Twitter broke after 'internal change' had 'unintended consequences'

• Twitter wasn't working properly on Monday, the company confirmed.
• Twitter showed an error code when users attempted to click external links and images.

Twitter wasn't working properly only a few months after Elon Musk laid off over half of the company's workforce.

On Monday, users began reporting that they received error messages when trying to click images and links on Twitter that connected to outside websites. Insider performed a test of the issue and also received an error code. Twitter's social media dashboard, TweetDeck, displayed the same error message.

"Your current API plan does not include access to this endpoint, please see https://developer.twitter.com/en/docs/twitter-api for more information," the message reads.

A Twitter spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment from Insider ahead of publication, but the company confirmed the issue on Twitter.

"Some parts of Twitter may not be working as expected right now," @TwitterSupport tweeted on Monday. "We made an internal change that had some unintended consequences. We're working on this now and will share an update when it's fixed."

Musk also commented on the issue on Twitter, saying the error "Will be fixed shortly." The billionaire later said the issue was caused by a "small API change" that had "massive ramifications."

"The code stack is extremely brittle for no good reason," he tweeted. "Will ultimately need a complete rewrite."

As of 12:50 p.m. ET, the external links appeared to be working for some Twitter users. A few minutes later, the company tweeted that "Things should now be working as normal."

Downdetector showed a spike in people reporting problems with the app and "Twitter API" was trending on Monday afternoon.

In February, the company said it would begin charging users $100 per month for access to its API. The company is restructuring its API, the interface that allows developers to provide third-party services on the site, including bots.

Insider's Kali Hays previously reported that Twitter could break or face technical glitches after Musk laid off thousands of employees after taking the social media company private in October. More recently, Musk laid off dozens of employees in late February.