After canceling Google I/O's in-person event in early March, Google now says it will “not be holding an I/O event in any capacity this year”
Google earlier this month announced that it was not hosting a physical developer conference in light of coronavirus.
9to5GoogleAbner Li
Context & Ripple Effects
Two weeks ago Google had already scrapped the physical conference, saying it would replace I/O with a series of online events instead. Today's update goes further: there will be no I/O at all this year, in any capacity — the first time the developer gathering has been called off outright rather than reformatted.
The decision lands mid-arc for Google's developer relations calendar, and the related coverage shows where it leads: a fully virtual I/O in May 2021, a 2022 edition with only a small live audience of employees and partners, and eventually a return to an in-person Mountain View stage by I/O 2026. The 2020 cancellation is the inflection point that forced the format experiment.
First-order effects
Developers lose their single annual venue for hands-on access to Android, Assistant, and Chrome roadmaps, and Google loses the concentrated press moment where its biggest platform announcements traditionally land.
Second-order effects
Rival platform holders face the same calculus for their own spring developer conferences, since Google's full cancellation rather than postponement sets a precedent that a physical event cannot be safely staged at all this year.
Third-order effects
If the pattern holds, big-tech keynotes decouple from physical venues permanently — the subsequent virtual-only and limited-audience editions suggest hybrid formats become the default even after gatherings resume, changing how launch news is timed and distributed.
The trend: Developer conferences are shifting from fixed annual physical events to flexible digital-first formats, with the pandemic-era cancellations accelerating a hybrid model that persists long after in-person stages return.
A #GoogleIO update: Out of concern for the health and safety of our developers, employees, and local communities — and in line with “shelter in place” requirements by the local Bay Area government — we sadly will not be holding an I/O event in any capacity this year. (1/3)
Alternative headline: “Google's big developer conference is now completely canceled as the company runs out of messaging concept apps to introduce and abandon” https://twitter.com/...
Right now, the most important thing all of us can do is focus our attention on helping people with the new challenges we all face. We'll continue to do everything we can to help our communities stay safe, informed, and connected. (2/3)
An online-only WWDC is going to be near-impossible to pull off; are employees supposed to record sessions from their homes? Who's gonna film it, who's gonna distribute it? Never mind who is going to be able to actually get an iOS 14 ready for distribution while WFH under lockdown
@stroughtonsmith The execs can do a keynote at Apple Park streamed to the web with no audience. The sessions could be a screenshare-like presentation from engineer's homes (not that bad). Also, we're still possibly 3 months away from WWDC — and I hope (pray?) that things normaliz…
This is in response to Google fully cancelling I/O. For Google, it's not the end of the world. For Apple, WWDC is basically the heart of their entire business: the software that powers their hardware. There is no chance Apple cancels it, they'll get it done however they have to. …
Google canceling Google I/O this year versus going all digital is further proof that self quarantine due to #COVID19 isn't the same as remote work. My team is now assuming 10%-20% productivity impact for the rest of the year. Are you assuming more or less? https://ww.9to5google.c…
And when we get to some semblance of “the other side”, I can't wait to tour the world seeing you face to face. But only when it's safe for us all! https://twitter.com/...
I am so bummed, but it makes sense in this climate. We will make sure that we are available and there to help in any way. We still have a lot of content to come to help. https://twitter.com/...
Finally, someone starts. Google first to cancel its annual event for developers. Expecting Facebook, Apple and others to announce in the coming weeks. https://twitter.com/...