GoKawiilCGPM votes to eliminate the leap second from global timekeeping
The General Conference on Weights and Measures voted Thursday to abolish the leap second, the periodic adjustment used to keep Coordinated Universal Time aligned with Earth's rotation. The decision ends a system that has periodically synced atomic clocks with the planet's variable spin since its introduction, following repeated technical disruptions caused by past adjustments in 2012, 2015 and 2016.
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The move suggests regulators are prioritizing stability for computer systems and critical infrastructure over strict alignment with Earth's natural rotation, since past leap-second insertions crashed sites like Reddit and LinkedIn. The CGPM's own estimate of a 30% chance a disruptive negative leap second would be needed by 2035 appears to have been a key factor driving the decision, as noted in the conference's reasoning.
- CGPM formally voted to abolish the leap second system on Thursday.
- Past leap second additions in 2012, 2015, and 2016 caused website and software crashes.
- The conference cited a 30% chance of needing a disruptive negative leap second by 2035 as a reason for ending the practice.
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Published there as: “World Timekeepers Decide to Kill the Leap Second”
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