Web Summit co-founder Paddy Cosgrave. Image: Ramsey Cardy/Collision via Sportsfile (CC BY 2.0 DEED)
In a post on X, the Irish entrepreneur said that he wants to ‘seed small communities’ at Web Summit and then ‘help those communities thrive’ long after each event.
Paddy Cosgrave is returning to Web Summit as CEO six months after stepping down from the role at the Irish-founded tech event.
Cosgrave, who co-founded Web Summit in 2009 and saw it become one of the most recognised tech events in the world, stepped down as CEO in October following backlash to comments he made regarding the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict in Israel and Palestine.
In a post on X published today (8 April), the entrepreneur from Co Wicklow said that he has spent the interim period thinking about Web Summit and how he can build communities through the annual event in Lisbon to build “stronger communities”.
“When I stepped back last year, it was the first time I had taken time off in 15 years. It gave me time to think about Web Summit, its history, why I started it on my own from my bedroom and what I wanted it to be,” Cosgrave wrote.
“I took the time to reconnect with old Web Summit friends and I listened to what they had to say and what they wanted from Web Summit. Some incredible tech advancements, relationships, partnerships and companies have grown from our events, and I want to continue building on this. If anything, I want to supercharge this mission even further to build even stronger communities within Web Summit.”
Today I’m returning as CEO of @WebSummit.
When I stepped back last year, it was the first time I had taken time off in 15 years. It gave me time to think about Web Summit, its history, why I started it on my own from my bedroom and what I wanted it to be.
I took the time to… pic.twitter.com/cDu33kS1tP
— Paddy Cosgrave (@paddycosgrave) April 8, 2024
In the week that Cosgrave made the comments last October, the Israeli government, along with several Israeli start-ups, investors and VC firms spoke out against him, pulling their support and demanding a boycott from others. Soon, prominent speakers and major tech sponsors began to pull their support for the event – leading up to his resignation.
Katherine Maher, a former Wikimedia executive, was appointed as CEO of Web Summit soon after. But less than three months in, she stepped down from the role to take up the top job at NPR, a US non-profit radio company.
Despite the tumult involving prominent speakers and major tech sponsors backing out and pulling their support for Web Summit, the event went ahead in November. 23 Irish start-ups were flown to Lisbon to showcase their ideas while Maher was at the helm.
With Cosgrave back as CEO, there are some changes on the way for Web Summit, which is returning to Lisbon in November this year.
“In a very real sense, as Web Summit becomes bigger, our aim should be to make it smaller for our attendees. More intimate. More convivial. More community focused,” he said.
“We will seed small communities at our events, and then help those communities thrive long after each event. I’m incredibly excited for the future with loads more to share.”
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Image of Paddy Cosgrave: Ramsey Cardy/Collision via Sportsfile (CC BY 2.0 DEED)
