Web Summit Kicks off in Lisbon as Tech Leaders Weigh Trump’s Return

The closing ceremony of Web Summit, in Lisbon, Portugal, November 16, 2023. (Reuters)
The closing ceremony of Web Summit, in Lisbon, Portugal, November 16, 2023. (Reuters)
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Web Summit Kicks off in Lisbon as Tech Leaders Weigh Trump’s Return

The closing ceremony of Web Summit, in Lisbon, Portugal, November 16, 2023. (Reuters)
The closing ceremony of Web Summit, in Lisbon, Portugal, November 16, 2023. (Reuters)

Lisbon will this week play host to Europe’s biggest annual tech conference, Web Summit, where industry leaders and lawmakers will weigh the pros and cons of Donald Trump’s return to the White House.

Senior executives from firms such as Apple, Microsoft, and Meta will join high-ranking officials from Europe for debates about the future of artificial intelligence, social media regulation, and the impact a second Trump presidency may have on the continent.

Trump has previously promised he could end the war between Ukraine and Russia within 24 hours of taking office. Days after Trump's re-election, two senior Ukrainian government officials, Alex Bornyakov and Mykhailo Fedorov, will take to the stage to discuss how the country has continued innovating in the face of conflict.

John Adam, chief revenue officer at software development firm Aimsoftpro, is among those attending. About 70% of the company’s workforce is still based in Ukraine, with the rest having relocated around Europe after the war’s outbreak 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,” he said.

THE X FACTOR

While not expected to attend, tech billionaire and vocal Trump supporter Elon Musk will be a recurring theme, from his role in Ukraine via satellite service Starlink to his success with space exploration firm SpaceX and controversial stewardship of social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

One panel will debate how Europe might develop a homegrown rival to SpaceX; another whether Musk “destroyed Twitter". Joe Benarroch, who quit his role as X’s de facto spokesperson and head of business operations in June, will join a panel titled “What to do about social media”.

While the EU has tried forcing online platforms to clamp down on harmful content, Trump’s election may lead to them reducing moderation efforts, according to Mark Weinstein, founder of privacy-focused social media platform MeWe, who will share the stage with Benarroch on Wednesday.

“Historically, Trump has been highly critical of online moderation,” he said. “To avoid political retribution, major social networks are likely to continue the trend of becoming significantly more permissive with content they allow on their platforms.”



Google Proposes Fresh Tweaks to Search Results in Europe

The logo of Google LLC is shown at an entrance to one of their buildings in San Diego, California, US, October 9, 2024. (Reuters)
The logo of Google LLC is shown at an entrance to one of their buildings in San Diego, California, US, October 9, 2024. (Reuters)
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Google Proposes Fresh Tweaks to Search Results in Europe

The logo of Google LLC is shown at an entrance to one of their buildings in San Diego, California, US, October 9, 2024. (Reuters)
The logo of Google LLC is shown at an entrance to one of their buildings in San Diego, California, US, October 9, 2024. (Reuters)

Google has proposed more changes to its search results in Europe after some smaller rivals complained about lower traffic to their sites resulting from previous tweaks by the Alphabet unit and as EU antitrust regulators consider levying charges against the company under new EU tech rules.

Under the Digital Markets Act, Google is prohibited from favoring its products and services on its platform. The Act kicked in last year and is aimed at reining in the power of Big Tech.

The world's most popular internet search engine has since then tried to address conflicting demands from price-comparison sites, hotels, airlines and small retailers, among others. The latter three groups said their direct booking clicks have fallen by 30% due to recent Google changes.

"We have therefore proposed more changes to our European search results to try to accommodate these requests, while still meeting the goals set by the DMA," Google's legal director, Oliver Bethell, said in a blog post on Tuesday.

Changes include introducing expanded and equally formatted units allowing users to choose between comparison sites and supplier websites, new formats letting rivals show prices and pictures on their websites as well as new ad units for comparison sites.

"We think the latest proposal is the right way to balance the difficult trade-offs that the DMA involves," Bethell said.

For its search results in Germany, Belgium and Estonia, Google also plans to remove the map showing the location of hotels and the results beneath the map, similar to its old "ten blue links" format from years ago, as part of a short test to gauge users' interest.

"We're very reluctant to take this step, as removing helpful features does not benefit consumers or businesses in Europe," Bethell said.

Google has been in the European Commission's crosshairs since March. DMA violations can cost companies as much as 10% of their annual global turnover.