Facebook cancels its F8 developer conference due to coronavirus

Facebook will not hold its largest development conference, the F8, this year due to mounting concerns about coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. The company was set to hold the F8 2020 conference in San Jose on May 5-6.

Facebook reports to delete the personal part of F8. The company means that developers, partners and employees will not travel to the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose on May 5 and 6, but that announcements will be made and presentations given online.

In addition, Facebook wants to organize local events and set up live streams as a replacement. In the coming weeks, the social network will provide more clarity about this. There will be an F8 inspired event for students.

At its nearly annual F8 conference, named after the eight-hour hackathons in the service’s early years, the company provides insight into its strategy and upcoming products and services. The Google I/O and Microsoft Build developer events, also in May, seem to be going ahead for the time being.