Blasphemed about Hamas-Israel, Web Summit Boss Resigns Tech – 4 hours ago

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – CEO and co-founder of the global technology conference ‘Web Summit’, Paddy Cosgrave, has resigned from his position. This followed a controversial statement he made regarding the conflict in the Middle East between the Hamas group and Israel.

As a result, the Web Summit which is scheduled to take place in November has been affected. A number of technology industry leaders from Alphabet (Google), Meta (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp), to Amazon, canceled their presence.

“My personal comments have become a distraction to the event, our team, our sponsors, our startups and all the guests in attendance,” Cosgrave said in a statement last weekend, quoted from CNBC InternationalMonday (23/10/2023).

For your information, Cosgrave expressed his opinion regarding the Hamas and Israel conflict on his personal X (formerly Twitter) account some time ago. He criticized Western support for Israel, in the conflict that began on October 7 2023.

“I am shocked by the rhetoric and actions of many Western leaders and governments, with the exception of the Irish government which is once again standing up for the right thing,” said Paddy on his X account.

“War crimes are war crimes. When committed by allies, they must still be called what they are,” he said.

The statement immediately sparked a reaction. Several technology industry figures such as Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan and Sequoia Capital investor Ravi Gupta said they would not appear at the conference which will be held next November in Lisbon, Portugal.

Several technology industry figures from Israel also immediately contacted Web Summit management to cancel their participation in the event. Their names have been quietly removed from the list on the Web Summit website, according to inside sources.

Within 24 hours, Israeli speakers declared their withdrawal from the Web Summit. Initially, there were 5 Israeli speakers who would attend. However, now there are none left.

Seeing the impact of his statement, Cosgrave apologized early last week. He admitted that the statement sparked controversy because it was published at the wrong time, amidst high sensitivity regarding the geopolitical issues that occurred.

Even so, Cosgrave’s apology did not have much impact. In fact, more and more technology leaders are ultimately canceling their attendance.

[Gambas:Video CNBC]

(fab/fab)