Report: Microsoft To Abandon Seattle Conference After Complaints Of Urban Decay, Drug Use, And Homelessness
A new report from Seattle restauranteur David Meinert claims that Microsoft plans to abandon its Microsoft Build conference in Seattle after complaints of urban decay, drug use, and homelessness.
Microsoft Build is a conference that attracts over 5,000 engineers, coders, and web developers annually. The conference was originally held in Anaheim, California in 2011, but moved Microsoft’s campus in Redmond, Washington in 2012. From 2013 to 2016 it was held in San Francisco’s Moscone Center. In 2017 it moved to the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle. It took place there until 2020 where it was conducted digitally until 2022. In 2023, it returned to Seattle and was held in the Seattle Convention Center. The most recent conference was held this year from May 19th to May 22nd.
It does not appear that the event will return to Seattle given comments from Seattle restauranteur David Meinert. In a Facebook post, he wrote, “Mayor Bruce Harrell’s downtown activation plan is not having the success he claims. I can tell you first hand how poorly the massive spending on different city agencies is going due to the inability for them to communicate and work together which is 100% about lack of leadership.”
“Now Microsoft is canceling Microsoft Build in Seattle,” he declared. “It has taken place at the new Convention Center, with 4,000 in person attendees. The reason?”
“…was the leadership & attendee experience walking the convention core from the Hyatt Regency to the Arch building on 8th street. The customers citied the general uncleanliness of the street scene, visibility of individuals engaging in drug use, and unhoused individual-including the recurring tent in the Arch Tunnel. Microsoft has previously addressed these concerns and Visit Seattle has been working actively with SPD, DSA, the Care team and others on trying to solve for them. Unfortunately for Build, it was a contributing factor to their final decision to move out of Seattle.”
What do you make of Microsoft allegedly abandoning Seattle due to urban decay, drug use, and homelessness?
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Seattle looked at San Fran and said, "Hold, my beer."
They literally have to hose the feces off the streets.
Sad.
Beautiful country slain by migrants. Not the foreign ones (though New Dehli in Redmond, says "Hi") but the AINOs who destroyed their own nests, moved west, and trashed my home.