Postponement after delay in the tech world

George Floyd mural in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Lorie Shaull (cc by-sa 2.0).

After the tech world’s many pandemic-induced delays and cancellations, now the grim news coming out of the U.S. is causing many companies to reschedule their events and product launches. While some people will be disappointed, most will agree that now is not a good time for self-promotion. For starters, the new season of Fortnite is postponed: “We’re acutely aware of the pain our friends, families, team members, players, and communities are experiencing,” Epic said in a blog post. “We believe in equality and justice, diversity and inclusion, and that these fundamentals are above politics. The team is eager to move Fortnite forward, but we need to balance the Season 3 launch with time for the team to focus on themselves, their families, and their communities.” Also in the field of video games, Activision announced the postponement of new content updates for several Call of Duty games: “Right now, it’s time for those speaking up for equality, justice, and change to be seen and heard,” said the company on Twitter. Cisco, for its part, rescheduled its Cisco Live event: “People across the U.S. and the world are dealing with so much pain, frustration and anger,” Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins said. “We want to give you space this week to do what you need to do within your own organizations and communities.” Sony announced it was postponing its PlayStation 5 event, saying it wanted to “stand back and allow more important voices to be heard.” Google delayed the Android 11 beta launch event, saying “We are excited to tell you more about Android 11, but now is not the time to celebrate.” Many tech companies have spoken out against racial inequities and made some sometimes sizeable donations to organisations fighting for racial justice. Tech reporters Ina Fried and Kyle Daly rightly concluded: “Words are easy, but actions matter more. Donations make support quantifiable, but the most consequential impact tech companies can have is in choosing whether their platforms exacerbate tensions or help bring people together.” Could that be a swipe at Mark Zuckerberg?

⇨ The Verge, Jay Peters, “Fortnite’s next live event and season delayed again.”

⇨ The Verge, Taylor Lyles, “Activision postpones new Call of Duty content so protestors can ‘be seen and heard’.”

⇨ Axios, Ina Fried, “Cisco, Sony postpone events amid continued protests.”

⇨ Axios, Ina Fried, Kyle Daly, “How Big Tech has responded to the protests.”