Wrong. As we’ve seen over the last few weeks, the coronavirus outbreak is unrelenting in its ability to disrupt the tech industry, and not in a good way. From the faltering stock market to the remote work boom, this global epidemic has created its fair share of problems for the world’s most progressive industry, and we’re just getting started. As recently as Wednesday, the city of Austin had insisted that the conference would go on, stating that ‘there’s no evidence that closing SXSW or any other gatherings will make the community safer.’ Unfortunately, as we now know, that just isn’t the case anymore. The writing was on the wall for SXSW though. In the weeks leading up to the conference, nearly every major tech company had pulled out of their expected appearances. Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, and pretty much everyone else had cancelled talks, closed booths, and generally decided the risk just wasn’t worth it.
Mobile World Congress – cancelledFacebook F8 Developers Conference – will hold “online events”Game Developers Conference – postponed indefinitelyGoogle Cloud Next ’20 – cancelledGoogle I/O – cancelledDell Technologies World 2020 – moved to a “virtual setting”Adobe Summit – offering “online content”E3 – cancelled
Thankfully, due to the connected nature of life in 2020, many of these events will have some kind of online equivalent to keep those that would have attended entertained, but we can all admit that the spirit of these events are all but cancelled. Because you can’t have a welcome happy hour over video chat. As a result, the stock market has taken an understandable tumble. Between the Dow Jones Industrial Average taking a 4,000 point nose dive since last week and the collective low numbers for the entire tech industry, the threat of a recession is certainly looming, particularly if the virus doesn’t let up during the summer months. But hey, hand sanitizer and toilet paper stocks are through the roof! Not every company is on board yet though, given the decidedly overwhelming amount of information and misinformation floating around about the outbreak. However, even the US Surgeon General is begging business owners to consider a remote work policy.
Employers: PLEASE understand giving your employees flexibility and (paid) sick leave will save you money in the long run- it’s much cheaper than shutting down because everyone else gets sick! — U.S. Surgeon General (@Surgeon_General) March 8, 2020 If you’re a business debating the merits of installing a remote work policy, or an employee worried about how to stay productive, check out our helpful guide on working from home to stay on top of your work during this confusing time.
Price Gouging
Naturally, social media is at the center of this misinformation, as platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube have tried their best to quell the storm. Unfortunately, even with these companies working their hardest to eradicate false information about the coronavirus, plenty of articles, videos, and other forms of problematic content are slipping through the cracks. If you’re conflicted about what to do and who to trust, following the instructions of reputable organizations like the Center for Disease Control or the World Health Organization is a good place to start. Non-expert Facebook friends, suspicious blog posts, and even news media are putting out a lot of information that isn’t necessarily accurate, so make sure you go right to the source. Facebook is also looking out for its employees, as the social media giant has just announced further plans to give every employee $1,000 to help with added expenses from the virus outbreak. This echos an idea floating around the US government, which would give $1,000 to every US citizen.
