COVID Concerns Prompt Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest to Bow Out of CES

Facebook parent Meta, Twitter and Pinterest all announced separately that they will not be sending teams to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) due to concerns over the omicron variant of COVID-19, Reuters reported.

None of the companies had planned large in-person gatherings, according to the report.

Facebook and Twitter are looking into options for virtual appearances. Pinterest, meanwhile, is considering a scaled-down meeting area for its sales and partner teams, the report stated.

In addition, T-Mobile said most of its contingent wouldn’t go and that its CEO would not deliver a speech at all as once planned, either virtually or in person, according to the report.

“While we are confident that CES organizers are taking exhaustive measures to protect in-person attendees, we are prioritizing the safety of our team and other attendees with this decision,” T-Mobile said, per the report.

Most years, CES attracted more than 180,000 people globally and used a large set of casinos and convention spaces in Las Vegas as a showcase of various new tech trends and gadgets, the report stated.

The Consumer Technology Association, which operates CES, said the show is still planned to go forward Jan. 5-8, according to the report. There will be health precautions taken, including the requiring of vaccines, masking and available coronavirus testing.

Other companies including Qualcomm, Sony and Alphabet’s Google will be going forward with in-person appearances, planning to attend and show off new tech or host meetings, the report stated. General Motors CEO Mary Barra is also scheduled to appear and introduce the new electric Silverado pickup truck.

New COVID-19 variants are likely to continue to pose threats to economic recovery, with one in five customers still not having recovered financially from the initial woes of the pandemic. Those who live paycheck to paycheck are faring particularly poorly.

Read more: Inflation, COVID Variants Pose Fresh Challenges for Paycheck-to-Paycheck Consumers in 2022

Anuj Nayar, financial health officer at LendingClub, said there are many people worried about 2022 because of economic strife, with pandemic developments only adding fuel to the fire.