Notable Tech Giants, Including Amazon, Withdraw from CES amid Omicron Surge

Prominent tech companies including Amazon, Twitter, Facebook, Meta Inc., and Pinterest are pulling out of the Las Vegas-based Consumer Electronics Show (CES) as fears over the Omicron continue to mount.

The CES is a popular annual tech convention that exhibits the latest gadgets and practices which has previously drawn a crowd of over 180,000 people.

Amazon’s spokesperson confirmed in an email to Reuters that the company along with its smart-home unit Ring, will not be attending the CES event owing to the "quickly shifting situation and uncertainty around the Omicron variant.”

According to the Consumer Technology Association, the CES will be held over a three-day period from January 5th to January 8th. Attendees are required to wear masks and show proof of vaccination while also availing of COVID tests onsite to ensure public safety.

While Twitter had initially planned on sending some of its staff members to represent the company at the event, it has now reconsidered its decision, and is looking at virtual alternatives along with Facebook.

T-Mobile has also announced its decision to pull back the majority of its delegation from the convention, stating that they intend to give priority to “the safety of our team and other attendees”, while simultaneously expressing their faith in CES organizers’ onsite safety plan.

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