Web Summit's second act as the tech giants return

Just as the spotlight shines on Elon Musk when Tesla or SpaceX make the news, so is the case with Paddy Cosgrave and Web Summit, making one inseparable from the other, writes Emer Walsh

Cosgrave’s partial time off seems to have largely paid off, with Meta and a number of high-profile speakers back in the fold.

The tech world’s attention will once again turn to Lisbon next week as Web Summit 2024 kicks off in the Portuguese capital, with more than 70,000 people expected to attend the four-day event.

This year’s conference will host a plethora of high-profile speakers including music producer and artist Pharell Williams, Microsoft CEO Brad Smith and whistleblower turned security consultant Chelsea Manning, but despite the high anticipation, this year’s return to Lisbon will struggle to evade the shadow of last year’s controversies.