Several big names in tech have decided to cancel their teams’ visit to CES in Las Vegas in the face of concerns raised by the rapid spread of the Omicron variant. For now, the show is still maintained from January 5 to 8, 2022.
In the space of a few hours, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas lost several big names in the high-tech industry. Indeed, faced with concerns raised by the meteoric spread of the Omicron variant across the world, Amazon and its division smart home Ring, Meta (Facebook), Twitter or even Pinterest have decided not to send employees to the show. Technological media TechCrunch, The verge and CNET have followed the same path to preserve their teams. Within the French delegation, La Poste canceled its participation in the event and recommended to the start-ups that it should accompany not to make the trip to Nevada.
T-Mobile also announced the cancellation of the visit of the majority of its delegation to the entertainment capital of the world. Additional blow for the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) which organizes the CES, the American operator also specified that its CEO, Mike Sievert, would not deliver a speech during his keynote, whether face-to-face or in virtual. In contrast, Twitter and Facebook said they were considering online opportunities, failing to send teams to Las Vegas.
Qualcomm, Sony and Alphabet still on the program
The absence of these tech heavyweights is obviously bad news for Gary Shapiro, boss of the CTA, who is struggling despite everything to defend the organization of the face-to-face event, after a fully digital edition in 2021. Planned From January 5 to 8, 2022, the CES is for the time being maintained, with health measures including a complete vaccination schedule, the wearing of a compulsory mask in all areas of the show, and access to screening tests.
The CTA recommends that attendees take a Covid test less than 24 hours before showing up to CES. It will also offer them free self-tests and provide PCR tests to foreign visitors who need them to return home. In 2020, the last edition of CES before the pandemic welcomed 170,000 participants and more than 4,500 exhibitors. In 2022, the organizers expect from 50,000 to 75,000 visitors, as well as 2,100 exhibitors.
Despite the absence of Amazon, Facebook, Twitter or even Pinterest, Gary Shapiro can still count on the presence of companies such as Qualcomm, Sony, Alphabet (Google) and its unit dedicated to Waymo autonomous cars, which have maintained their plans to travel to Las Vegas to showcase their products and hold meetings. In other good news, General Motors said its chief executive, Mary Barra, still plans to showcase the Silverado electric pickup and detail the U.S. automaker’s strategy at the Jan. 5 conference.