It would be seriously disappointing if the world we are moving to is one where people don’t care about in person talks anymore. Not only do I love in-person co

It would be seriously disappointing if the world we are moving to is one where people don’t care about in person talks anymore. Not only do I love in-person conferences, I would probably stop caring about publishing papers if it was disconnected from the social parts. The social parts of PLDI, SPLASH, and yes, ATC (where I was fortunate enough to win a best paper on my one and only submission there) have been major highlights of my career, and more than once have led to friendships, interesting projects, and even employment. I was part of the team that helped make PLDI virtual during the pandemic in 2020, and as well as it went, I found it so painful to attend that I basically did not attend. I understand that I am in the minority here when it comes to remote work, etc, but if opportunities to learn from and socialize in person with colleagues go away, then I will too. Woodworkers don’t seem so enamored with virtual this and that, so I would probably jump ship and do something else.