Microsoft Joins GM, Google, Others In Canceling In-Person Participation At CES Due To Rising Omicron Threat

$Microsoft (MSFT.US)$ has joined a list of companies that are switching to virtual participation at the world’s largest annual Consumer Electronics Show, held in Las Vegas, due to the rising number of omicron cases.

What Happened: Microsoft said it has decided not to participate in-person at CES 2022 and will instead have a digital presence, The Verge reported citing the company spokesperson.

Microsoft joins legacy automaker $General Motors (GM.US)$ , tech giant Google’s parent $Alphabet-C (GOOG.US)$ $Alphabet-A (GOOGL.US)$ and others in deciding to avoid in-person participation this year.

GM CEO Mary Barra was scheduled to reveal a new fully electric Silverado pickup at the event on January 5, and was slated as a keynote speaker at the event. The Detroit-based automaker is now sticking to the plan, albeit virtually.

Several other companies including $Meta Platforms (FB.US)$ , $Twitter (Delisted) (TWTR.US)$ and $Amazon (AMZN.US)$ have cancelled their in-person presence at the event, Reuters reported last week.

CES 2022 will begin on Jan. 5 and end on Jan. 8. Last year's show did not have any in-person attendance due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and was “an all-digital experience.”

What Next?: The organizers for the annual show said in a twitter post that they are giving those who cannot attend in-person the option to experience the show digitally.