Showing posts with label Google and Microsoft just canceled two conferences. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Google and Microsoft just canceled two conferences. Show all posts
The global tech industry is being rattled by the virus as conferences are canceled and Apple and Microsoft warn investors.
The novel coronavirus  continues to wreak havoc in the global technology industry. Many companies have shut factories and banned business-related travel and major industry events like Facebook's F8, the Geneva Motor Show, Google I/O and Mobile World Congress continue to be called off because of the outbreak.
COVID-19 was discovered in the Wuhan region of China's Hubei province late last year and has symptoms similar to those of pneumonia. It was first reported to the World Health Organization on Dec. 31, with Chinese scientists linking the disease to a family of viruses that includes SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) and MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome). The disease has killed more than 3,200 people, and more than 94,000 people have been infected in more than 60 countries.

Facebook

  • Canceled its F8 developer conference, the company's biggest event of the year at which CEO Mark Zuckerberg updates the world on Facebook's developments and challenges; will hold local gatherings for developers and online events instead.
  • Curtailed employee travel to China.
  • Canceled a marketing summit scheduled for early March, which was expected to draw 4,000 people.

  • Apple

    • Said it will miss its quarterly revenue guidance because of the effects of the coronavirus.
    • Temporarily shuttered all of its 42 stores in mainland China, one of its biggest and most important markets; closed its corporate offices and contact centers in China.
    • Has been forced to seek alternative sources for parts after suppliers in Wuhan closed because of the outbreak in that city.

    • Google

      • Temporarily closing all its offices in mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
      • Restricted business travel to China and Hong Kong.
      • Told employees with immediate family members returning from China to work from home for at least 14 days.

      • Microsoft

        • Warned investors that revenue in the business segment that includes its Windows operating system and Surface devices would likely miss earlier forecasts.

        • Microsoft

          • Warned investors that revenue in the business segment that includes its Windows operating system and Surface devices would likely miss earlier forecasts.

          • Uber

            • Temporarily suspended roughly 240 user accounts in Mexico to prevent the spread of coronavirus after those users had come in contact with two drivers possibly exposed to the virus.