I believe now is the right moment for the Forum to continue its important work without distractions. Brende, who led the organisation behind the annual Davos conference for over 8 years, made this statement upon announcing his resignation.
DAVOS, Switzerland It was among the most volatile weeks for trans-Atlantic relations in recent history, marked by a series of disruptive statements from President Trump that unsettled global markets and strained relations with some of America's closest allies on topics that ranged from Greenland to Gaza. The diplomatic whiplash was on full display in the Swiss ski resort of Davos, where the annual World Economic Forum unfolded against the backdrop of growing uncertainty about America's role as a global leader among Western democracies.
Business Insider tracked at least 157 private jets that arrived near the Alpine town, using data from ADS-B Exchange and JetSpy, which track FAA-registered aircraft. More than half of the flights tracked landed at Zurich International Airport. Another 45 came into Friedrichshafen, a German city on the shore of Lake Constance, just over the Swiss border. The rest were spread across other smaller airports in Switzerland.
The display isn't necessarily based on the communication style of the leaders of these titans. Huang and Nadella, for example, tend toward a thoughtful and moderate discourse, and even the hyperbolic Musk was relatively restrained in his conversation with Larry Fink (BlackRock) on the main stage in Davos. But the flexing of muscles is evident in the arguments presented, in conjunction with the data.
World leaders, rattled by Donald Trump's latest gambit in Greenland, look to present a united front at the World Economic Forum. As world leaders, including allies of the United States, gather in the Swiss resort city of Davos for the World Economic Forum (WEF), US President Donald Trump's attacks on the existing global world order have been on the top of their minds with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney saying the US-led global system is enduring a rupture.
Policy-makers are being urged to focus on investments in artificial intelligence (AI) in a way that makes sense for the economy. The Rethinking AI sovereignty paper, published to coincide with the World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, recommends that policy-makers reframe AI sovereignty as strategic interdependence, where localised investments are combined with trusted partnerships and alliances. The paper, co-authored by the World Economic Forum and Bain & Co, presents data that illustrates the gap between AI infrastructure investment in the US and China compared with other countries.
The meeting, held from 19 to 23 January under the theme "A Spirit of Dialogue," took place at a time when the global situation still feels uncomfortable. Inflation has eased in some places, but not enough to make central banks relaxed. Growth is holding in parts of the world and slowing in others. Debt remains high, and trade has become more political.
OpenAI calls this disconnect the "capability overhang," and it's the company's focus for the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. In a report set to be released Wednesday at an OpenAI event, "Ending the Capability Overhang," execs will argue that the capability gap must be closed for AI to deliver social and economic benefits. Without that shift, the biggest gains from AI will flow to the countries, companies and workers who are testing and pushing AI's limits.
US and Palestinian officials also used the ceremony to lay out a blueprint for the next steps in implementing a ceasefire in Gaza, and putting the territory under the day-to-day control of a Palestinian-run technocratic administration, which has been assembled in Cairo. The president's son-in-law Jared Kushner outlined a plan for the next 100 days, including a significant increase in aid deliveries, the rehabilitation of essential infrastructure, such as water, electricity and sewage systems, and the reconstruction of hospitals and bakeries.
We begin with a deliberately ambitious question. What would it take for every person on Earth to live at least as well as someone in Switzerland does today-by 2100? Not culturally Swiss, but economically empowered with high incomes, long lives, strong education, and social cohesion. Achieving this would require global GDP to be about 8.5 times higher than it is today. That figure alone is enough to trigger skepticism. Will we have enough energy, materials, food, and innovation?
President Daniel Chapo has canceled his trip to Davos because of severe flooding in Mozambique that has damaged infrastructure and affected hundreds of thousands of people. Chapo published a Facebook post late on Sunday saying that the country was going through "a tough time." "As President of the Republic, our place is with our people. We maintain our commitment to investment and international partners, but the absolute priority at this moment is to save lives," he wrote.
We knew the story of the international rules-based order was partially false. That the strongest would exempt themselves when convenient. That trade rules were enforced asymmetrically. ... That international law applied with varying rigor depending on the identity of the accused or the victim,
Trump said on Wednesday that he will not use force to get Greenland, but is "seeking immediate negotiations to once again discuss the acquisition" by the US. Trump's ongoing threats against Europe over his desire to take over Greenland have been dominating this year's Davos agenda. All eyes were on Trump during his 70-minute-long speech, with billionaire CEOs - including Apple's Tim Cook and Salesforce's Marc Benioff - alongside heads of state filling up Congress Hall to hear what he had to say.
