You’re welcome.

It all starts when a mass distribution e-mail goes out and people hit “Reply All” rather than “Reply” to submit their response(s). It’s a simple enough mistake but one that’s unforgivable after the first 10 responses or so. Unforgivable and yet utterly entertaining for those on the rest of the distribution list.

With that introduction, I present to you the Greatest Reply All Ever (with changed names to shield the innocent). It all started when some Russian spammer somehow got a global distribution list for the large multinational company:

• 12:36am - Russian spammer, something to the effect of “Hello lovely people, click this link to destroy your computer and end your career, I love Levi’s Jeans”.
• 1:49am - From Lantana: “Hi Ivan, thank you for the info :), Regards, unsuspecting and clueless first victim”
• 2:02am - From Steve: “I think you may have accidentally sent this to the wrong email address. I am an Engineer in Australia. I know nothing about this topic. The intended recipient would not have got this email. Regards, Steve”
• 2:07am - From Andy: “Really Steve…wow.”
• 2:09am - From Chad: “Yes me too! I haven’t a clue what this is all about.”
• 2:11am - From Alfonso (in reference to Andy’s e-mail): “Good one, thanks. Alfonso”
• 2:14am - From Alex: “Stop it”.
• 2:14am - From Jean-Phillippe: “Je ne comprends rien a tout ca. Merci de ne plus renvoyer ce genre de message.”
• 2:15am - From Elen: “Include me on that list. I don’t know what this relates to either.”
• 2:17am - From Jonathan: “Please stop hitting reply all. If you would like to send a specific message to someone, feel free to leave me out. Thank you.”
• 2:17am - From Oleg: “I don’t think anyone would understand serb or cro or whatever it is…”
• 2:18am - From Gavin: “Me either”.
• 2:19am - From Isaac: “Can you please STOP reply to all. It will be a mess all over the world. Please….”
• 2:21am - From Anthony: “All, these are spam messages. Please do not reply.”
• 2:21am - From Russel: “I have been deleting them - but I would appreciate being taken off the list!!!!”
• 2:21am - From Phil: “Stop it right now”.
• 2:22am - From Ed: “No more reply alls. This is ridiculous and a complete pain. Stop please.”
• 2:22am - From Kate: “You should delete all and ignore as you could be infecting everyone’s computers!!!!!!!”
• 2:23am - From David: “stop replying to all reply just to original sender”
• 2:24am - From Fred: “I am getting copied as well.. Pls check the dl list!”
• 2:31am - From Ivan: “All, it’s Russian spam! Please don’t reply all, don’t open the lin, may be a virus.”
• 2:31am - From Sam: “ALL, Please do NOT reply to this known Spam mail. Also do NOT click on any links in the mail. You are in the list as it includes every employee in the world, hence every reply to ALL generates another 80K of emails clogging the mail servers. It is not possible to remove you. Just delete it. This mail included.”
• 2:39am - From Allen: “Please stop emailing me, I’m just a lowly employee in Botswana. I did nothing to deserve this harassment. It’s starting to stress me out, I don’t speak Serbian and my computers inbox continues to beep at me. I have no power or influence but I operate real good.”
• 3:19am - From Chaz: “Hi, Please, modify your delivery list. I am not concerned.”
• 3:25am - From Mary: “yes, please, the same to me, Many thanks in advance.”
• 3:30am - From Matt: “likewise.”
• 3:34am - From Randy: “Same thing.”
• 3:36am - From Jeff: “Is this a wind up, I’m getting hundreds of these e-mails and I have no idea what they are about.”
• 3:47am - From Tim: “Also.”
• 3:50am - From Roger: “Let me be the last one to hit reply all on this nonsense email. Please, Please, STOP hitting reply all!”
• 4:07am - From Allen: “Hi everyone. If you people just make a rule on the e-mail application you are using to block e-mails containing the name of the spammer, you will stop receiving these messages even when people respond with reply all. Have a nice day.”
• 4:31am - From Hideki: “Please delete my name from your distribution list.”
• 4:31am - From Frank: “Same thing.”
• 4:32am - From Sven: “Me too, get me off this list!”
• 4:33am - From Sally: “Pls also delete my name for your list.”
• 4:37am - From Vlad: “Same thing.”
• 4:38am - From Enrico: “Please delete my name from your distribution list.”
• 4:39am - From Gary: “Pls also delete my name.”
• 4:44am - From Jackson: “Hi, please delete my name from your distribution list.”
• 4:45am - From Liza: “..and my name also.”
• 4:46am - From Julia: “Please, the same to me.”
• 4:47am - From Steny: “Stop it now.”
• 4:48am - From Gamir: “Please, the same to me.”
• 4:49am - From Karen: “Please delete my name.”
• 4:50am - From Chuck: “Hello Gamir, How r u.”
• 4:50am - From Nick: “You’re all idiots.”

And so it ended, the greatest reply all ever, and the greatest finish of all time if you ask me.

You’re welcome.

You’re welcome.