Multiple media reports stated Paddy Cosgrave, the CEO of events company Web Summit (pictured), quit his role after comments related to Israel caused big-name brands to pull out of its flagship show.

Bloomberg, among others, reported comments from Cosgrave announcing his departure and stating his personal declarations had become a distraction from its flagship technology event in Portugal, which is due to start on 13 November.

Cosgrave co-founded Web Summit and reportedly caused uproar following comments on social media related to Israel earlier this month.

He subsequently released an apology on the Web Summit blog, but this seemingly did not stem the criticism, with multiple speakers and companies pulling out of the event.

Last week, reports across Fortune, Bloomberg and other international outlets cited Alphabet, Amazon, Meta Platforms, Intel, Siemens and Stripe as notable former participants confirming they had pulled out of the conference.

The Irish Independent, which had been closely following the status of the event in the wake of Cosgrave’s comments, noted a number of guest speakers scheduled for Web Summit had also been removed from promotion on the site. These include rapper LL Cool J, comedian Amy Poehler and actress Gillian Anderson, the latter of which had been heavily marketed as appearing by organisers.