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Tech leaders and lawmakers to discuss AI, social media

regulation, Trump's impact

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Ukrainian officials to discuss innovation amid conflict

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Tech execs to examine Elon Musk's influence on Ukraine,

SpaceX,

digital media

By Martin Coulter

LISBON, Nov 11 (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 ( AAPL ),

Microsoft ( MSFT ), 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."