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But as the morning progressed, Google's problems only seemed to get worse. Gmail is now affected. So is the company's chat feature. Google isn't providing details, only responding to me with the following statement from a Google spokesperson: "We’re aware some users are having trouble accessing some Google services. We’re looking into it, and we’ll update everyone soon."
Then, a half hour later, this: "The issue affecting some Google services has been resolved. We’re sorry for the inconvenience, and we'll share more details soon."
These issues follow a quirky problem a few months ago where every website listed in Google search results one weekend carried with it a warning that the site was potentially dangerous to open. The company quickly rectified that situation.
Today's problems seem more of a challenge.
Google certainly isn't the first tech company to see service outages (check with Research in Motion, AT&T, Twitter and so many others), but it speaks to how even the biggest and smartest sometimes aren't smart enough. And with rumors of so many contractor cutbacks at the company, you have to wonder if outages and migration issues like these could be occurring because these companies are cutting too close to the bone.
Companies will routinely tell you that their priority list goes like this: Customers, investors, employees. But in times like these, where pressure to grow continues even as the economy contracts, that's an ever-increasing balance getting more and more difficult to strike.
And it's made even more difficult when companies like Twitter today and Google years before, were more curiosities than necessities.
Meantime, it's a not so gentle reminder of our reliance on technology that works most of the time, but is hardly foolproof. Inconvenience. Frustration. And a not too gentle reminder that despite its smugness, sometimes even Google gets it wrong.
Check Out These Special Tech Slideshows On CNBC.com
- Slideshow: 10 Biggest Tech Blunders in the Last 25 Years
- Slideshow: Evolution of Wireless Communication
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