The largest technology conference in Europe, Web Summit, has been abandoned by Intel Corp. and Siemens AG as a result of comments made by the conference’s organizers criticizing Western support for Israel after Hamas assaults.
On Thursday, the US chipmaker said that it was “withdrawing from Web Summit.” A spokesperson for the Santa Clara, California-based business, which has had ongoing operations in Israel, refused to make any more comments.
One of the main sponsors of the summit taking place in Lisbon the next month is Siemens, a German engineering and manufacturing giant. However, the firm will no longer be a partner or attend the event this year, a spokeswoman stated after having “reviewed the situation.”
Garry Tan of Y Combinator, Ravi Gupta of Sequoia Capital, and other well-known venture capitalists have also canceled plans to attend the event. Several Israeli-based tech CEOs have also withdrawn.
The event’s organizer, Paddy Cosgrave, apologized earlier this week. “I understand that what I said, the timing of what I said, and the way it has been presented has caused profound hurt to many,” he said on the Web Summit website. “I sincerely apologize to whomever my statements offended.
Last week, he blogged about the dispute for the first time, and in following writings, he reaffirmed his position.
Business Post has already reported on the withdrawal of Intel and Siemens from the event.
