Google, Meta, Intel, Amazon, Siemens, and others pull out of Web Summit 2023, after the event's co-founder and CEO, Paddy Cosgrave, accused Israel of war crimes
he's totally fu*ked: Google pulls out of Web Summit over Cosgrave's Israel-Hamas comments https://www.irishtimes.com/... Adrian Weckler / @adrianweckler : Google and Stripe have pulled out of the Web Summit. It's a full blown crisis. @iotathe : What could be sweeter than seeing @paddycosgrave's empire taking big hits as a result of his most recent, mouthy, arrogant comment? Once the big names desert @WebSummit, the small fry won't be interested. The genie's out of the bottle, Paddy! Sleep well! https://www.irishtimes.com/... Adrian Weckler / @adrianweckler : Didn't mince words. @profgalloway now gone https://www.independent.ie/... Theo McDonald / @tbald101 : This seems rather excessive. Of course, Paddy Cosgrave is an abrasive character but his tweet was relatively mundane and he did issue an apology. https://www.businesspost.ie/ ... LinkedIn: Yudi Bar On : This is what all companies should do!!! — Thank you Google , Amazon Meta ,Intel Corporation , Siemens and all other companies and Venture capitals for your support. … Yuval Passov : In case you missed it. Google will no longer have a presence in Web Summit 💪 — https://lnkd.in/dkktszA9 Sarit Amar : As a Xoogler as well as ex-Meta, I'm proud and relieved to read this. Tomer Frieder : Thank you Google and Meta. — Amazon? — It's an easy call. — Do what's right. Iftach Yair : Sometimes you just have to do the right thing. Thank you Google Naomi Kraus : Unbelievably proud of my company for taking a stand against those who would support and condone terrorism. … Ran Davidovitz : I was so happy to see the swift handling of this in #google (from concern to resolution). — There is no place for supporting terrorism and HAMAS … Forums: r/irishpolitics : Google pulls out of Web Summit over Cosgrave's Israel-Hamas comments
The Irish Times
Context & Ripple Effects
The withdrawals follow an earlier Israeli boycott of Web Summit after Paddy Cosgrave's comments, turning a diplomatic dispute into a broader attendance and sponsor-participation crisis for the conference.
The fallout extended beyond the event itself: Israeli startups later declined Web Summit venture-arm investments, indicating that the dispute could affect the summit's investor and founder relationships as well as its stage lineup.
First-order effects
Google, Meta, Intel, Amazon, Siemens and Stripe remove their presence from Web Summit, reducing the event's immediate roster of major corporate participants.
Web Summit and its leadership face an acute credibility problem with attendees, partners and startups after the CEO's public remarks become a reason for companies to disengage.
Second-order effects
Other prospective sponsors, speakers and exhibitors must weigh the reputational cost of remaining against the value of the event's audience, increasing pressure on organizers to contain the controversy.
The pullouts can weaken the conference's ability to connect large platforms with startups and investors, particularly as some Israeli companies distance themselves from its venture arm.
Third-order effects
If such disputes repeatedly trigger coordinated corporate exits, major tech conferences will be judged more explicitly on founder governance and political-risk controls, not only programming and deal flow.
The episode points to a wider tension for global technology institutions: corporate neutrality policies are harder to maintain when wars, employee activism and platform governance become intertwined.
The trend: Geopolitical conflict is becoming a direct operating risk for technology events, forcing organizers and corporate participants to manage political speech as a partnership and brand-safety issue.
Thank you, @google and @Meta. Your actions send a clear message that bias and demonizing rhetoric against Israel is both unjustified and uncalled for - and that you will not support it. https://www.timesofisrael.com/ ...
@paddycosgrave I can understand why you would think my statement was an overreaction. My heart is shattered right now and I dont think you can ever comprehend what we have gone through last week. Frankly, I pray that no one in the world ever experiences anything even remotely sim…
.@amitkarp is a respected tech investor. But because he claims I “support the beheading of babies” he will never attend Web Summit. An utter lie & extreme over reaction to my perfectly reasonable & humane statement: “War crimes are war crimes even when committed by allies” My... …
@amitkarp Thank you @amitkarp I really appreciate your response. And I'm truly sorry for the hurt caused. I've spent years supporting Israeli tech founders, not just through Web Summit, but by personally investing in Israeli entrepreneurs, including multiple times in the last 12 …
Facebook-owner Meta follows Google by pulling out of Web Summit over Cosgrave's Israel-Hamas comments - @jackpowerIT & @ciaraobrien report Nick Clegg, Facebook's president of global affairs, was due to speak at the Lisbon event https://www.irishtimes.com/... via @IrishTimes
Never thought I'd agree so much with something said by paddy cosgrave, but there you go: “War crimes are war crimes even when committed by allies, and should be called out for what they are.” Meanwhile, Google and Meta are absolutely spineless. https://www.irishtimes.com/...
What could be sweeter than seeing @paddycosgrave's empire taking big hits as a result of his most recent, mouthy, arrogant comment? Once the big names desert @WebSummit, the small fry won't be interested. The genie's out of the bottle, Paddy! Sleep well! https://www.irishtimes.co…
This seems rather excessive. Of course, Paddy Cosgrave is an abrasive character but his tweet was relatively mundane and he did issue an apology. https://www.businesspost.ie/ ...