Microsoft says Delta ignored Nadella's help amid CrowdStrike outage
What's the story
Microsoft has responded to Delta Air Lines's criticism following a significant IT outage last month. The tech giant claims that the airline repeatedly declined its offers of free assistance and even ignored CEO Satya Nadella's email. Mark Cheffo, co-chair of Dechert's global litigation practice, stated on behalf of Microsoft that the firm empathizes with Delta and its customers regarding the impact of the incident.
Communication breakdown
Microsoft CEO reaches out, Delta remains unresponsive
Nadella reached out to Delta's CEO Ed Bastian via email on July 24 but received no response. The tech company suggests that Delta's refusal of assistance may have been due to struggles with restoring non-Windows systems serviced by other technology providers such as IBM. The outage is estimated by Bastian to have cost the airline $500 million.
Legal preparation
Microsoft criticizes Delta's IT infrastructure, prepares for litigation
Microsoft has criticized Delta for not modernizing its IT infrastructure, suggesting this may have worsened the impact of the outage. The tech giant has asked Delta to protect documents related to the incident and stated it will "vigorously defend itself in any litigation if Delta chooses to pursue that path." This statement comes in response to Delta's allegations blaming Microsoft and cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike for the outage.
Cybersecurity defense
CrowdStrike denies negligence, highlights other airlines' swift recovery
CrowdStrike has also defended itself against allegations of responsibility for the outage. The cybersecurity firm "strongly rejects any allegation that it was grossly negligent or committed willful misconduct." It also pointed out that while its issues impacted millions of Windows machines globally, other airlines were able to restore their operations much more swiftly than Delta. CrowdStrike reiterated its apology for the massive disruption and stated that it had offered on-site assistance to Delta, which was declined.