Tech conference faces backlash on claims of fake women speakers

Nearly half of the 23 speakers still listed on the event’s website have withdrawn from the conference, according to social media posts and interviews with panelists. That includes Amazon Web Services’ Kristine Howard, who would have been the sole woman scheduled to speak, Howard confirmed in an email. — Photo by Luke Southern on Unsplash

Several tech executives have pulled out of an upcoming developers conference after accusations that the event’s organiser fabricated female speakers’ profiles.

High-profile engineering leaders in the developer community – including Microsoft Corp’s Scott Hanselman and Kelsey Hightower, a former developer advocate at Alphabet Inc’s Google – cancelled their appearances at DevTernity, an upcoming online conference with tickets costing as much as US$870 (RM4,065).