Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg appeared by video conference before a congressional subcommittee on Wednesday. A low frame rate made him look choppy.
CNET
It was the big moment for Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, but it appeared Wednesday as a small box on a large television screen before the U.S. House of Representatives’ Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law Subcommittee. When Bezos started your opening remarks, its image expanded to fill the entire TV screen, but it seemed that the Cisco Webex video conferencing service only displayed a blank screen. So they put him back in a gallery of over a dozen small boxes as he continued talking.
The screen goes blank when Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos begins his opening remarks before a congressional subcommittee on Wednesday.
CNET
The testimony came as part of an audience focused on concerns about tech giants and antitrust law. The hearing progressed with testimony from additional technology CEOs via video conference. Some lawmakers also participated via video conference, and others sat in the courtroom and were required to wear masks when they were not speaking due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.
Bezos was not the only blow with technical difficulties. When Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg spoke, his image was sharp, but choppy. When he told lawmakers about Facebook’s position in the advertising and video markets, the low frame rate made it look like it was in a stop-motion movie. Problems persisted when he answered questions.
Apple CEO Tim Cook and Google CEO Sundar Pichai testified smoothly.
Jeff Bezos takes a quick bite.
CNET
Technical issues didn’t cause all the video bloopers on Wednesday. As his teammates answered questions, Bezos took a bite out of the food while his image was still moving. The audience took a break while addressing the technical issues that caused Bezos not to be visible on full screen. The Amazon CEO spoke more after the break, after waiting nearly 2 hours after his opening remarks before receiving direct questions from lawmakers.
It is still unclear what caused the Bezos video stream to display incorrectly before it was corrected. A person familiar with the matter said the problem was not on Amazon’s side, adding that the system worked for Amazon when the company practiced multiple times before the hearing.
As Bezos later tried to answer a question about Chinese companies and intellectual property, his microphone was turned off and lawmakers were temporarily unable to hear him.
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“Mr. Bezos,” said Rep. David Cicilline, a Rhode Island Republican who chaired the hearing, “I think he’s speechless.”
Alfred Ng and Ben Fox Rubin contributed to this report.
