I need white space to figure out my life. More on that: https://t.co/8zBupKcFJu This is my last tweet for a while.
— Robert Scoble (@Scobleizer) February 1, 2015
Judith Goldberger writes:
Robert Scoble, (for it is he), is going dark on social media. Here is Silicon Valley this is huge news: he’s a lovable rogue, a teddy bear, your best friend, your tech advisor, your digital analyst for all things tech. And more We wish him well on the road to serenity and sobriety.
Yet, BS readers might be interested to read about the Dublin Web Summit angle:
“Late last year that life started to catch up with him. In November, after returning from a booze-filled trip to the Dublin Web Summit, Scoble announced on Facebook that he’d been sexually abused as a teenager.
More recently, Scoble announced that he had cancer, on his nose. He found this out just as he was about to begin a weekend-long party celebrating his 50th birthday at a winery in Napa.
A few days after the party, Scoble announced that he was an alcoholic and had started going to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.”
SO, at a time when there needs to be a mature discussion about alcoholism generally in Irish society, and in the Irish tech industry too, I wonder will the Web Summit respond with less boozy entertainment that we saw at the Night Summit last year? The role of alcohol is militating against diversity cannot be discounted either. What woman wants to hang about with a bunch of tanked up male programmers and startup loud mouths?
READ ON: Robert Scoble In Recovery, Going Dark On Social For Two Months (Gawker)
Fantastic expectations amazing revelations.
Finding everything and realising…
I was at the Web Summit and all I can say is……if you ever want to immerse yourself into autism, you’ll come across every part of the spectrum there.
Haha, i would of imagined that’s the case. These dudes need a few drinks.
Seriously though the night entertainment is there for those who want it. Scobbles made his decision to drink as he did, no one was forcing him.
Very good, you’re a bright lad aren’t you. The man came out and admitted he’s an alcoholic and all you can say is ‘no one forced him’.
‘Addiction 101’
Your grade: NG
My point still stands. The nights are there for whoever wants to enjoy them or abuse them. No one forced him. Even if the web summit nights were not on he wouldn’t be hard pushed to find a drink in Dublin.
“Being an arrogant nonce”
Your grade: A
Yeah, whatever.
Yeah but Draxx Ltd.. it’s clearly our nations fault he became an alcoholic. If you can’t see that you are blind.
Judith has hit the nail on the head. She must be such a fantastic person.
Thats the spirit, ignore the possibility completely that Irish culture may have had a little something to do with it
I don’t think a trip to Ireland once a year since 2010 is what caused a 50 year old man to be an alcoholic, if anything, maybe his last binge helped him admit his alcoholism.
But cause it… absolutely not.
So this chap, who lives in Silicon Valley, could actually attribute his addiction to his trips to Dublin?
Well I suppose you may have a point given the United States of America’s policy of prohibition.
I was at the web summit – there was booze there? where? No one was forced to the after parties.
“What woman wants to hang about with a bunch of tanked up male programmers and startup loud mouths?”
Quite a few men dont want to hang around with the above either….
Exactly what I was thinking. It’s a fair point though that he makes, diversity is not encouraged by this.
…I’ve known a fair few programmers (invariably male) and whether tanked up or not, few have shown much interest in hanging about with women…some have shown an unhealthy interest in pot noodles though.
I believe I remember reading somewhere, that the vast majority of graduates in computer programming are male.
Whatever with sexual diversity, it undoubtedly helps your career progress, if you took an interest in the subject at university.
Your potential employers interpret this as a sign that you might be interested in the subject, to be commercially blunt.
Didn’t Stephen Fry say the same thing the other day. Well, at least Twitter.
Prob coz he’s getting his end away at lot more these days.
I’m glad to see Broadsheet focusing on the important issues of the day, like alcohol abuse, at Web Summits.
jesus, would you be able ?
Man quits twitter…. World keeps turning.
Poster tries to blame web summit for mans alcolism. Good god.
and won’t someone please think of the pearl clutchers when it comes to the poor widdle defenseless women being left with the nasty drunk nerds.
get over yourself please.
Steady on now. Its first thing on Monday morning.
Eh… blames the web summit…. seriously, read it again.
Only a fool would see that said in the post.
Ignore that, it seems Judith does…. I read the original post in the link.
Judith… shut it.
A fool indeed
Who is Judith, and why should I care?
Oh I shouldn’t ? Really? Ok great!
“The role of alcohol is militating against diversity cannot be discounted either”
Wtf.
Something, something ‘women don’t drink to get drunk like guys do’ blah, blah…. that’s what I read in that line.
Or that some people don’t like being around drunken idiots?
Drunken idiots are drunken idiots, whatever the setting.
Very true. But when you need to keep talking to them for to drum up business, thats not much fun. At least when you are the waiter, you can gossip about idiot drunks with your work mates
You might consider a career in sales Don.
Why go on a drunken on night out with the idiots then? Why is it reasonable to attend a drinking-related event and then moan about how there was drinking? It’s like going to a foreign film festival and complaining about all the subtitles.
I’m fairly sure the event wasn’t held in her hotel room?
Because thats where the deals and connections are made. Like in Friends when Rachel had to take up smoking.
A Friends reference? Christ that’s fresh.
You’re such a Samantha.
That’s not an excuse Don. If the lady had polled the attendees and asked would they rather do what they’re doing – social drinks – or what, board game night? what alternative is she suggesting where networking could take place? And if the majority prefer a few pints, should they still change to make her happy? Serious doubts about whether the rest of the attendees with no Y chromosome echo her teetotalism too.
I believe in supporting and helping alcoholics and addicts, but don’t see why the rest of us should completely change our lives and behaviour to that end. I don’t abuse alcohol, quit beershaming me.
Implying there aren’t options available, when you are around drunken idiots.
I manage to work with sober idiots all week., without whining like some entitled prig.
Well done
I know
Michael D should make an apology to Scoble and his family.
How dare we ruin a young man’s life like this?
Who was at passport control that day and why would he let such a character enter knowing the chances of Scoble leaving with alcoholism are extremely high?
“What woman wants to hang about with a bunch of tanked up male programmers and startup loud mouths?”
Quite a few, I’d imagine. Being that I don’t subscribe to the fundamentally Othering concept of ‘The Woman’ as a monolithic contrast to the endlessly variant types of man. It takes, as the cliche goes, all sorts.
The point about an alcohol-centric culture in itself is well taken. The link to the diversity issue… bit of a reach, honestly.
#allaboutjobs
“What woman wants to hang about with a bunch of tanked up male programmers and startup loud mouths?”
Um, then maybe make other plans on the night said programmers and startup douches are going on the piss?
Does the Web Summit make attendance at all events mandatory or what?
I find Judith Goldberger’s post to be careless, and opportunistic point scoring for her own agenda. The man should not have his story used to further her apparent stab at whatever wrongs are at the Web Summit.
It’s a pathetic and extremely insincere attempt to take a mans’ suffering from longer term alcohol abuse issues that more likely stemmed from his abuse experienced as a child than any trip to a party in Ireland over the last few years.
Shut up Judith you’re talking sh*te. Leave the man alone.
There is a drink culture problem but it is Ireland’s – not the web summit’s
Once of the reasons the web summit works is that it uses the irish pub culture to let people network in a far easier way than the usual awkwardness and lonely evenings that goes with big conferences.
and they are not random – paddy has PhD’s working on “dating” algorithms that match together different profiles (e.g. entrepreneurs with investors who previous invested in similar companies)
despite the stereotype, most of the web summit attendees are non-irish middle aged family men that haven’t seen the inside of a bar in years. they love the friendly open atmosphere and they get to meet people and deals get done (the Uber funding being the most famous)
so there is no controversy here. Robert Scoble has his own demons to deal with. Web summit gives people something new. On the other hand yes ireland has a drink issue but don’t point the finger at web summit
+1
Yer man seems to be (IMO ) a classic Attention Seeker now at the wrong end of one bender too many.
Go on the dry
And shur’up about yerself.
If you need to talk
Talk to a professional
FFS.
Tagging the Dublin Web Summit is just typical of a comfy techie with new age problems. Grow up.