Sony, Google, Airbnb Delay Virtual Events Due to U.S. Protests
(Bloomberg) -- Sony Corp. said it's postponing a virtual news conference for the upcoming PlayStation 5 game console, one of the most high-profile corporate events to be put on hold in deference to protests against police brutality in the U.S.
Electronic Arts Inc. also scrapped an event to introduce the Madden NFL 21 game that was set for Monday. Airbnb Inc. said Chief Executive Officer Brian Chesky won't deliver a planned video message to discuss the home-rental startup's vision for travel. And Alphabet Inc.'s Google postponed the introduction of its Android 11 mobile operating system previously planned for June 3.
Demonstrations against the killing of an unarmed black man, George Floyd, by a white police officer in Minnesota last week have turned violent in cities from New York to Los Angeles. Officials have set curfews in major cities to deter late-night protests and looting. The situation has reopened racial wounds and cast a somber tone in the country.
For the PS5 event, which had been scheduled for June 4, Sony said, “We do not feel that right now is a time for celebration, and for now, we want to stand back and allow more important voices to be heard.”
Electronic Arts issued a statement with a black background that said: “We stand with our African American/Black community of friends, colleagues and partners.” The company said, “We'll find another time to talk football with you because this is bigger than a game, bigger than sports and needs all of us to stand together and commit to change.”
©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
-
Signature Play: The Classic Cocktail Is Dead. Or Is It?
Classic cocktails are disappearing from India's cocktail menus. But they're still being ordered, taught to bartenders and borrowed from. So, who's really having the last drink?
-
A New Samvat Wishlist: Inclusive Prosperity And Human Development
India has strengthened its economic foundations through infrastructure, digital access and enterprise. Its next growth chapter must deepen productivity, create better livelihoods and widen participation in prosperity.
-
Love, Sex Aur Dhokha: The Audacious Plot To Spy On Jensen Huang
A Taipei dinner, a Singapore chip buyer and a suspected Chinese asset: inside the alleged spy operation that got close to NVIDIA's Jensen Huang.
-
Ten Things I Learnt This Samvat
Patience can be a trap. Cheap stocks can stay cheap. Leverage can wipe you out. What did Samvat 2082 teach us? Niraj Shah writes on 10 lessons from the year gone by.
-
Talking Points This Week: Tech Nerves, FII Buying, And A Faraway Banking Shock
The global markets are not shining this Diwali. The exception in the large markets is, India.
-
Midterm Rally Lasted A Day. The Hard Reality Of A Divided US May Last Two Years | Opinion
Between a contested AI boom, a debt ceiling that arrives in 2027 and a president with every incentive to act alone, the next two years may prove more volatile than the first day's rally suggests.
-
Blue Wave Will Derail the AI Trade but Won't Dismantle the AI Era | Unhedged Position
The Democrats' sweep of the US Congress will see politics collide with economic forces both over the long and short term.
-
It's Time To Take The GST Council's Bet On Trust Global
Payment records can prove India's services exports, and clear, proportionate rules can bring foreign digital sellers into the tax net.
-
Opinion | India at 38: From Innovation Overperformer to Innovation Powerhouse
India now has 453 VC-backed deep science startups, 18 of them late-stage, after 117 percent growth since 2020. Laurus Labs, at USD 9.3 billion, is the most valuable deep science company in any middle-income economy outside China.
