You’re probably here because someone told you to grab your iPhone and ask a very specific, seemingly boring math question. Maybe you saw a clip on TikTok, or maybe a friend just gave you that "you have to hear this" look. Honestly, it’s one of the oldest tricks in the book, but it still lands.
When you ask Siri 0 divided by 0, you aren't just getting a calculator result. You're getting a roast.
Most people expect a robotic "Error" or maybe a dry explanation of mathematical limits. Instead, Apple’s virtual assistant takes a detour into Sesame Street territory, involves a blue furry monster, and ends by essentially telling you that you’re lonely. It’s a classic example of "Sassy Siri," a personality trait Apple developers baked into the code to make the AI feel more human—or at least more like a human with a sharp tongue.
The Infamous "Cookie Monster" Roast
If you haven't done it yet, here is the transcript of what happens when the logic of Siri 0 divided by 0 hits the airwaves. Siri usually pauses for a beat, as if she’s contemplating the cosmic void of the equation, and then says:
"Imagine that you have zero cookies and you split them evenly among zero friends. How many cookies does each person get? See? It doesn’t make sense. And Cookie Monster is sad that there are no cookies, and you are sad that you have no friends."
Ouch.
It’s a burn that went viral back in 2015 when Breaking Bad star Aaron Paul tweeted about it, sending millions of people to their phones to be insulted by their own technology. Even years later, in 2026, the joke persists because it’s a perfect bit of writing. It takes an abstract, frustrating math concept and turns it into a playground insult that anyone can understand.
Why 0 Divided by 0 Actually Breaks Math
Okay, let’s get nerdy for a second. Siri says it "doesn't make sense," and she’s right, but mathematicians have a more formal way of putting it.
Most division by zero is called undefined. If you have 10 cookies and try to give them to zero people, the universe glitches because you can’t distribute "something" into "nothing." But Siri 0 divided by 0 is a special case called indeterminate.
Think of it like this:
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- Usually, any number divided by itself is 1 (like $5/5 = 1$).
- Usually, zero divided by any number is 0 (like $0/5 = 0$).
- Usually, any number divided by zero is "undefined."
When you have zero on both the top and the bottom, those rules start fighting each other. Is the answer 1? Is it 0? Is it infinity? Because there is no single, consistent answer that works in every equation, math experts just throw their hands up and call it indeterminate.
Siri’s "Cookie Monster" explanation is basically a simplified way of saying that the variables have vanished. If there are no cookies (the dividend) and no people (the divisor), the very act of "sharing" (the operation) cannot exist.
The Evolution of Siri’s "Attitude"
Apple didn't always want Siri to be this snarky. Early in development, there were long debates about whether the assistant should be gender-neutral, purely professional, or have an "edge."
The team at SRI International (where Siri was born before Apple bought it) eventually decided that a little bit of attitude would help users form an emotional bond with the device. It makes the tech feel less like a database and more like a character.
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The Siri 0 divided by 0 response isn't the only "Easter Egg" hidden in the software. Over the years, users have found dozens of these:
- Asking Siri "What is the meaning of life?" often results in "42" (a Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy reference).
- Telling her "I am your father" triggers a Star Wars response.
- Asking "How much wood could a woodchuck chuck?" leads to a surprisingly detailed analysis of woodchuck productivity.
However, the Cookie Monster joke remains the heavyweight champion because it’s the most aggressive. It’s one thing for your phone to quote a movie; it’s another for it to tell you that you have no friends.
Has the Response Changed?
Interestingly, depending on your OS version or region, you might get a slightly different flavor of the joke. Some users have reported that Apple "softened" the blow in certain updates, changing "you have no friends" to "your friends are sad because they don't exist."
Kinda the same thing, right? Either way, you're still alone in a room talking to a piece of aluminum and glass about imaginary baked goods.
In some of the newest AI-heavy updates (like the Apple Intelligence rollouts), Siri sometimes defaults to a more "helpful" tone, explaining the math first before dropping the joke. But the core of the Siri 0 divided by 0 logic remains a staple of the iPhone experience. It's a rite of passage for every new iPhone owner.
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Why This Still Matters in 2026
You might think a decade-old joke would be buried by now. It isn't. In the era of LLMs and hyper-realistic AI, we actually crave these scripted, human-written moments.
When you talk to a modern chatbot, it’s often overly polite and cautious. It’s "sorry" for this and "happy to help" with that. Siri’s older, sassier scripts feel more authentic because they have a specific point of view. They represent a time when developers were trying to make us laugh, not just give us a "perfect" user experience.
If you’re looking to find more of these, try asking her to "beatbox" or tell her you're bored. Just don't expect her to be nice about it.
Next Steps to Try with Siri:
- Test the variations: Ask "What is zero divided by zero?" five times in a row. Sometimes the AI will cycle through a dry mathematical answer before returning to the Cookie Monster script.
- Check other assistants: If you have an Android nearby, ask Google Assistant the same question. You'll find that Google is much more "teacher-like" and far less likely to insult your social life.
- The "Divide by Zero" shortcut: Some users have created custom Shortcuts that trigger even meaner responses when they ask about division. If your Siri feels too "tame," you can actually program your own sass into the "Shortcuts" app by setting a trigger for that specific phrase.
Basically, the next time you're bored and holding your phone, remember that the math is impossible, the cookies are a lie, and your phone thinks you need to get out more.