Paddy Cosgrave, founder and CEO of Web Summit, joins me for a fast-paced conversation recorded live at Web Summit Qatar.

We talk about how he scaled a 150-person event into one of the world’s largest tech conferences, and why the same principles—imagination, naivety, and engineering serendipity—can be applied to anything you want to build.

Paddy shares his thoughts on avoiding fear-driven decisions, why big ideas need a bit of “clinical insanity,” and how success often comes down to simply starting—even if you have no idea what you’re doing.

We also touch on tech hype, unsanitized founders, and why he won’t let his kids near addictive apps.

This episode is about thinking big, starting small, and taking action—no matter what you’re building.

00:00 Introduction to Paddy Cosgrave and Web Summit

01:45 Sponsor offers for our listeners

02:26 How do you take an idea and get started

05:17 What was broken with the events industry

06:56 Why is tech so crucial to an events company?

12:46 Why are legacy events (and media) unable to re-invent themselves

16:06 The shifting epicenter of AI and tech

17:53 Why he won’t let his kids use devices

19:17 Should kids attend tech events?

21:27 The contrast between his CEO role and his personal life

23:57 Global Shifts and the Middle East’s Role

27:01 We live in a zero tolerance world

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