'Is it a mere coincidence? I don't think so': Social media users joke the Microsoft outage is linked to wacky 1960 study claiming 'doomsday' will occur on November 13, 2026

If you work in an office, today's Microsoft outage might feel like the end of the world.But some social media users have joked that the global disruption is a far more literal omen of the end of days.Conspiracy-minded commenters have found a striking connection between Microsoft's server woes and a wacky 1960 study claiming 'doomsday' will occur on November 13, 2026.One commenter cheekily suggested: 'Is it a mere coincidence? I don't think so.. it was all planned.'In 1960, one of the world's leading scientific journals published a paper titled 'Doomsday: Friday, 13 November, A.D. 2026', written by Heinz von Foerster, an Austrian-American professor and cybernetics expert and two of his students, Patricia M. Mora and Lawrence W. Amiot. Based on human population growth over the last 2,000 years, this wild theory predicted that the human population would 'approach infinity' and annihilate itself.In the study, published in the journal Science, the trio argued: 'Our great–great–grandchildren will not starve. They will be squeezed to death.'And with the supposed date of the apocalypse in mind, many commenters have pointed to their lack of emails as an ominous portent of doom. Social media users have found a striking connection between this wacky prediction and the recent Microsoft outageA doomsday event was predicted for today, Friday, November 13, 2026, by three scientists in 1960. Today, Microsoft servers are undergoing a global outage. Is it a mere coincidence? I don't think so .. it was all planned.— Clever Ideas Club (@CleverIdeasClub) November 13, 2026 Commenters have flocked to social media to share their wild conspiracy theories connecting the Microsoft outage to the supposed impending apocalypse.On X, one joked: 'Is this the Doomsday November 13th that we all were talking about? @Microsoft.''So Doomsday was predicted back in 1960s for November 13th 2026. And all of a sudden Microsoft down. Summin ain't adding up,' wrote another.And one added: 'In 1960, scientists used a mathematical equation to predict that Friday, November 13, 2026 would be Doomsday. Nobody believed them until Outlook crashed globally this morning.'Meanwhile, some conspiracy lovers made the connection to the traditionally unlucky date of Friday 13th, as well as some other even stranger speculations.One commenter wrote: 'It's Friday the 13th. Microsoft outage means no email. These seem related.''13 hours of Microsoft outage on Friday the 13th. Spooky,' joked another.While one commenter added: 'If astrology isn't real then why is the Microsoft outage happening on the last day of Mercury Retrograde?' In reality, Professor von Foerster's theory has long since been debunked and doesn't have the slightest connection to today's internet outages. In 1960, one of the world's leading scientific journals published a paper suggesting that the population would surge toward infinity (illustrated), leading to 'doomsday' on Friday, 13 November, A.D. 2026Professor Alan MacEachern, a professor of history at Western University, pointed out that the calculations were based on a fundamental error.Writing in The Conversation, Professor MacEachern notes that the global birth rate is now significantly lower than it was when the article was published.This suggests the prediction of doomsday on November 13 is based on outdated figures.'Only around 1993 did that accuracy begin to falter and the global population began falling behind the forecasts,' Professor MacEachern explained. 'Today, the global birth rate is slightly less than half the 1960 rate.'Professor MacEachern also points out that the lead author, Heinz von Foerster, was a stage magician at one point in his life. As a result, the scientist may have used elements of his tricks in his paper. Microsoft users continued to experience disruption today as the tech giant worked to resolve outages impacting some of its most popular services'Borrowing the classic language of stagecraft, an effective illusion relies on three parts: the setup, the extraordinary turn and the final reveal that returns the situation to normal,' Professor MacEachern explained. 'Von Foerster and his co–authors' article gained attention because it was an ordinary scientific article wrapped in an extraordinary title and conclusion. 'It retained significance because it was firmly grounded in research and argument.'To draw the world's attention to a serious matter by way of absurdity — that's a good trick.' That means there's no need for anyone to worry about being 'squeezed to death'.On the other hand, the ongoing Microsoft outage appears to be related to an internal issue with the company's internal infrastructure.In several notices posted on social media, Microsoft said it was investigating the disruptions and suggested the problems could be down to parts of its infrastructure 'experiencing elevated load'. Microsoft determined a number of servers failed during automated health checks and that its alternatives to bring those servers back online were not immediately taking effect.Likewise, experts have ruled out the possibility of a cyber-attack disrupting the tech giant's services.Mantas Sasnauskas, cyber-security researcher and editor-in-chief of Ransomnews, told the Daily Mail: 'Nothing so far points to a cyberattack. Microsoft says it is not aware of any malicious activity, and what it has described fits that. 'Servers dropped out and then failed again as soon as traffic came back. A denial-of-service attack looks like a flood of hostile traffic. This looks like a failure inside the platform.'However, as Microsoft battles to bring systems back online, the company has acknowledged that efforts to restore services were 'not taking as expected'.Millions of users around the world began reporting that Outlook was down shortly after 6pm GMT on Thursday, in what experts have dubbed the 'most disruptive email-related business outage of all time'.More than 14 hours later, users are still unable to open their inboxes, send emails and access other Microsoft services.Governments, police forces and numerous companies around the world have reported problems with their services, but no definitive cause has been given.