Microsoft is canceling its massive Build developer conference due to the coronavirus outbreak, and will do it online instead

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Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.

• Microsoft is canceling its Build developer conference, one of its biggest events of the year, which was slated to be held from May 19 to 21st in Seattle. It will do it as an online event instead.
• Other companies, including Google, Facebook, and Amazon, have similarly canceled their developer conferences, opting instead to take them online.
• Microsoft has had at least two COVID-19 cases among employees. The company has advised most employees to work from home, but is asking some sales people to continue working.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Microsoft is canceling its Build developer conference - one of its largest events of the year - and moving it online, citing health concerns amid the spread of coronavirus.

The event was slated to be held on May 19 to 21 in Seattle, and had around 6,000 attendees in 2019.

"The safety of our community is a top priority," Microsoft said in a statement to Business Insider. In light of the health safety recommendations for Washington State, we will deliver our annual Microsoft Build event for developers as a digital event, in lieu of an in-person event. We look forward to bringing together our community of developers in this new virtual format to learn, connect and code together. Stay tuned for more details to come."

King County, where Microsoft is headquartered and where Build was scheduled to be held, is an epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the US.

Microsoft's peers, including Facebook, Google, and Amazon, have similarly canceled many of their massive developer events and moved them online, in a bid to stem the spread of the virus.

Microsoft has had at least two COVID-19 cases among employees. The company has advised most employees to work from home, but is asking some sales people to continue working.

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