Zoom Faces Outage Due to GoDaddy DNS Error, Affecting Thousands of Customers

On Thursday, Zoom experienced a major outage that left thousands of customers unable to access the platform, with more than 50,000 reports on DownDetector.com at the peak of the disruption. The issue was traced back to a “server block” caused by a communication error between Zoom’s domain registrar, Markmonitor, and GoDaddy Registry, which oversees the zoom.us domain.

According to Zoom’s official explanation, the outage occurred between 2:25 p.m. ET and 4:12 p.m. ET on April 16. During this time, the zoom.us domain was blocked, preventing users from accessing Zoom services. The outage was not the result of any security failure, product issue, or network disruption. Instead, it stemmed from GoDaddy Registry mistakenly shutting down the domain due to a miscommunication with Markmonitor.

The Zoom team, along with Markmonitor and GoDaddy, acted swiftly to resolve the issue, restoring service to the platform in just a few hours. However, the response from Zoom, while technically adequate, has left some customers frustrated.

For many businesses, Zoom is an essential tool for virtual meetings, collaborations, and presentations. For those who were directly affected by the outage, the impact was significant. Some were forced to cancel or reschedule important meetings, while others turned to competitors like Microsoft Teams to continue their work.

While Zoom has since resumed service, the company’s response could have been more customer-focused. Rather than simply issuing a technical explanation, Zoom should have acknowledged the inconvenience caused to affected customers. A more proactive approach, such as sending an apology or explanation email to users, would have demonstrated a deeper understanding of the outage’s impact.

For customers who rely on Zoom for crucial work, an outage like this—especially one caused by a third-party mistake—can erode trust. Zoom’s response, while solving the immediate issue, failed to address the broader consequences for users who depend on the platform for day-to-day operations.

In the future, Zoom would be wise to take a more customer-centric approach when responding to service disruptions, understanding that for many businesses, a few hours without access can have far-reaching effects.