Paddy Cosgrave, co-creator of the Web Summit, reassumed his role as CEO on Monday, half a year after stepping down amid controversy over his remarks on the Israel-Hamas conflict. He was criticised for a statement on social media platform X, suggesting that allied nations can also commit ‘war crimes’, a comment made in the context of Israel’s response to Hamas attacks on 7th October.
Cosgrave admitted that his departure marked the first break he had taken in a decade and a half. He used this time to reconnect with old associates from the Web Summit, engaging in discussions about their expectations from the platform. As a majority stakeholder in the Web Summit, Cosgrave oversees the organisation of one of the most impactful tech conferences globally, with approximately 70,000 attendees per year. This includes representatives from international tech firms, start-ups and policymakers.
Cosgrave’s October remarks stirred a wave of criticism, leading to his resignation after several companies, including Google and Meta, withdrew from the annual conference in Portugal the following month. Katherine Maher, the previous CEO of the Wikimedia Foundation, succeeded Cosgrave but resigned a month ago to head National Public Radio.
Moving forward, the Web Summit aims to foster a more congenial and community-centric environment, currently exploring software that can facilitate connections among attendees. “Throughout the past year, we have arranged trial meet-ups for attendees working in similar sectors, such as product engineering or marketing,” disclosed the company. – Reuters