The year a computer bug threatened to bring down modern civilization
Two decades ago an existential threat brought the world together— the Y2K bug.
In the late 1990s, computers were rapidly transforming how the world worked, but an invisible enemy loomed. A computer glitch in the rollover from 1999 to 2000 threatened to bring down civilization as we knew it. Experts sounded the alarm, and politicians listened. Crisis was averted due to the unprecedented international effort of governments and private sector leaders across the globe. Boldly leading the painstaking work in preventing disaster? The United States of America.
As we look back at a year marked by unprecedented change, it’s hard to ignore the massive challenges ahead in 2021 and beyond — from a spiking COVID-19 pandemic to the worsening climate crisis. Can the lessons learned during Y2K help us solve the crises of today?
‘The Y2K Story’ revisits the problem, the panic, and how the solution to Y2K offers hope for addressing modern problems on a large scale. Unlock the entire series here.
