The World

Over the last couple of days delegates have been following the unfolding events in Egypt and Yemen and speculating on the wider significance across the region. I saw one man carrying his laptop open down the snowy street watching the news. Last night at Bono’s One party an earnest young Iranian American woman told me why she was convinced this was a tipping point for the whole region.

Technology generally and social media specifically are pervasive in every session. The majority of entrepreneurs I talk to here have, in the last few years, grown huge global businesses usually in complicated layered relationships with other tech providers. They like it here because all the players in this web of “coopetition” are in one place, along with clients too. But the Infosys-sponsored lunch to explore “Building Tomorrow’s Enterprise” is disappointing, despite the star-studded panel – unfocused and unsurprising. I can just glean that tomorrow’s enterprise will crowdsource its R&D, target emerging markets, and enable its staff to work on things they are passionate about.

So, what are people worrying about about? Mainly how to get to their next meeting in time! A little ironic in a place that is meant to be about shared reflection and thought-leadership. Missing the big picture while scurrying after the immediate opportunity could even be a metaphor for “the state of the world” that it is WEF’s mission to improve.

While China has been dominating the news in the run up to this week’s event in Davos, it’s India that has been dominating my inbox. I, and presumably all the other delegates, have been invited to what must add up to a full schedule of colourful Indian networking events promoting India’s prowess in everything from cars to technology to music. India obviously sees an opportunity to influence “decision makers”. Meanwhile, I hope there will be a chance to influence India’s elite to do more to stop the needless deaths of 1.7 million children in India every year – the highest in any country.