How an Accidental Email Sent to 33,000 People Created a 'Reply All' Nightmare Hundreds of emails were sent, many begging others to stop replying all.

This accidental reply all at Reuters reached nightmare proportions.

On Wednesday, someone named Vince accidentally sent an email to 33,000 Reuters email accounts, reports The Wall Street Journal. Presented with a list of thousands of emails, hundreds of employees and reporters at the news company followed their natural urge in the situation: replying all.

Reuters employees took to Twitter to discuss the deluge of emails with the hashtag #ReutersReplyAllGate.

One poor man accidentally mails 33,000 co-workers. 432 angrily reply all. #Reutersreplyallgate starts trending .. https://t.co/TxnigtGKdr

— Conor Humphries.ie (@reutersConorH) August 26, 2015

Related: Why Your Neuroticism May Be the Key to Your Creativity

The vast majority of the replies ironically seem to have been people telling others not to reply all – while replying all themselves, thus furthering the issue they protested.

Another fresh one! TO MUCH EMAILS! PLEASE STOP REPPLY TO ALL! #ReutersReplyAllGate pic.twitter.com/qb5LTP3y8E

— James Pearson (@pearswick) August 27, 2015

BREAKING:- those that reply with "please do not REPLY ALL" don't actually help matters. And, just maybe, make it worse #ReutersReplyAllGate

— Alistair Smout (@asmo17) August 26, 2015

However, a few took the chance to make jokes to an audience of thousands:

#ReutersReplyAllGate best reply so far "has anyone seen my cat"

— Hezron Selvi (@HezronSelvi) August 26, 2015

Fav quote from #ReutersReplyAllGate: "SPAAAAAM PARTYYYY!!!!" That's the entirety of the email, sent to more than 30k people. Wonderful

— Michael Turner (@MikeEOTurner) August 26, 2015

Related: Has the Ashley Madison Hacker Been Identified?

Poor Vince was just trying to find a way to fix the situation:

Oh no, the patient zero of #reutersreplyallgate just sent another company-wide email trying to recall his message...

— Peter Thal Larsen (@peter_tl) August 26, 2015

According to Reuters tech correspondent Eric Auchard, more than 600 total replies were sent in the reply all chain.

UPDATE-Fresh data on Reuters Reply All email: 90 pct fell into total or partial smurfs category #reutersreplyallgate pic.twitter.com/uiklK9v4af

— Eric Auchard (@auchard) August 27, 2015

Reply all disasters are common at larger organizations, with instances such as an NYU sophomore accidentally replying to all 39,979 NYU students and media agency Carat employees learning of lay off plans when an email intended for upper management was sent to the entire staff. Let this be a reminder: even if your company isn't made of 33,000 employees, double check who is on the reply list before you hit send.

If I've learned one thing from #reutersreplyallgate, it's that the human race is truly doomed.

— Dan Levine (@FedcourtJunkie) August 26, 2015

Related: 5 Tips for Becoming a Brilliant Conversationalist