Social media falls for advice from AI doctors 
Gaming setups aren’t cheap, which makes random hardware failures even more frustrating. But what if the problem isn’t the PC—but instead the chair you’re sitting in?
That’s exactly what TikTok creator @builtgrifferent is dealing with after claiming his Secretlab gaming chair generated enough static electricity to fry his SSD.
His video, which has now been viewed over 1.9 million times, shows just how bizarre the issue is.
A gaming chair that damages hard drives?
In the clip, @builtgrifferent sets up a simple experiment to prove what’s happening.
First, he drags his feet across the carpet in front of his gaming desk and pulls a regular office chair close to it. Nothing happens. His two monitors stay on, and everything runs normally.
Then, he switches to his Secretlab gaming chair.
As soon as he does the same with his gaming chair, one of the monitors flickers off. After a second, the other follows.
Visibly frustrated, he tries the test again. The same thing happens.
“Hey @secretlab, why can’t you make chairs that are grounded?” he wrote in the caption. “This issue fried my hard drive, and I had to go buy a new SSD.”
What’s going on here?
@builtgrifferent isn’t the only one to have encountered this issue with Secretlab gaming chairs, with other users having reported the same problem.
Static electricity can be trouble for electronics, especially in dry environments where carpeted floors, rolling chairs, and synthetic materials can create a perfect storm for electrostatic discharge (ESD).
High-end gaming chairs, like those from Secretlab, are sometimes made with PU leather or other synthetic materials, which don’t always dissipate static well.
We’ve contacted Secretlab for more information.
If a chair isn’t properly grounded, it can build up enough charge to interfere with electronics—or even damage them. One simple way to avoid that is by using an anti-static mat, which helps discharge built-up electricity before it becomes a problem.
Commenters can relate
In the comments, users shared their own experiences with unexpected static issues.
“MY CHAIR IS CAUSING THIS? I THOUGHT I WAS GOING INSANE.”
Others were impressed that he figured it out, with one person saying, “I know it felt so satisfying when he figured this out.”
And someone else saw a practical use for the video: “I’m sending this to my IT department because this same thing happens to me at work.”
@builtgrifferent Hey @secretlab why can’t you make chairs that are grounded? This issue fried my hard drive and I had to go buy a new SSD
♬ original sound – BuiltGrifferent
The Daily Dot has reached out to Secretlab via contact form and @builtgrifferent via TikTok comments.
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