9780008646998_

Web Summit has been touted as one of the biggest Irish business success stories of the last decade, growing from a 150-person meet-up into an over 70,000-person gathering of industry leaders.

Paddy Cosgrave, its charismatic co-founder cozied up to Silicon Valley elite, read Chomsky at the weekends, raised his family on a farm in Donegal, and attended Wimbledon with the wealthy. He had the world at his feet.

That world, however, came at a cost.

After spending years using social media to target people he disagrees with, and leading Web Summit with what some say was unfettered power for much of this time, in October 2023 Cosgrave resigned in a storm of controversy following his own online comments. As the companys largest shareholder, Cosgrave has also been embroiled in a zealously and increasingly public row his long-time business partners, who allege that he is, among other things, a bully and a workplace belligerent who has left harassment claims and fractured relationships in his wake. Others allege that he has repeatedly used his prominent public platform to silence critics and pursue ego-driven vendettas, often to the detriment of the democratic values he claims to hold dear.

Now, with the future of his business and some of his longest relationships hanging in the balance, Paddy and the Web Summit seem to be edging towards some sort of reckoning and this book will provide the first definitive account of one of Irelands most controversial business stories.

...(*_*)9780008646998_

The first definitive account of one of Irelands most controversial business stories

Founded in 2009 by the enigmatic Paddy Cosgrave, Web Summit started as a 150-person meet up in Dublin. Within a decade, it grew to a 70,000 gathering of industry leaders. The gravitas of big names and the vibrant atmosphere of the conference would convince leaders of companies big and small that Web Summit was the place to be for experts and more importantly, was worth the price of participating.

But, under the bright lights of its success, Web Summit appeared to unravel. After spending years using social media to target people he disagrees with, and leading Web Summit with what some say was unfettered power for much of this time, in October 2023 Paddy Cosgrave resigned in a storm of controversy following his own online comments. But less than six months later, Paddy has returned as chief executive and embroiled in a series of lawsuits with his co-founders, Web Summit seems to be edging toward some sort of reckoning.

In Drama Drives Interest, journalist Catherine Sanz chronicles the historic rise, fall, and rise again of Paddy Cosgrave and provides the first definitive account of one of Irelands most controversial business stories.

In Drama Drives Interest, Catherine Sanz delves into the world of technology and entrepreneurship, exposing the top-level corruption and misconduct that lurks beneath the surface. The book, a compelling non-fiction biography, offers a unique insight into the economic and political dynamics that shape the industry.

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HarperCollins 2024

...(*_*)9780008646998_

The first definitive account of one of Ireland’s most controversial business stories

Drama Drives Interest

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