Facebook The Latest Coronavirus Victim, Cancels F8 Event

Facebook has revealed its cancelling F8 – its annual conference for developers – over mounting fears of the coronavirus outbreak.

The potentially fatal virus has hit multiple large tech companies around the world, especially Apple who relies on China’s Foxconn to manufacture its iPhones, leaving many to cancel large events and suspend production, travel and supply chains.

The annual Facebook F8 is usually hosted in late April or early May in the US city of San Francisco.

(Photo: Christophe Gateau/dpa)

The digital giant, which also owns Instagram and WhatsApp, says it is instead planning other ways for its developer community to gather, including via livestreams or locally hosted events and video content.

It comes as a blow to both Facebook and the tech community as over 5,000 people from around the world attended last year’s F8 event.

Facebook said it will donate half a million dollars to organisations serving residents of San Jose, California, where the conference has been regularly held in recent years.

The news comes as the coronavirus has killed 2,747 and infected 78,630 globally, according to data from the World Health Organisation.