Paddy Cosgrave, the CEO and co-founder of Web Summit, has stepped down from the role in the wake of comments he made about the current Israel-Hamas conflict. On Oct. 13, Cosgrave tweeted, “I’m shocked at the rhetoric and actions of so many Western leaders & governments, with the exception in particular of Ireland’s government, who for once are doing the right thing. War crimes are war crimes even when committed by allies, and should be called out for what they are.”
In the wake of his comments, Meta, Amazon, and more attendees pulled out of this year’s conference, which is scheduled for Nov. 13 to Nov. 16 in Lisbon, Portgual.
Cosgrave went on to reiterate his message on Oct. 16, when he tweeted, “To repeat: War crimes are war crimes even when committed by allies & should be called out for what they are. I will not relent.”
Cosgrave also issued a lengthy apology on Web Summit’s website. He wrote in party, “To reiterate what I said last week: I unreservedly condemn Hamas’ evil, disgusting and monstrous October 7 attack. I also call for the unconditional release of all hostages. As a parent, I sympathise deeply with the families of the victims of this appalling act, and mourn for all the innocent lives lost in this and other wars.”
“I unequivocally support Israel’s right to exist and to defend itself. I unequivocally support a two-state solution,” Cosgrave continued. “
Like so many figures globally, I also believe that, in defending itself, Israel should adhere to international law and the Geneva Conventions – ie, not commit war crimes. This belief applies equally to any state in any war. No country should breach these laws, even if atrocities were committed against it.
I have always been anti-war and pro-international law. It is precisely at our darkest moments that we must try to uphold the principles that make us civilised.”
More than 70,000 people attended Web Summit’s conference last year. Cosgrave organized the first Web Summit conference in 2009. He later told Wired that when only 150 people showed up, “I thought nothing of it; I had no interest in conferences whatsoever.”
The next year brought a crowd of 400 which included Twitter founder Jack Dorsey. Bono agreed to host a pub crawl for the 2011 conference, and the event grew from there.
A spokesperson for Web Summit told CNN that the company will appoint a new CEO ahead of this year’s conference.
