Is Paddy Cosgrove the biggest wanker in Ireland?

2smiggy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121261612#Comment_121261612

would have taken you a lot less time to look her up rather than make petty replies making you look like an idiot

VinLieger

Reading the comments in this article of those now not attending they all definitely have the measure of Paddy as they know any apology that comes out of his mouth he would never seriously mean.

https://www.businessinsider.com/intel-siemens-pull-out-cancel-sponsors-web-summit-ceo-israel-2023-10?utm_campaign=business-sf&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&r=US&IR=T

RoboRat

I dislike Paddy immensely (despise is probably a better term), but ironically, I actually agree with the point he is making, albeit very badly (wow, there's a first time for everything). If any other country was doing what Israel is doing, they would be condemned for it. For context, I absolutely condemn what Hamas is doing too and that is where he made his big mistake - he should have called out both sides and condemned both equally.

Paddy has put himself in a position where he thinks his opinion matters, on everything. He forgot that his name is intrinsically linked with his business and he has now found himself staring at the old fcuk around and find out chart. He forgot that his opinions are essentially the web summit's opinions, and the only way forward is for the web summit to part ways with him. This would be the honourable move, but I can't see him doing it. He made it even worse IMO, with his withering apology - he probably should have used any subsequent dialogue to be more succinct about his condemnation and why he felt the need to post it.

I'm sure he thinks that given enough time, it will dissipate and be forgotten, but history tells us that it won't... I have a feeling it will only get worse and there will be lots of digging... might be a good time to delete all his social profiles.

Intel and Siemens have now pulled out.

2smiggy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121261773#Comment_121261773

Paddy has gotten too big for his boots. If he kept quiet and kept running his **** web summit over in Portugal the money could have kept flowing in. I'll be delighted when he has feck all left

AyeGer

That is correct and sadly criticism of Israel is dangerous in a business sense. That shouldn’t be the case. America backs Israel to the hilt. I can’t quite understand why though.

Maybe it’s a planter nation supporting another planter nation.

RoboRat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121261838#Comment_121261838

I have my own side business and things often happen within the industry that I don't agree with - there are lots of divisive opinions and I am opinionated!

I know that whatever I say will be a reflection of my company, so I keep my lips buttoned. I actually deleted my personal social profiles as social media in general is just getting out of hand, and saying the wrong thing could pull down 11 years of hard work. It doesn't matter what you have done up until the point, once you put an opinion out there, it can't be taken back.

I have nowhere near as much as Paddy has to lose and I realised this a long time ago. Perhaps he should have employed an advisor or PR person to look after his accounts!

Beechwoodspark

Cosgrave appears to see himself as a Steve Jobs or Elon Musk type visionary.

He is anything but.

A jumped up conference event organiser is about the size of him.

RoboRat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121261844#Comment_121261844

The US backs Israel as they need a stable partner in the Middle East because that is where a lot of the oil is. Israel also buys a lot of US weapons, and vice versa.

hoodie6029

Someone I was following retweeted him once- his ‘choose your parents carefully as they determine your future success’ bs.

This from a man who comes from generations of wealth and went to the most expensive boarding school in the country.

It’s just beyond me how anyone listens/listened to him. He’s an events planner and his folllowers act like he invented the silicon chip!

AyeGer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121261894#Comment_121261894

A lot of very wealthy diaspora there to who support Israel and also contribute to presidential election bids.

Im noticing more ordinary American citizens starting to question that level of support. And waking up to the dismal existence Palestinians have over there.

2smiggy

I know people who went to the 'web summit' in the past. It's just an vastly over priced jolly for tech companies where they can send some employees on a piss up in dublin/lisbon for a few days and write it off as a tax expense. It is (or hopefully was) no more than that

FazyLucker

This is the problem with Social Media in general. It has given an inter-generationally wealthy nobody like Paddy a soap box.

But its not just him. Its influencers in general. An insufferable bunch of nobodys.

The scars of people who have worked for the Web Summit tell their own story. An awful place ran by an awful individual by all accounts. And having attended it previously, I can attest to the fact that it is nothing more than an IT jolly for a pis up which can be claimed on expenses.

hoodie6029

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121262033#Comment_121262033

It is just a day out for those companies. Add ‘delivered lecture at web summit’ on your CV for some.

Read an article once that alluded to ‘these exclusive areas that companies pay extra to get access to where the real deals of the web summit are done and companies get huge value from/makes millions as a result of’ All possible because of the tireless efforts of the visionary and messiah that is Paddy.

It was all BS. That’s not how commerce works. Worse were the outlets publishing this tripe.

VinLieger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121262144#Comment_121262144

Back when the summit was in Dublin the real deals were done after hours in bars and restaurants around the city, it's single usefulness was gathering people in one place for a few days, nobody did any real business at the summit itself.

dxhound2005

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121261955#Comment_121261955

After these ordinary citizens have woken up, what are they doing about it?

Hotblack Desiato

might be a good time to delete all his social profiles.

He'd rather die. Literally. For a narcissist, attention is oxygen and just as essential.

Also there's a great nickname for him - Tech Gemma

Bobson Dugnutt

Paddy grew up with enormous privilege. Big old ranch down in Wicklow, sent to the most expensive boarding school in the country, dandying around Trinity for a few years, then straight in to start a business with his inheritance. Denis O’Brien as a mentor, every door opened. This is probably the first time he has ever had to face the consequences of his actions.

The rumours about him in Dublin tech circles are legendary. The temper, the bullying, the narcissism, the arrogance.

Brendan Bendar

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121262447#Comment_121262447

Good synopsis Bobson, on the ball there .

Bit of a ‘whiff’ off the whole set up, one would opine?

Well spotted.

PARlance

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121261876#Comment_121261876

But boy did he disrupt the event organiser space! A true disruptor in the sense that he wasn't middle-aged nor was he botox'd out of it.

VinLieger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121262447#Comment_121262447

And if paddy was asked he would claim he had no privilege or help and did it all himself. He is a narcissistic hypocrite of the highest order.

I know several people who worked for him, the stories are bonkers and he really actually thinks of himself as an up and coming Zuckerberg or Jobs when all he is is a moderately good salesman and event planner.

AyeGer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121262322#Comment_121262322

Probably not a whole lot but it is better than the blind unthinking support that has been there for decades. Maybe more of the political class over there might change their views then.

dxhound2005

I don't think so. The militant Palestinian cause will be forever associated with celebrating 9/11.

Hangdogroad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121261876#Comment_121261876

He certainly has Musks ego and c**tish personality.

awec

https://www.irishtimes.com/business/2023/10/20/google-pulls-out-of-web-summit-over-cosgraves-israel-hamas-comments/

Google gone now too.

Hotblack Desiato

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121263340#Comment_121263340

Cultish? 😉

VinLieger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121263535#Comment_121263535

Wow I wonder if they are gonna cancel after losing so many sponsors, anyone still going would be keeping their heads down about it and if you cant post that your "so excited to be attending the web summit" on social media and linkedin whats the point of going at all?

Dial Hard

Seriously, when I stage my benevolent coup there'll be a special corner of the gulag for people who post "Who?" in internet discussions instead of taking 2.7 nanoseconds to just Google the (invariably extremely well-known) person in question instead.

Thespoofer

In the top 3.

tesla_newbie

never go full Paul Murphy