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IPFS News Link • Pandemic

Amazon, Facebook, Twitter withdraw from SXSW over coronavirus concerns

• https://www.cnet.com, Queenie Wong

Amazon Studios won't be going to the SXSW conference and festivals, making it the latest company to cancel its presence amid growing coronavirus concerns. Earlier this week, TwitterFacebook and TikTok said they wouldn't attend the massive culture and tech event.

The big conference, also known as South by Southwest, is scheduled from March 13 to March 22 in Austin, Texas. The drop in participation from major tech companies raises questions about whether SXSW will be canceled in the weeks before it's scheduled to kick off. More than 25,000 people have signed a petition on Change.org calling for the cancellation of SXSW. On Wednesday, however, Austin health officials said SXSW would go on as planned

Amazon on Wednesday reportedly canceled all its plans for SXSW, including screenings and panels for two upcoming Amazon Prime Video series as well as an event with magazine Entertainment Weekly. Amazon didn't immediately respond to a request for additional information. 

On Monday, a Facebook spokesperson said that "due to concerns related to coronavirus, our company and employees will not be participating in SXSW this year." The spokesperson couldn't provide details about the number of employees who'd been expected to attend SXSW. 


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