Web Summit CEO Paddy Cosgrave Resigns After Israel-Hamas War Comments – AP News
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Translation: I give in to the blackmail and cancelling, as apparently I can't afford to make a critique on geopolitics AND keep my business. Or rather, I perfectly could do both, but only if I parroted the established view.
People were already free to do or not do business with him on the merits of their company and services/prodcuts.
Except if you'd like angry letters to your boss and a summarily dismissal anytime you express (in an unrelated to your job outlet) some unpopular political opinion.
It wasn't OK when Bush followers where doing it to people and businesses during the Iraq war, it's still not ok in 2023.
At the end of the day, no one should be forced to do business with anyone else. This holds true for companies as well, especially since they're treated as "legal persons" under the law.
In the end of the day people shouldn't punish people for their political opinions in unrelated domains like their jobs. In fact, in the end of the day, diverting political opinions should be tolerated and cherished.
The rest is noise, as if anybody held a gun to their head before to do business with him...
Sounds lovely; I would happily and eagerly support any politician who proposed ensconcing such protections in law. Until then, game theory dictates that choosing not to push your own views via "cancel culture" is a losing proposition.
We'd all want to face the firing squad with a cigarette and our heads held high rather than begging for our lives, but groveling is by far the empirically more common outcome.
I wonder if he regrets the apologies more or the original statements.
Listen to the...
Should public technology business leaders refrain from all opinions related to social issues, or just those that are not popular? Given the number of public figures that have expressed unconditional support for one side of an ongoing violent conflict, it appears that it is just unpopular views that are not welcome in the technology business community.
If you're the leader of an organization, yes, your public statements on political issues are tied to the organization. Most people in leadership roles shouldn't be commenting on this war, period.