Google, Meta and a string of other firms pulled out of last year's event after Web Summit chief executive Paddy Cosgrave wrote social media posts accusing Israel of war crimes in Gaza
AFP

Lisbon will play host to Europe's biggest annual tech conference, Web Summit, which is set to commence this week. The conference will rope in 70,000 attendees, including industry leaders and lawmakers who will sit down to discuss the future of business amid Donald Trump's return to the White House.

The four-day event will feature pressing debate topics ranging from the future of artificial intelligence, social media regulation, and how the continent will be impacted by Donald Trump's second stint as the American President, Reuters reported.

The Web Summit, which will span from Nov. 11 to 14, will bring together the world's top technology and innovation leaders, providing a flurry of opportunities for startups to connect with over 1,000 innovation leaders, per O Globo

Interestingly, the Web Summit also has an annual edition in Rio, which showcases its global reach and influence.

Alex Bornyakov and Mykhailo Fedorov, two high-ranking Ukrainian government officials, are attending the next Web Summit in Lisbon, which is attracting a lot of interest. Given Donald Trump's recent reelection and his prior declarations that the Ukraine-Russia conflict will be resolved within 24 hours of his inauguration, their presence is especially pertinent.

The Chief Revenue Officer of the software development company Aimsoftpro, John Adam, is in Lisbon for the Web Summit. Interestingly, over 70% of Aimsoftpro's employees are still situated in Ukraine despite the ongoing crisis there; the remaining employees have moved throughout Europe since the war started in 2022.

"There's mixed feelings because the Trump approach looks like it's more geared towards the present lines of conflict, which is not an ideal scenario for Ukraine, and there's a reluctance to accept that. At the same time, we would like this to have an endpoint," Adam said.

With founder Paddy Cosgrave back at the helm, The Web Summit had representatives from "big tech" in attendance. The dignitaries included Microsoft president Brad Smith, artist Pharrell Williams, Bumble CEO Lidiane Jones, and Alibaba's Kuo Zhang are among the notable speakers.

The key talking point of the event will be growth in the use of AI and dominate much of the main discussions at the Web Summit, not only from the point of view of new trends in the area but also on the ethical and economic point of view.

The event is expected to boost a record-breaking 15% increase in startup participation, surpassing last year's 2,608, with Brazilian startups, including past winner Inspira, showcasing innovative solutions.