Bring on the Fist Bumps and Nasal Swabs—Tech Conferences Are Back
L33tdawg: Speaking of in-person conferences, we're hosting #HITBCyberWeek in ADNEC Abu Dhabi next month as a hybrid event! See you guys there!
The return of tech conferences began not with a bang, but a whisper. It was the first day of Code Conference, and Kara Swisher—one of the most prominent voices in technology criticism—had lost her voice. She welcomed attendees back, after a Covid hiatus, in a Marge Simpson rasp.
Swisher has been hosting Code Conference, an annual gathering of tech and media moguls, since 2003 (when it was called All Things Digital). Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, Snapchat founder Evan Spiegel, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, and other industry leaders have willingly subjected themselves to Swisher’s notorious take-no-prisoners interview on its stage. Covid put Code on pause, however, along with every other technology conference. A year later, it’s among the first tech conferences to reemerge fully in-person, a possible bellwether for the future of such events.
Not that everything was business as usual. At the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, where the conference took place, everyone’s vaccine cards were validated. Then attendees were subjected to a lateral flow Covid test, which involved an uncomfortable nasal swab. (Swisher may have had laryngitis, but attendees were assured that no one had Covid.) Everyone had to wear masks indoors. The usual back-clapping and handshaking was replaced by awkward nods and fist bumps, as people readjusted once again to the company of strangers. In the hotel ballroom, where Swisher interviewed Elon Musk, Marc Benioff, and Satya Nadella, people tended to keep their distance, leaving empty chairs between them.
