This Thursday, the President of the Republic considered that the controversy that led to Paddy Cosgrave’s departure from the web summit was the “best advertisement” for the current technology summit in Lisbon, at which he promised to make a “surprise” appearance.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa was speaking at the annual meeting of Portuguese startups that will take part in this technology summit, in the former royal arena, next to the Palacio de Belem, in Lisbon, which this time, contrary to usual, will not be attended by the executive president of the Web Summit, who now is Katerina Maher.
“[Esta edição] everything will go very well. And, ironically, what happened only increased the attention at the Web Summit. This is the kind of advertising that sometimes seems negative, but this is the best advertising: talk bad about me, but talk, or say that there are small problems, but talk,” said the head of state.
According to the President of the Republic, “in the balance of power in the world, fussing with this or that interlocutor, this or that actor of the Web Summit only proves the importance of the Web Summit.”
Paddy Cosgrave resigned on October 21 after major companies such as Google, Meta and Amazon canceled their participation in the web summit due to a message he posted on the social network X, formerly Twitter, about the war between Israel and Hamas. for which he eventually apologized. “I am impressed by the rhetoric and actions of many Western leaders and governments, with the exception of the Irish government, which is doing the right thing this time.
“War crimes are still war crimes, even if committed by allies, and must be reported as they are,” Paddy Cosgrave, co-founder of Web Summit, wrote on October 13.
At this meeting with the President of the Republic and the Minister of Economy, António Costa Silva, the Web Summit was represented by the Vice President and Director for Portugal, Arthur Pereira.
This year’s technology summit in Lisbon will take place from November 13 to 16.