The Facebook F8 developer conference is returning this year as a one-day virtual event on June 2nd. Like so many other big meetings, last year’s F8 was canceled due to concerns about the coronavirus. But the largest social network in the world evidently wants to keep its sizeable developer community engaged and is bringing the conference back in 2021.
In a blog post, Facebook’s vice president of platform partnerships, Konstantinos Papamiltiadis, said the new format, dubbed F8 Refresh, would take the event “to its roots: a place to celebrate, inspire and help developers to to grow.” He added: “Our virtual stage will be open to developers worldwide and broadcast live on our Facebook page for developers on June 2.” Interested developers can sign up here to be notified when the registration opens.
A big difference from previous years is that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg will not make the presentation, a company spokesman said. The Verge. Instead, Papamiltiadis will make the opening presentation, which TechCrunch says it should “provide some updates on new releases for the platform”, including new product tools for Facebook, Instagram, Oculus and WhatsApp. Zuckerberg can, however, speak of other functions.
Without Zuckerberg leading the show, we can probably expect fewer large consumer-oriented ads, as we saw in previous years. Facebook still has a lot to talk about, and potential topics can range from ongoing challenges, such as platform moderation, to the company’s big bets on augmented reality and virtual reality. From the tips that Facebook is falling, it seems that the F8 Refresh will be a discreet subject.
Correction, March 23, 12:31 PM ET: The story previously stated that “Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is not going to speak.” Facebook said it can speak elsewhere at the conference, but it will not deliver the keynote address. We’re sorry for the error.