Davos man, blindsided by Egypt
There are times when even “masters of the universe” are reduced to impotent silence. I spent yesterday in the bubble of the Davos convention centre, talking to political and business leaders. Almost to a man, they seemed virtually oblivious to the dramatic events unfolding in Egypt. Read more
Has dealing with inequality broken into the mainstream?
I know there is a tendency to hear what you want to, and I’m clearly not disinterested, but it does seem possible that inequality and dealing with the world’s wrongs may have broken through the side-events into the mainstream this afternoon. Read more
David Cameron has a certain je ne sais quoi with Davos audience
Another day, another embattled prime minister. As kick-off time approached the crowd for David Cameron was smaller than Sarkozy’s, but Our Man didn’t empty the room with his As to Qs, as Sarkozy had done. He fielded the questions himself, they weren’t planted (or didn’t seem to be), so in the second half England edged ahead. As was evident last year, with the Davos audience Cameron has a certain je ne sais quoi. Read more
Bankers’ confidence makes me quite nervous
Mood. The improvement in optimism at Davos is palpable from last year, as I argued before. Interestingly, the group showing the greatest caution seems to be the CEOs of non-financial corporates. My experience over the years is that these people are a lagging indicator. What drives them is their recent performance. However, there seems to me to be a real return of confidence among bankers, who are back in force. That does make me quite nervous. Read more
Davos tries to go viral
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. Read more
Speed dating in Davos
Overall economists seem more optimistic than ceos – probably a good sign, given the fact that boards, non-executive directors and chairmen and ceos are so cautious post-Lehman. Good the operators are keeping their powder a little dry. Read more
Preparing for ‘black swans’
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. Read more
Sarkozy’s unusual demand-led approach to diplomacy
Medvedev was the star turn on Wednesday, though he shared the limelight with his iPad. Today it is Sarkozy, who dressed down subtly in a pair of grey slacks and a blue jacket. After 24 hours we are still in search of the New Reality – the Conference mission this year – but when we find it, it will certainly be dressed in snappy business casual. Read more
Mutually-assured destruction in Davos
Last night I went to a dinner on geo-politics - and witnessed a strange and interesting conversation on the possibility of war between America and China. I was invited to start the discussion, by describing some of the themes of my book, Zero-Sum Future, which comes out in the US next week. (It’s been out a couple of months in the UK, already.) There were senior members of the American and Chinese foreign-policy establishments on hand to comment. Read more
The world economy: Has the optimism returned?
I have, as usual, succeeded in spending a day in Davos without attending a single public session. But I have managed to speak to several interesting people about the world economy. Read more
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