Google I/O is Google’s annual developer conference, first held in 2008.
The inaugural event took place at Moscone Center in San Francisco from May 28 to 29, 2008. Google used the conference to present web technologies, developer tools, and emerging products, while also giving programmers technical sessions and opportunities to meet Google engineers. The name “I/O” is commonly explained as referring to input/output, with “Innovation in the Open” also used as a meaning.
Google I/O became an important stage for announcements involving Android, Chrome, Google Assistant, machine-learning tools, and cloud services. Its programming is aimed primarily at developers, although keynote presentations attract broad technology-media coverage and online audiences.
Google I/O is not the same event as Google Cloud Next, which focuses specifically on Google Cloud products and customers. It is also separate from Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference and Microsoft Build, despite all three being major annual software events.