Millions of people across the U.S. felt the effects of Amazon Web Services (AWS) going offline.

As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the global outage on Monday, Oct. 20, disrupted access to websites, apps, and services across sectors. As recovery continues, new details are emerging about just how integral AWS is to everyday digital life.

According to CNN, the outage rippled through nearly every aspect of daily routines. People couldn’t order coffee through mobile apps, teachers couldn’t access lesson plans, and smart home systems like Ring and Blink cameras stopped working. For many, it was more than just an inconvenience. Hospitals also lost key communications tools, and customers at digital banks such as Chime couldn’t access their money.

The shutdown underscored how essential AWS has become to digital infrastructure. The platform provides the behind-the-scenes computing power for millions of businesses, offering storage, servers, and data management tools that keep operations running. Research firm Gartner estimates that AWS holds roughly 37% of the global cloud market, ahead of Microsoft and Google, according to CNN. Additionally, it serves over 4 million customers, per HG Insights.

When AWS goes down, the effects ripple quickly. Analysts told CNN that the economic impact of the outage could reach billions of dollars as businesses scramble to stay operational.

Jacob Bourne, an analyst at eMarketer, told CNN that the incident exposed a “large single point of failure” that disrupted everything from warehouse logistics to online transactions.

“[the disruption] impacts operations at warehouses, deliveries, people being able to sell their goods and services on websites,” he said.

Ordinary Americans experienced Amazon’s AWS outage firsthand. In New Albany, Indiana, CNN reports that Debi Dougherty’s day unraveled one failed transaction at a time. Her Ring camera alerts wouldn’t load, her husband’s doctor struggled to schedule radiation appointments, and credit card readers at Kohl’s froze mid-purchase. When she went out to lunch at Cattleman’s Roadhouse, the restaurant’s card system was down as well, as it relied on the AWS-powered Toast point-of-sale system.

Cameron Sharp, the general manager of Cattleman’s Roadhouse’s New Albany location, comped the couple’s meal. Sharp told CNN he was grateful the AWS outage hit on a Monday instead of a busy weekend.

“If this goes into multiday, or heaven forbid … goes into the weekend, we’re in trouble,” he said.

“Our entire economy is based on e-commerce. Because we’re so tied together, this is going to screw with a lot of folks,” Sharp continued.

CNN also notes that in Houston, business owner Dia Giordano faced disruptions across her restaurant, eight mental health clinics, and several rental properties. DoorDash notifications warned that her online ordering system — also run through Toast — was down.

“What that means is one-third of my business is gone for the day,” she told CNN. Her clinics couldn’t verify insurance information, and Venmo was down, delaying rent payments.

“We’re just kind of playing it by ear, moment by moment,” Giordano said.

As questions mount, users across the internet are still asking, “What caused the AWS outage?” and “When will Amazon be back up?” While Amazon continues its investigation, the full impact of the outage on businesses and consumers remains unclear.