--- title: "Crowdstrike CEO Visibly Agitated On Camera After Massive Outage" description: "Crowdstrike CEO and cofounder George Kurtz seemed nearly as stumped as the rest of us when trying to explain today's glitch." date: "2024-07-19" modified: "2024-07-19" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/crowdstrike-ceo-visibly-agitated" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "ceos" - "crowdstrike" - "glitches" - "the digest" --- # Crowdstrike CEO Visibly Agitated On Camera After Massive Outage ![Crowdstrike CEO and cofounder George Kurtz seemed nearly as stumped as the rest of us when trying to explain today's glitch.]() *\Image: Today Show via X (Screenshot)\* ## Strike, You're Out! In the aftermath of [Microsoft and Crowdstrike's disastrous glitch]() on Thursday that left [Wall Street, airlines, and hospitals]() without computer services overnight and into Friday, the company's CEO may be making things worse. As [footage from his cringe-worth *TODAY* *Show* interview shows](), Crowdstrike CEO and cofounder George Kurtz seemed nearly as stumped as the rest of us when trying to explain why, exactly, a glitch left so many industries hamstrung. Flanked by the talking heads of hosts Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie, Kurtz tripped over his words and even had to pause for a drink of water while trying to clarify the embarrassing situation at hand. https://www.twitter.com/TODAYshow/status/1814266372882391523 ## Big Update As Guthrie noted, the [company admitted in a statement]() that a misfire with a "single content update" led to [essential businesses and institutions]() being forced to go without internet. "Why is there not some sort of redundancy or some sort of backup?" the host asked the CEO, whose breathing was so heavy at one point as she spoke that it was heard on camera. "How is it that one single software bug can have such a profound and immediate impact?" While trying to discuss "the complexity of cybersecurity" in response, Kurtz's voice began to break and he had to excuse himself to take a sip of water. "Oh yeah," Guthrie responded. "Take a drink of water." She then kindly laughed away the tension and pointed out that she was "sure it's been a long day," but the damage was already done — especially on X-formerly-Twitter, where such politesse is not generally extended. "\[I\] don’t think I’ve seen a more nervous response than this," [one user joked](). In response, *New York Post* reporter [James David Dickson said]() such a gaffe was his "biggest fear on a TV hit." "It’s sobering to see it actually happen to someone," he continued. Considering how hard it was to even witness Kurtz's discomfort, we can't imagine how anxious he must have felt giving it — but then again, we're also [not paid tech CEO wages](), either. **More on outages:** [*One Million Russians Lose Power When Alarm Goes Off at Nuclear Plant*.]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()