WebSummit Faces Backlash: The Impact of Paddy Cosgrave’s Controversial Comments in Israel’s Tech Community
In preparation for its flagship event in Lisbon next month, WebSummit, the renowned tech conference brand, is facing a growing wall of indignation. The anger stems from comments made by WebSummit founder and frontman, Paddy Cosgrave, regarding the ongoing conflict between Israel and Gaza. Cosgrave’s criticism of Israeli retaliation has sparked widespread fury among founders, investors, and others in Israel’s tech community.
The controversy began when Cosgrave, who was in Doha, Qatar, at the time, took to social media to share a table illustrating the human cost of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict between 2008 and 2023. However, Cosgrave omitted the events of the weekend, including the attacks in Israel and the victims they claimed. This selective representation of the conflict provoked debate and drew criticism from both sides of the argument.
As the backlash intensified, prominent figures within the tech industry expressed their outrage and announced their refusal to participate in any future WebSummit events. David Marcus, a veteran fintech entrepreneur and Meta executive, stated that he would never attend, sponsor, or speak at another WebSummit event. Similarly, Keith Rabois, a partner and entrepreneur at the Founders Fund, declared that he would refuse to work with anyone who attended the WebSummit conference in Qatar. Ori Goshen, co-founder and co-CEO of AI21 Labs, also voiced his disappointment, stating that he would no longer give a keynote speech at WebSummit.
The situation escalated further when the Israeli ambassador to Portugal, Dor Shapiro, intervened. Shapiro announced that Israel would not participate in the WebSummit conference due to Cosgrave’s “scandalous statements” and accused him of failing to denounce Hamas’ terrorist activities against innocent people.
In response to the mounting criticism and cancellations, Cosgrave attempted to backtrack on his previous statements. He expressed devastation at the loss of innocent lives in Israel and Gaza, condemned Hamas’ attacks, and extended his condolences to those who had lost loved ones. However, his efforts to reconcile with the tech community were met with skepticism, as critics pointed out that Cosgrave had recently “liked” several tweets that appeared to support his previous controversial stance.
The fallout from this controversy highlights the polarizing nature of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and its impact on Israel’s tech industry. Despite being the country’s most valuable export, Israel’s tech industry is now risking severed ties and facing significant public opinion battles due to the conflict. The sentiments expressed by tech industry leaders demonstrate a deep-rooted frustration with anyone who suggests that Israel should not retaliate against Hamas.
WebSummit has commented on the cancellations, expressing its understanding of the sensitivity of the situation and reiterating its devastation at the loss of innocent lives. The organization emphasized its mission to connect people and ideas worldwide and stated that it hopes for a peaceful reconciliation.
In summary, WebSummit is grappling with a significant backlash following Paddy Cosgrave’s criticism of Israeli retaliation in the ongoing conflict with Gaza. The controversy has led to prominent figures in Israel’s tech industry condemning Cosgrave’s comments and announcing their refusal to participate in future WebSummit events. This situation underscores the challenges faced by Israel’s tech industry in maintaining its reputation and trade relations amidst the polarizing public opinion surrounding the conflict.
Additional Piece: The Role of Tech Conferences in a Politically Charged World
The recent controversy surrounding WebSummit and its founder, Paddy Cosgrave, highlights a broader issue faced by tech conferences in our increasingly politically charged world. Tech conferences serve as platforms for innovation, networking, and the exchange of ideas. However, as seen in this case, the intersection of politics and tech can often lead to heated debates and divisions within the industry.
In the age of social media and instant communication, founders and executives are under intense scrutiny. Their statements and actions can quickly spread and ignite both support and backlash. This puts tech conference organizers in a challenging position, as they must navigate politically sensitive topics while maintaining their commitment to fostering collaboration and discussion.
The WebSummit controversy also raises questions about the responsibilities of tech conference founders and frontmen. Should they be discouraged from expressing personal political opinions that could alienate participants? Or should they be allowed to voice their views freely, even if they risk damaging the reputation and inclusivity of their events?
Tech conferences, by their nature, attract diverse audiences with varying perspectives. Balancing this diversity within the context of politically charged issues is a delicate task. It requires organizers to consider the potential impact of their statements on attendees, sponsors, and industry relationships.
Furthermore, the WebSummit controversy raises broader questions about the role of technology in geopolitical conflicts. As technology continues to advance, it becomes increasingly intertwined with political, social, and ethical issues. Tech conferences have a unique opportunity to facilitate discussions and collaborations that can drive positive change and address these complex challenges.
To be effective, tech conferences must strive for inclusivity and avoid taking positions that may alienate participants. They should foster an environment where different perspectives are respected and encourage dialogue that leads to constructive solutions.
In conclusion, the WebSummit controversy serves as a reminder that tech conferences can become platforms for politically charged debates. To navigate these challenges successfully, conference organizers, founders, and participants must strike a delicate balance between expressing personal opinions and maintaining a neutral, inclusive space for collaboration and innovation.
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WebSummit, the big tech conference brand that organizes events in several cities and whose flagship event with 70,000 people in Lisbon will take place next month, is hitting a wall: a wall of indignation. Founders, investors and others in Israel’s tech community have become furious over comments made by WebSummit founder and frontman Paddy Cosgrave related to the ongoing fighting in Israel and Gaza, specifically his criticism of the actions of Israeli retaliation.
Now, the anger at Cosgrave has gone viral, and today it looked like it was about to overwhelm WebSummit’s promotional efforts a month before its event.
The situation also highlights how Israel’s tech industry, the country’s most valuable and arguably best-known export, based on development and trade relations, has been willing to sever those ties in the conflict’s public opinion battle. more polarizing.
“Here in Israel we are basically in rage mode, after the first week of shock and awe,” a tech source told TechCrunch. “We don’t have time to screw with anyone who remotely suggests that Israel needs to stay on the sidelines and not put an end to Hamas.”
“To repeat: war crimes are war crimes even when committed by allies and must be exposed for what they are. “I will not give in,” Cosgrave said. the present day.
It all began the day Hamas stormed Israel’s walls and leveled villages and a music festival in a wave of murder and looting, killing 1,400 people, mostly civilians. Hamas, the ruling party in the Palestinian territory, is considered a terrorist organization by the United Kingdom, the United States and other countries; they also took 199 hostages back to Gaza.
That day, Cosgrave was in Doha, Qatar, the city where WebSummit will hold its newest event in four months. While some who interact with Israelis (or who don’t) took to social media to express shock, or sympathy, or make a high-minded comment about how the response needed moderation to avoid looking like the bad guy, or nothing at all, some took stances more criticism. Cosgrave, very publicly, published a table about X of the human cost of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict between 2008 and 2023. He omitted the events (and victims) of the weekend.
That sparked some debate, but no update from Cosgrave acknowledging that the figures were already out of date, nor any comment on the attacks in Israel. He then proceeded, over the next few days (between posts about Qatar, political comments relating to Ireland and reactions to rugby) to continue publishing several more posts, all highlighting the view that Israel was taking an unfair approach.
As posts racked up a variety of alarming and extreme responses on both sides of the argument, Cosgrave doubled down. On Friday he noted that he was “shocked by the rhetoric and actions of so many Western leaders” in supporting Israel. But as the attention increased, so did the rejections.
Some of the highlights (or I guess you could say, highlights):
David Marcus said he would never attend, sponsor or speak at another WebSummit event again.
“Saddened by your misinformed stance. He could have taken a more nuanced stance, condemning these atrocities and calling for restraint. “That would have been acceptable.” saying David Marcus, the veteran fintech entrepreneur and Meta executive, in a tweet yesterday. “You chose to support terrorists. As such, I will never again attend, sponsor or speak at any of their events.”
“I will refuse to work with anyone who speaks at this conference in Qatar for the rest of my career.” intervened Keith Rabois, partner and entrepreneur of the Founders Fund.
Ori Goshen, co-founder and co-CEO of AI21 Labs, Announced on LinkedIn that he would no longer give a keynote speech at WebSummit.
“It is bad enough that the summit’s executive director, Paddy Cosgrave, did not see fit to express his horror at the disgusting atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7,” he said. “But as immoral as it is, Paddy Cosgrave decided not only to ignore them but to publish something against the policies of the Israeli government. His very partial understanding of history and geopolitics aside, this response was abhorrent. We at AI21 cannot be part of such indecency and moral bankruptcy. We will not be attending WebSummit and I will not be giving the keynote speech.
#cancelwebsummit #standwithisrael”
Then the Israeli ambassador to Portugal, Dor Shapiro, intervened.
“Today I wrote to the Mayor of Lisbon informing him that Israel will not participate in the #WebSummit conference due to scandalous statements made by the conference’s executive director, Paddy Cosgrave. Even in these difficult times, he is unable to set aside his extreme political views and denounce Hamas’ terrorist activities against innocent people,” he wrote, also in LinkedIn. “Dozens of companies have already canceled their participation in this conference and we encourage more to do so.”
Today, Cosgrave seemed to backtrack a bit on his statement.
“We are devastated to see the terrible killings and level of innocent civilian casualties in Israel and Gaza,” Cosgrove wrote today, nine days after that event. “We condemn the attacks by Hamas and extend our deepest condolences to all those who have lost their loved ones. We hope for a peaceful reconciliation.”
But the Internet never forgets.
“It’s hard to take this statement at face value, given all the tweets @paddycosgrave has liked in recent days. I saved several of them in the attached Google Doc (so we have a record when @WebSummit’s PR team asks you to remove them).” saying Josh Kopelman, founder of First Round Capital.
Kopelman had also noted, separately, that Cosgrave’s position was interesting, given his ties to Doha and Qatar (a country many believe to be linked to Hamas funding). That was enough to push Garry Tan, the head of Y Combinator, over the edge as well.
“I refuse to appear at Web Summit and am canceling my appearance,” he said. saying. “I condemn Hamas and pray for peace for the Israeli and Palestinian people.”
We reached out to Tan and Kopelman to ask if they are advising portfolio companies and partners at their firms not to attend as well. Tan declined to comment and Kopelman has not yet responded.
WebSummit has provided us with a statement about the cancellations, saying that the organization is speaking with “several people regarding their attendance at Web Summit,” but is not in a position to discuss exact details or individuals.
“We understand that this is an incredibly sensitive and painful time during this total tragedy of war. We want to reiterate our devastation at the loss of innocent lives in Israel and Gaza. We strongly condemn Hamas’ horrific attacks against Israelis. Web Summit’s mission is to connect people and ideas that are changing the world around the world. The more voices we have around the world, the more we can help change the world for the better,” he added. “We are saddened to learn that some Israelis in the tech community will no longer be attending the Web Summit. We are sorry for any harm caused and extend our deepest condolences to all who have lost loved ones. We hope for a peaceful reconciliation.”
The spokesperson said last year’s event attracted about 71,000 people and this year is on track to peak at 70,000.
TO public page in Notion titled “techcondemingterror” is following the growing response. It now includes press clippings, comments from several leaders of Israel’s technology industry, and commentary.
WebSummit derailed by founder’s public fight with those supporting Israel in Hamas war
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