, preventing both pickup and delivery orders.
Concerns Raised
Industry leaders expressed concerns regarding the outages. Elon Musk cautioned Amazon to “proceed with caution” amidst reports that AI-assisted coding changes were contributing to the issues. Internal memos revealed that Amazon had encountered four critical incidents in just one week, all linked to these AI-assisted changes.
Amazon’s internal AI coding assistant, known as “Kiro,” has been reported to generate flawed code, raising questions about the reliability of AI tools in software development. In response to the incidents, Amazon implemented stricter controls, requiring senior approval for AI-generated code changes made by junior and mid-level engineers.
Broader Implications
The recent outages reflect growing pains in the tech industry regarding the integration of generative AI tools. While Amazon has faced outages before, the current problems appear to be particularly tied to the use of AI in coding practices.
Details remain unconfirmed regarding the exact causes of these outages, and it remains unclear if all incidents were directly linked to AI-generated code changes. The situation highlights the challenges that major tech companies face as they increasingly rely on AI technologies.
As Amazon continues to navigate these challenges, the company has laid off approximately 30,000 employees and is investing $200 billion in capital expenditure plans for AI infrastructure. The evolving landscape of AI integration will likely remain a focal point for Amazon and the broader tech industry in the coming months.