T-Mobile, Amazon and others drop CES 2022 amid COVID resurgence

After the all-virtual Consumer Electronics Show in 2021, it looked like CES in January 2022 would once again be an in-person event. While the Consumer Technology Association is moving forward with the show, a list of companies that are either going far or canceling their plans entirely due to the COVID-19 surge driven by delta and omicron variants, according to Bloomberg.

Amazon, Twitter, Meta and Pinterest withdrew, and T-Mobile announced it had decided to “significantly limit our in-person participation”at CES and canceled CEO Mike Sievert’s scheduled keynote speech. Nvidia was already planning a virtual conference for this year’s show, while AMD will also have a “limited presence,”according to the report. Media outlets such as The Verge, TechCrunch, Engadget and, yes, Ars Technica are also planning to cover the event remotely.

Other companies are scheduling screenings, although many say they are “monitoring the situation”and that plans may include a combination of virtual and in-person presentations. Samsung, Qualcomm, Sony, Google and HTC are still planning to show up.

For those coming in person, the CTA has already announced that all CES attendees will need proof of their COVID-19 vaccinations. The CTA also encourages participants to get a booster shot, flu shot, and COVID-19 test prior to arrival, and all participants will be required to wear masks indoors as required by the State of Nevada.