On Friday, a major IT outage affected banks, airlines, and other sectors globally. CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity firm based in Austin, Texas, was linked to the issue, which was later attributed to a defect in a Windows content update.
I got fired from CrowdStrike today 🙁
I am not really sure what the reason was! Anyway, I’ll be around in Vienna for #ICML2024 since I’m free now.Let me know if anyone interested in Security and Privacy in AI or any other topic broadly in deep learning would like to catch up.
— Vinu Sankar Sadasivan @ ICML (@imVinusankars) July 20, 2024
Memes Erupt Online
Following the announcement, social media exploded with memes and jokes about “former CrowdStrike employees” being blamed for the crisis. The online humor intensified as people started making light of the situation.
Indian-Origin Man’s Claim
Amid the meme frenzy, Vinu Sankar Sadasivan, an Indian-origin man and PhD student, claimed on Twitter that he had been fired from CrowdStrike. He expressed confusion over the reason for his termination and invited people to connect with him at an upcoming conference.
Verification and Public Reaction
Sadasivan’s claim has been met with skepticism. His online profiles and CV do not mention CrowdStrike, leading some to question the truth behind his statement. Despite this, some netizens offered support, while others saw parallels with the “Boy Who Cried Wolf.”
The Ongoing Meme
The situation has fueled further memes and jokes online, blurring the line between sarcasm and reality. Social media users continue to debate whether Sadasivan’s claim is genuine or just another addition to the viral meme series.