GM, Google, and TikTok Also Skip CES Due to Omicron Spread Concerns

[Photo by AFP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] General Motors (GM) and Waymo, the autonomous driving car business subsidiary of Google, announced on the 23rd (local time) that they will not participate in CES, the world's largest electronics and IT exhibition, according to major foreign media reports on the same day. GM and Google cited the spread of the Omicron variant as the reason for their absence.

GM issued a statement on the day, announcing that all scheduled events planned for CES 2022 will be conducted online. Originally, GM CEO Mary Barra was scheduled to deliver the keynote speech on the opening day of CES on the 5th of next month and unveil the Silverado electric pickup truck for the first time.

A GM spokesperson stated that CEO Barra will deliver her speech remotely on the 5th. They also added that major announcements, including the unveiling of the Silverado electric pickup truck, will be made online on the same day.

A Google spokesperson also released a statement saying that after careful consideration of participation in CES 2022, they decided to utilize opportunities in virtual spaces. Waymo, Google's electric vehicle subsidiary, also announced through its blog that it plans to participate virtually if possible.

The video-sharing platform TikTok also announced its decision not to attend CES on the same day and plans to hold events in virtual spaces for partners and advertisers.

The day before, Intel announced plans to participate in CES with a minimal number of personnel.

As the Omicron variant spreads, more companies are declaring their absence from CES. Earlier this week, Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, Twitter, Lenovo, AT&T, Amazon, and Pinterest announced that they would not participate in CES.

The CES organizers stated that 42 companies have so far declared their intention not to attend. A representative of the organizers said that although the number of companies deciding not to participate is increasing, they plan to hold the originally scheduled event from the 5th to the 8th of next month while implementing strong quarantine measures.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.