Web Summit co-founder Paddy Cosgrave on Monday returned as its chief executive, six months after resigning from the top job following a backlash over his comments on the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Mr Cosgrave drew criticism after posting on social media platform X that “war crimes are war crimes even when committed by allies,” referring to Israel’s response in Gaza following the Hamas attacks on October 7th.
“When I stepped back last year, it was the first time I had taken time off in 15 years,” Mr Cosgrave said on Monday. “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.”
Mr Cosgrave owns a majority stake in Web Summit, which organises one of the world’s largest tech conferences every year. The event typically attracts about 70,000 participants, drawing speakers from global tech companies…
