Tech giant Microsoft has chosen San Francisco to host its developer conference Build this summer, snubbing longtime host Seattle.
CEO Satya Nadella announced San Francisco’s selection in an article for The conference is scheduled for June 2-3 at Fort Mason on San Francisco’s northern waterfront.
Microsoft is promoting the event as “designed for AI developers, technology leaders and enterprise developers” – it will be a two-day showcase of Microsoft’s AI tools and initiatives, including demos, keynotes, workshops and high-profile speakers. Tickets at the door are $1,099.
Last November, the company also selected San Francisco as the location for its flagship Ignite conference, which it plans to host again at Moscone Center in 2026. Microsoft is an outlier in the big tech world because it is based outside of Silicon Valley — its headquarters is in the Seattle suburb of Redmond, Washington — but has many roots in the Bay Area, including offices for subsidiary LinkedIn and popular developer platform GitHub.
GitHub COO Kyle Daigle told The Verge that this year’s Build conference will be slightly smaller than in previous years and focus more on developers. He also targeted the location as a test.
“Build has been happening in a lot of different locations over the years, but it obviously shares characteristics with the Seattle area, but like everything in software, it’s got some learning to do,” Daigle reportedly told the outlet. “Let’s get it out to San Francisco and see what we can learn from the audience that comes out to join us this year and see over the next few years.”
Build adds to a busy year for the San Francisco tech conference scene. In addition to a number of smaller gatherings and AI gatherings, Moscone Center will host the Game Developers Conference, RSAC, HumanX, Stripe Sessions, Snowflake Summit, Dreamforce, and more.
Work at a Bay Area tech company and want to talk? Please contact technology reporter Stephen Council securely at stephen.council@sfgate.com or call Signal at 628-204-5452.
Best SFGATE
central coast | ‘Doomsday fish’: Once-in-a-lifetime marine creature encountered in Monterey Bay
technology|A California teen trusts ChatGPT for medication advice. He died of an overdose.
central coast|He donated one of the largest urban parks in California. He then shot and killed his wife.
culture |Tragedy made Sublime famous. Now the singer’s son holds the microphone.
Sign up here for the Daily Newsletter to get SFGATE’s top stories delivered to your inbox.
This article was originally published on Tech giant Microsoft moves conference from home to San Francisco.