The CEO of Web Summit, Paddy Cosgrave, has confirmed on social media that he’s returning to the post.
ADVERTISEMENTCosgrave took a step back from Web Summit operations for six months after resigning as its chief executive following comments he made on the Israel-Hamas conflict.
«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,» he said on LinkedIn and Twitter.
«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.
«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. 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,» Cosgrave said in the post.
His reinstatement comes after backlash he received from some businesses following his comments on social media platform X, posted on 13 October 2023.
«War crimes are war crimes even when committed by allies,» he said, referring to Israel’s response in Gaza following the Hamas attacks on 7 October.
The Web Summit founder didn’t mention his previous comments, however, in his latest post announcing his return.
