# The Disinvitation

DevFeed: [The Disinvitation](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/the-disinvitation-21788.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<http://blog.cleancoder.com/uncle-bob/2020/09/12/TheDisinvitation.html>)

Published: 2020-09-12T00:00:00Z

Content type: opinion

Language: en

Sources: [Robert C. Martin](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/robert-c-martin.md>), [The Clean Code Blog](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/the-clean-code-blog.md>)

Topics: [Software](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/software.md>), [Website](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/website.md>)

Tags: [code](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/code.md>), [code-of-conduct](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/code-of-conduct.md>), [community](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/community.md>), [conference](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/conference.md>), [covid](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/covid.md>), [presentation](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/presentation.md>), [speaking](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/speaking.md>)

## AI overview

The author describes being disinvited from a Chicago software conference shortly before it became virtual. Organizers cited concerns from Code of Conduct representatives about the author's political opinions, while some speakers reportedly refused to participate if the author spoke. The author argues that the organizers may have breached an agreement and that the other speakers may have committed tortious interference.

## Source excerpt

I have a friend, in the Chicago area, who calls me up two or three times a year to ask me to give a talk at a User Group, or a conference he's involved with, or something like that. If my schedule is free I always say yes. I don't charge anything because I enjoy supporting the Chicago software community, and it's never a bad thing to get my face out in front of new people. I am a consultant, after all, and giving pro-bono talks is one of the ways I promote myself. Anyway, he wrote to me last October (That's right, a full year ago!) and asked me to give a presentation at a Chicago conference this September 21st. I agreed, and he thanked me, and that was that. Then, in June, he wrote to tell me that the conference was going to be virtual due to Covid. I acknowledged and, once again, that was that. Last Wednesday, September 9th, twelve days before the conference, he called me on the phone and said: "This is going to be the most uncomfortable phone call I have ever made." He went on to say that the "Code of Conduct" people at the conference were concerened about some of my political opinions, and that some of the speakers of the conference refused to speak if I was going to speak. Like I said, this guy is a friend of mine, and I don't want to get him into any trouble, so I decided not to raise a fuss about it, and I promised him I would not mention his name or the name of the conference on line. He responded by telling me: I'm scared to death of these people. Over the last few days I've been mulling this situation over in my mind, and I've come to a few interesting conclusions. The conference organizers are in breach of contract. OK, we didn't have a formal written contract, but we had emails. And we also had the fact that, for the better part of a year, the conference website had my picture on it, and advertised me as a speaker. I conclude that the conference organizers derived substantial benefit from those pictures and from promising my virtual presence to their audi