Davos World Economic Forum In person again; No snow, few stars as politicians, the CEOs hold the courthouse north of Cannes

YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella joined 2,500 political, business and nonprofit leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland this week during Covid’s annual meeting that returned in person. It is meeting, somewhat humbly, at a critical time when the world is in a crisis between food shortages, rising fuel prices and war.

Snow usually falls on the pines at Tony Mountain Resort, about a seven-hour drive from the Cannes Film Festival. Participation in show business is also a rare event that has hosted Hollywood and music celebrities over the years, such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Angelina Jolie, Charlize Theron, Sharon Stone, Goldie Hawn, Bono, Peter Gabriel and Will. .Am.

Davos is where assembled officials titled and kissed former President Donald Trump’s boastful speech in 2018, but didn’t laugh when he returned in 2020. In 2021, the event went virtual. This year it has moved away from the traditional January timeslot. The current list is weaker than in the past, with less than one sanctioned by various Russian tycoons. The five-day event opened on Sunday and began today with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky addressing the meeting from war-torn Kiev and urging the world not to give in to “brute force”.

Vladimir Putin made a special speech for the virtual edition of Davos in 2021.

The Emir of the State of Qatar, His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, was eagerly awaiting the FIFA World Cup to be held in Qatar at the end of 2022, at today’s panel on the unifying force of sport. Several discussions have focused on the growth prospects in the US and Europe as inflation peaks in 40 years and interest rates are on the rise. Sens. Christopher Coonze (D-Del.); Debra Fisher (R-Nebraska); Patrick Lehi (D-Vermont); Robert Menendez (D-NJ); And Roger Vicker (R-Miss.) Captioned the panel view from Capitol Hill.

The event was welcomed by the head of over 50 states, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, Christine Lagarde, Governor of the European Central Bank and hundreds of CEOs, from the heads of PayPal and Salesforce to IMB, Palantir Technologies, Marriot. and Citigroup. They were “more than 400 media leaders and journalists”.

President Biden did not attend (there weren’t many A-Leaders from the G-7 or elsewhere). Gina Raimondo, US Secretary of Commerce, and John Kerry, the President’s Special Envoy for Climate Affairs, stood up.

Topics of the week range from metaverse, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and digital economy to climate change, education, employment, urbanization, diversity, agriculture, energy, health. , trade and investment. It seems the Allen & Company Sun Valley media is retraining, but for everything. Talks between YouTube’s Wojcicki and Microsoft’s Nadella are scheduled for Tuesday.

Moment – Emmanuel Ex and Yo-Yo Ma at the concert.

Organizers said, “The 2022 Annual Meeting embodies the World Economic Forum’s philosophy of shared multifaceted impact that provides a unique collaborative environment in which to reconnect, share ideas, gain new perspectives and address issues and problem-solving initiatives. “As global frictions and fractures deepen, this will be the starting point for a new era of global responsibility and cooperation.”