Around May each year, developers start getting antsy for several conferences: Facebook F8, Google I/O and Microsoft Build. This year, the excitement has taken a back seat to the global outbreak of the coronavirus. But, as savvy developers often do, these conferences have found workarounds.
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Facebook F8 and Google I/O have already announced the cancelation of their respective live events in favor of online gatherings. Now, Microsoft Build is following suit by canceling its May 18-20 live event and moving it to an online setting.
Microsoft made the cancelation public via a statement to The Verge. There, a Microsoft spokesperson said, “The safety of our community is a top priority. In light of the health safety recommendations for Washington State, we will deliver our annual Microsoft Build event for developers as a digital event, in lieu of an in-person event. We look forward to bringing together our ecosystem of developers in this new virtual format to learn, connect and code together. Stay tuned for more details to come.”
Of course, the movement of the Build event to an online setting shouldn’t surprise anyone, as larger and more important events have already completely canceled this year. What is odd is how last-minute Microsoft’s announcement is, as Facebook and Google announced their cancelations of the live events back in February.
Despite this announcement, Microsoft’s Build website has no mention of the cancelation and will still allow you to access the registration page.
We’ll continue monitoring the tech conference calendar and bring you more cancelation news as it rolls out.
