AUSTIN, Texas â Tension mounted in the SXSW online chat for Stacey Abrams' keynote as the minutes ticked on. Ten minutes late. Then 20, then 30. About every 60 seconds, a SXSW chatbot would assuredly chime in with the same message of "technical issues" being experienced on the back end. It was becoming a concern that the conference's first and forced foray into an online-only format might start with a fail on day with eager online registrants waiting, and waiting, for the most anticipated speaker of the day. The minutes ticked on as did the drone of SXSW's "please wait" music that began to feel like a dirge.