London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Sep 17, 2025

Coronavirus Fears Are Causing Tech Giants To Cancel Conferences, Curb Travel, And Take Hits To Supply Chains

Coronavirus Fears Are Causing Tech Giants To Cancel Conferences, Curb Travel, And Take Hits To Supply Chains

Uncertainty has hit Apple, Facebook, and Google as the outbreak spreads.
Although the coronavirus has barely touched down in the US, it’s already disrupting operations at all five of the world’s most powerful technology companies.

“It’s on everyone’s mind,” one Microsoft employee told BuzzFeed News. “How could it not be?”

Much is still unknown about COVID-19, but leaders at Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Apple, and Amazon are already limiting travel, urging employees to use caution, and canceling conferences as they prepare for a possible pandemic.

Google, with one employee already infected, hopes it can still go forward with its I/O developer conference in May but is monitoring the virus’s progression closely. Microsoft pulled out of this year’s Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. Facebook on Thursday canceled its annual F8 developer conference in San Jose, its most significant event of the year, opting for smaller local gatherings instead. Apple is sprinting to get its supply chain back in order after slowdowns in China. And Amazon announced it would be limiting its employees' travel within the US and internationally.

For now, employees at the tech giants told BuzzFeed News their companies are operating with caution and uncertainty. “Everyone realizes there’s going to be an impact,” the Microsoft employee said. “It all depends on how long this lasts for, and what the implication is downstream on supply chains, business investments, and infrastructure.”

On Friday, Google confirmed an employee in its Zurich office had been infected with COVID-19. But the company told BuzzFeed News that its big developer conference is still on. “Google I/O is currently planned for May 12–14,” a spokesperson said. “We'll continue to monitor developments around COVID-19 and follow the best practices laid out by the CDC, WHO, and other relevant entities.” The spokesperson said the company has a coronavirus plan but declined to go into details.

But some tech companies have canceled their participation in major conferences. Microsoft not only pulled out of the Game Developers Conference, a significant move for the company that develops the Xbox - it’s also canceled some meetings for employees that require global travel. “We have risk management scenarios we prepare for,” a Microsoft spokesperson told BuzzFeed News. “We have been in close, regular contact with the relevant authorities relating to COVID-19 and have a range of measures we are prepared, should it become necessary.”

At Facebook, the F8 cancellation surprised some employees. “I haven't seen much of a disruption until I saw the post about F8, which came as a surprise and seems premature to me as the conference is over two months away,” one Facebook employee told BuzzFeed News, adding, ”I don't think it really impacts FB's product launch strategy.”

Facebook has restricted travel to Italy, South Korea, and to and from mainland China, a company spokesperson told BuzzFeed News. The virus has also affected its ability to produce Oculus VR headsets. “Oculus Quest has been selling out in some regions due to high demand,” the spokesperson said. “That said, like other companies, we're expecting some additional impact to our hardware production due to the coronavirus.”

After shutting down some factories earlier in February, Apple is now “getting back to normal," Tim Cook claimed in an interview with Fox Business on Thursday. “I’m very optimistic,” he added.

Still, inside Apple, not everything is back to normal. An increasing number of new hires haven’t received work equipment from China, someone who works at Apple told BuzzFeed News. And the company has restricted travel to some counties in the Asia-Pacific region, leading to an increase of people working from home and video conferencing. Some workers have changed the way they commute to avoid coronavirus risks. “Driving to work,” the person who works at Apple said. “Not riding the commuter shuttles to decrease exposure.”

It is not yet clear if Apple will hold its Worldwide Developers Conference in San Jose this year. An Apple spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment about the company’s plans to respond to the outbreak. A spokesperson for San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo declined to comment.

Amazon has canceled some travel, both inside the US and outside. “We're asking employees to defer nonessential travel during this time,” a spokesperson told BuzzFeed News. The US restriction was added this week, following restrictions in China, South Korea, and Europe.

Amazon has also been busy keeping ahead with coronavirus scammers and profiteers. It’s banned more than 1 million products from its website for false coronavirus claims. It’s also removed thousands of products for price gouging, though this remains an ongoing battle.

These disruptions will inevitably impact the tech giants’ businesses, but the extent of what will happen is unclear. Two analysts declined to comment on what might happen to the industry. “Sorry, we have not even started framing this ourselves yet,” one said. “Have to pass.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Hong Kong Industry Group Calls for HK$20 Billion Support Fund to Ease Property Market Stress
Joe Biden’s Post-Presidency Speaking Fees Face Weak Demand amid Corporate Reluctance
Charlie Kirk's murder will break the left's hateful cancel tactics
Kash Patel erupts at ‘buffoon’ Sen. Adam Schiff over Russiagate: ‘You are the biggest fraud’
Homeland Security says Emmy speech ‘fanning the flames of hatred’ after Einbinder’s ‘F— ICE’ remark
Charlie Kirk’s Alleged Assassin Tyler Robinson Faces Death Penalty as Charges Formally Announced
Actor, director, environmentalist Robert Redford dies at 89
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
JD Vance Says There Is “No Unity” with Those Who Celebrate Charlie Kirk’s Killing, and he is right!
Trump sues the 'New York Times' for an astronomical sum of 15 billion dollars
Florida Hospital Welcomes Its Largest-Ever Baby: Annan, Nearly Fourteen Pounds at Birth
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
×