Web Summit founder and CEO Paddy Cosgrave resigned from his position last weekend. His departure came after major technology companies such as AWS, Meta, Intel and Google boycotted the event.
For everyone who is in a hurry:
- Web Summit founder and CEO Paddy Cosgrave announced his resignation from his position last weekend.
- His departure came after major technology companies such as AWS, Meta, Intel and Google boycotted the event;
- The companies said they would not attend the Web Summit, scheduled for Nov. 13, because of Cosgrave’s comments about the war between Israel and Hamas.
- The executive wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that “war crimes are war crimes even when committed by allies and must be reported as such”;
- The organizers intend to appoint a new managing director soon and the Web Summit remains scheduled for November 13th.
The companies said they would not attend the Web Summit scheduled for Nov. 13 because Cosgrave’s comments criticized governments that supported Israel for their response to the attack by the terror group Hamas.
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Cosgrave and the Web Summit
(Image: Disclosure/Web Summit)
The executive wrote on Resigned from his position as executive president of one of the largest tech events in the world.
Cosgrave’s departure is an attempt to isolate Web Summit, which holds events around the world. However, the whereabouts of the eliminated participants is not yet guaranteed.
Companies such as Intel and Deel, which withdrew their sponsorship, have said they currently have no plans to return. Cosgrave’s majority stake in Web Summit has also been questioned, but the organization did not comment on the matter.
The organizers intend to appoint a new managing director soon. In 2022, the conference attracted around 70,000 participants. The event scheduled for November continues to be plagued by uncertainty regarding participation and the longterm impact of these events.