Microsoft is canceling its Build 2020 developer conference, the company announced today. Rather than having an in-person event, it's going to be a live-streamed event. The news is sure to be a disappointment to would-be attendees, who tend to appreciate the person-to-person aspect of the show, where they get to network and interact with other developers, influencers, and Microsoft employees.
Build is just the latest in a string of tech events to be canceled due to fears over the COVID-19 coronavirus. The first big one was Mobile World Congress, which was set to take place in February. Later, Game Developers Conference was postponed, and that was followed by the cancelation of Google I/O, a developer conference that was set to take place just the week before Build. Microsoft even canceled its MVP Summit, causing many to expect the announcement that we're not hearing until today about Build.
Microsoft Build is the company's flagship developer event, where people can tune in to learn the latest in Azure and Microsoft 365. They'll still be able to tune in though, as there will still be a keynote and live-streamed sessions.
If you've already booked travel to the event, which was scheduled for May 19 through May 21 at the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle, you're going to look into canceling your plans. The good news is that anyone will be able to live-stream it for free.
It's unclear why Microsoft is announcing this so late in the evening on a Thursday when it's been quite clear for weeks that the news was coming, but being that you can still register for the event on the Build website (at the time of this writing), there will probably be a more formal announcement tomorrow.
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