Davos 2023: gossip, party and Zelensky

When Klaus Schwab founded the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos in 1971, young Swiss entrepreneurs were fascinated by the possibilities of globalization against the backdrop of events leading to the Cold War and oil price shocks. More than 50 years later, many of the concerns at this year’s Annual Meeting were about the risks of inflation, the pros and cons of engaging with tyranny, how to deal with the “hot” war in Ukraine, and how the world’s major It reflects similar uncertainties, such as the volatile outlook for the economy. .

Schwab, now in his thriving 80s, flew participants from around the world to Alpine towns by private jets and slow mountain trains, with the aim of blending the concrete with the vague and the “spirit of Davos.” I have created a huge organization. A commitment to improving the state of the world and a lot of downtime for networking and catching up. For a group of ‘inside Davos’ players, including software company Salesforce founder Marc Benioff, former Bank of England boss Mark Carney, and the Blair family, Davos is a religious pilgrimage at the start of the year.

Since the financial crisis there has been a tougher mood towards the elite.Knocking Davos is as fashionable as it is to attend, and many do both. Liz Hoffman, a columnist for the Semafor newsletter, said this week that the Davos consensus — liberal, progressive capitalism while supporting environmental concerns — is almost always wrong. Despite the list, it misses the rise of nationalism and is vulnerable to groupthink.”

not half. The Davos men and women are caricatured because the World Economic Forum meetings often feature caricatures of Davos men and women. Johnson.

In fact, the real reason why so many business giants, campaigners, philanthropists, and a trove of interrelated international political and business people are on board is that many others like themselves Because people are participating. But the clue is in the World Economic Forum’s official title (and Davos being a big player in the global economy is such a place to fashion Kate his Moss at his events). Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank and former French finance minister, is the unofficial patriarch of the place and a likely candidate to replace Schwab. The intersection with tumultuous global geopolitics creates confusion among pots of frankly indistinguishable panels on AI, carbon capture, and the potential for “game changers in technology.”

But there are Davos “moments.” This year, Ukraine’s first lady, Olena Zelenska, said she was stunned when her husband kept her silence to mourn her colleagues, including the country’s interior minister who died in a helicopter crash. I had tears running down my face.

My humble chairing role is a session that brings together education reformers, funders and advocates to address the troubling lag in schooling for children around the world. It’s also where you can find it. Rapper and now tech and education reform advocate will.i.am sat throughout the presentation in designer shades. The center exchanges ideas and debates alongside NGOs, ministers and giant corporations that can tap into funding to fund health education and climate change transformation.

Officially, the conference has about 2,700 direct participants, who are here to consider this year’s agenda, entitled “Cooperation in a Fragmented World.” In fact, people are bringing their own agendas, interests and metrics to hold a ‘good Davos’.

Davos 2023 will be different from its pre-Ukrainian war iterations. The Russians were no longer invited, and with their disappearance, the Moscow oligarchs’ “Outer Davos” border was gone. Friday.

There is constant debate about which countries should be admitted as official members at progress preaching events, and it is often accused of hypocrisy in inviting dictators to participate – and there is no doubt about it. No. Public image.

But it is also a global event that reflects the flow of capital and marks the rise of emerging powers. This year, Saudi Arabia built a shiny house on the promenade to compete with the Emirati House, which offers free hot her chocolates. China’s presence has been small post-corona, but Vice Premier Liu He spoke of China’s openness to foreign investment and a return to a planned economy.

Everyone wants to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Zelensky family, and the conversation ranges from resentment over Germany delaying tank supplies to turn the tide of the war with Russia, to Olena’s wardrobe. am.

You might meet someone you’ve been trying to talk to for years as a journalist at a small hotel bar before dinner hosted by serial media boss Will Lewis.

The main stage is the starting point for politicians looking for profiles (or, in the case of Rishi Sunak, dodging criticism for not focusing on strike-bound Britain). “The Davos Secret” is an expert joke. He drank a glass of wine he hinted at one, and the next morning at the Congress in his café he said organic he beats it back as a sure truth as he stood in line for a juice. It is something that you will notice.

Even media CEOs love Davos. Especially because I like talking to other media bosses. The Wall Street Journal hosted its annual party, which was effectively a farewell party for editor Matt Murray, who was soon superseded by News UK’s Emma Tucker. It’s also a shindig charting dangling trends and breakthroughs, with newcomers like Politico’s Goli Sheikholeslami hosting one last night’s party atop ‘Magic Mountain’ and — cool caution — out of season. The weather made it impossible to ride the intended sled after the incline.

Of course, there are plenty of spoilers. Schwab’s succession planning was a hot topic this year, with enough leaks, rumours, and backbiting to echo his Succession TV show. Former Davos chessboard queen Angela Merkel is losing her popularity after various turmoil in German politics, Lagarde speaks privately about “our forum.” This suggests that she may one day consider quitting her job overseeing European interest rates and taking over from her Schwab.

My bet is that Greta is a pensioner and the weird but compelling Davos show will follow when 25-year-old tech giant Alex Wang adds billions more to his pile. That’s it. , in fact there are only Swiss originals. And there are always new groups of aspiring, ambitious, curious people who want to join it.