Facebook’s F8 cancellation puts spotlight on other huge tech occasions

Alejandro Cantu, an app maker, had actually been anticipating participating in Facebook’s F8 designer conference in May. The business owner, who produced an earthquake alerting app called SkyAlert that lets individuals log in through their Facebook and Google accounts, takes pleasure in designer conferences due to the fact that they provide him the chance to network, see other items and find out about the future of substantial online platforms, like Facebook. 

So when Facebook scrubbed the San Jose event on Thursday, mentioning the threat of the unique coronavirus, Cantu started questioning what the cancellation may imply for other huge tech occasions he’s preparing to participate in. Google I/O, the search giant’s yearly occasion, is set up for May 12-14, and Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference normally happens in June.

“This raises the attention for everybody else in the industry,” stated Cantu, a president who divides his time in between the San Francisco Bay Area and Mexico City. “All of our tech partners [will have] to truly begin to think about more seriously what’s occurring with the coronavirus and how can we react properly.”

The unique coronavirus has actually ruined the international tech market, interfering with supply chains, closing factories and shutting retailers. Most business have actually restricted travel to China, the center of both the infection and international tech production, to just the needed gos to.

Earlier this month, the organizer of Mobile World Congress chose to cancel the yearly occasion in Barcelona after business such as Amazon and Samsung stated they’d avoid the program or limitation involvement. And on Friday, the Geneva Motor Show, among the world’s most significant vehicle occasions, was canceled; Google ditched its News Initiative Summit, initially set up for April in Sunnyvale, California; and Canadian e-commerce business Shopify canceled its yearly designer conference 3 months ahead of schedule. The Game Developers Conference, set to happen in March, was delayed till the summertime, after Facebook, Microsoft and other huge tech companies took out of the San Francisco conference. Also Friday, Google stated among its workers has actually been identified with the coronavirus, in Zurich. 

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The coronavirus, known as SARS-CoV-2, causes a respiratory illness that has killed almost 2,900 people since it was discovered in Wuhan, China, late last year. The World Health Organization declared the virus a public health emergency of international concern in January. More than 83,000 people have been infected with the virus, which can develop into a disease called COVID-19. 

The spread of the coronavirus hasn’t stopped all gatherings. The RSA Conference is currently taking place in San Francisco, though big names like IBM and Verizon dropped out. Even if Google and Apple don’t cancel their events, participants will have to decide if the opportunity is worth the potential health risk.

A Google spokesman said Thursday that I/O is expected to go on as planned. Apple didn’t respond when asked if WWDC would take place as it usually does in June.

Vicente Hernández, the co-founder and chief technology officer of the Mexican artificial intelligence company Artificial Nerds, said that outside of F8 he was also planning to attend the Ingram Micro Cloud Summit in Miami Beach in May. Ingram Micro Cloud didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

He’s talking to his team about whether they should travel to Florida for the summit, which also attracts attendees from the world. That conference, he said, provides the company an opportunity to present its product. But he’s also concerned that the coronavirus outbreak could get worse. 

Saiph Savage, a research professor at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, said that attending F8 last year opened doors for her career. Savage said she won $22,000 in an F8 hackathon for helping to build a tool designed to assist immigrants transitioning to a new city. The prize created opportunities for her to collaborate with the Mexican government.  

Savage, who is currently in Seattle, said she was given a free ticket and trip to San Francisco to attend F8 again this year. Still, she’s glad Facebook’s canceled the event.

“That takes guts to do because it’s putting value on people’s health,” she said.

Savage said that she had another conference coming up in Asia that hasn’t been canceled yet. She didn’t name the conference, but said she was “upset” it was still scheduled. Facebook’s move was “eye-opening,” she said, and has made her think about whether she should attend the other event. 

“I do have to rethink about whether or not I would go because it could be dangerous for my own health,” Savage said. “I think I’m not going to risk it, to be honest.” 

Cantu, the SkyAlert founder and CEO, said he might still attend Google I/O and Apple’s WWDC, assuming they aren’t called off. The decision will depend on whether he thinks the virus is still a risk when the events come around, he said. The situation, though, seems to only be getting worse. 

“It does get us to ask the question to ourselves, ‘Are we being paranoid or not?” said Cantu, who’s been to F8 six times. “Are there real reasons for us to be worried?”

Originally published Feb. 28, 10:27 a.m. PT.
Updates, 12:29 p.m.: Adds info about conferences canceled by Google and Shopify; 4:20 p.m.: Includes mention of GDC postponement.