Lisbon To host Europe’s largest annual Web Summit

This week, Lisbon will host Europe’s largest annual tech conference, and Web Summit, where industry leaders and lawmakers will examine the potential advantages, and disadvantages of Donald Trump’s return to the White House.

Senior executives from companies like Apple, Microsoft, and Meta will join top European officials to debate the future of artificial intelligence, social media regulation, and the impact a second Trump presidency might have on Europe.

Trump has previously stated he could resolve the Ukraine-Russia conflict within 24 hours of resuming office. Just days after the U.S. election, senior Ukrainian government officials Alex Bornyakov and Mykhailo Fedorov will speak about Ukraine’s ongoing innovation amidst the conflict.

John Adam, Chief Revenue Officer at software firm Aimsoftpro, is among the attendees. Around 70% of the company’s staff is still based in Ukraine, with the rest having relocated around Europe after the war’s outbreak in 2022.

“There’s mixed sentiment because Trump’s approach seems focused on the current conflict lines, which isn’t ideal for Ukraine. However, we would like to see an end to this,” he commented.

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Tech billionaire Elon Musk—a prominent Trump supporter—will be a recurring theme, from his involvement in Ukraine with Starlink to his achievements with SpaceX and his management of X, previously known as Twitter.

Panels will debate how Europe might develop a homegrown rival to SpaceX and debate whether Musk has “destroyed Twitter.”

Joe Benarroch, former spokesperson and head of business operations at X, will also appear in a panel titled “What to do about social media.”

While the EU has pushed for online platforms to restrict harmful content, Trump’s potential return could see these platforms moderating less, according to Mark Weinstein, founder of privacy-focused platform MeWe.

 “Historically, Trump has strongly opposed online moderation,” Weinstein noted. “To avoid political backlash, major social networks may continue moving towards a more permissive approach to content.”