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The annual Code Conference is set to kick off next week, but one of our headline speakers won\u2019t be there: GM CEO Mary Barra and her new EVP of software Mike Abbott have dropped out of the show, citing the ongoing UAW strike<\/a> and contract negotiations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cMary and Mike unfortunately needed to change their plans to be at Code,\u201d writes GM spokesperson Brandee Barker. \u201cThey are staying focused on the ongoing labor negotiations and supporting internal operations through the strike. They have long been supporters of Code and want to return to a future conference.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n That\u2019s great and all, but we were very much planning to ask Barra about that strike and how negotiations are proceeding \u2014\u00a0she told CBS<\/em> <\/a>that things \u201cstill have a ways to go\u201d last week. And of course, there was the very live issue of GM\u2019s in-vehicle software choices to talk about with both Barra and Abbott: the company has famously dropped CarPlay and Android Auto<\/a> in favor of its own system, which is a risky decision for any car company in a time when consumers overwhelmingly say they want smartphone mirroring. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n And it\u2019s an especially risky decision for a legacy automaker that\u2019s trying to get substantially better at software at the same time it\u2019s making a huge bet on EVs that promises to upend almost everything about how it makes cars. (You can see why the union wants some assurances for the future!)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n We\u2019ll have to talk about all that with Barra in the future \u2014\u00a0this contract dispute might get resolved, but the issues will remain. In the meantime, this year\u2019s Code will still be action-packed, with appearances from AMD CEO Lisa Su, Microsoft CTO Kevin Scott, Roblox CEO Dave Baszucki, Getty CEO Craig Peters, and many more. It all starts on September 26th, and we\u2019ll have full coverage here on The Verge.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n