Waymo is the latest company to cancel its CES plans over COVID-19-related concerns.
The Google-affiliated company said Thursday it would no longer participate in the annual technology showcase next month, citing rising concerns over the omicron variant of the virus. Co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana had been scheduled to deliver a keynote address Jan. 5 and participate in other activities in Las Vegas.
Further, Waymo had planned to display its new Class 8 Freightliner Cascadia truck for the first time. Built with redundant autonomous systems in collaboration with Daimler Trucks, the platform is a lynchpin of Waymo’s emphasis on self-driving trucking.
“Based on quickly rising COVID infection rates, we’ve made the difficult decision to pull our physical presence at CES 2022,” a Waymo spokeswoman said Thursday.
Waymo is the latest company to abandon its CES plans in the face of rising COVID-19 infections. This week, Twitter, T-Mobile, Amazon and Meta (Facebook) said they would not participate because of health concerns. Technology-focused media outlets such as TechCrunch and The Verge have also withdrawn.
CES organizers conducted an all-virtual conference in 2021 but have thus far held firm in the face of the cancellations in planning for an in-person event in Las Vegas. They’ve made plans to require vaccinations for all attendees and masks in the convention hall.
On Wednesday, prior to Waymo’s announcement, officials with the Consumer Technology Association, which owns and operates CES, said they had received 42 exhibitor cancellations since last Friday, while adding 62 new planned exhibitors in the same time frame.
In a written statement, the organization said the event continues “to show strong momentum,” and that “CES 2022 will go forward as important innovation for world health and safety, mobility and solving problems will be exhibited.”