New Web Summit chief addresses Paddy Cosgrave controversy

Mr Cosgrave sparked outrage among some leading figures in the tech sector after suggesting on social media that Israel was committing war crimes in Gaza.

“If you knew Paddy, you know he’s always been outspoken,” said Ms Maher, who accepted the comments were "divisive" and "hurt people".

“I think it’s important to say that everyone, everywhere, has the right to express their views,” said Ms Maher.

“I also acknowledge the right to free expression and considering the weight of your words are different things,” she continued.

Last month, on his X social media account, Mr Cosgrave addressed the Israel-Hamas conflict, saying: “I’m shocked at the rhetoric and actions of so many Western leaders and governments, with the exception in particular of Ireland’s government, who for once are doing the right thing… War crimes are war crimes even when committed by allies, and should be called out for what they are."

Mr Cosgrave apologised following the backlash that ensued, but it wasn’t enough and he eventually resigned as chief executive.

Web Summit suffered a significant hit, with big tech firms including Meta, Amazon, Stripe, and Google backing out of attending the event.

US foreign policy has been pro-Israel since the ongoing conflict in Gaza was reignited on October 7 after Hamas launched a devastating attack on Israeli citizens.

Prior to her new role with Web Summit, Ms Maher had served as Wikimedia chief executive and has also received a bachelor's degree from New York University in Middle Eastern and Islamic studies. 

She has lived in Lebanon, Syria, and Cairo. 

In addition, Ms Maher is on the US State Department's Foreign Affairs Policy Board which potentially makes her appointment a favourable one with US multinationals.

“I’m not new to this stage but I am new to this role,” she said.

Ms Maher spoke briefly about the struggles the tech has gone through this year.

“2023 has been a year of huge lows and tremendous highs,” she said of an industry that has seen widespread job cuts in recent times.

Despite the controversy surrounding Paddy Cosgrave, there are still a number of industry leaders attending the event this week, including Microsoft and Alibaba.

Around 2,600 start-ups are expected to attend as well as almost 1,000 investors.

In an interview with CNBC ahead of the event, Ms Maher was optimistic about the return of some of the companies that decided not to attend Web Summit this year.

“I think that we're going to expect a number of those players to come back to the table in the events ahead,” she said.

“The people that we have talked to in terms of our major partners have expressed a tremendous amount of confidence that the business has taken all the right steps to move forward,” said Ms Maher.

However, it is unclear how much influence Mr Cosgrave still has in the company as he still owns the vast majority of it.