Here are the takeaways from today’s Morning Brief. Sign up to receive the following in your inbox each morning:
Attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, for a full week each year is the equivalent of cramming 15 people into a four-seater Chevrolet Volt.
That’s a lot.
The whole week has been a real blur, at least for journalists like you. Hundreds of conversations with people you’ve never met before. And have hundreds more conversations with people you know. Hundreds more people gather for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
There is so much information out there, from public comments by top leaders to off-the-record intrigue thrown at physical clues about future earnings.
Personally, I don’t compile my thoughts on what I learned until the week after the WEF.
However, I just finished my 6th WEF and by the end of the week I could see certain themes emerging. And I will always do my best to bring you into this world.
This year’s theme was once again the evolution of AI. Last year was the year that AI was developed. This is the year leaders came together to discuss the real-world impact of AI.
“Say goodbye to call centers,” one industry executive told me at the event.
Renowned economist Nouriel Roubini has suggested that in the not-too-distant future we may have robot husbands and boyfriends, as well as robot wives and girlfriends.
I kept it moving on the Opening Bid Podcast from Nasdaq House on the Promenade when he brought this up…
Unsurprisingly, President Trump has weighed in on what people think of his new meme coin (hedge fund investor Anthony Scaramucci has said it’s basically garbage) and how the tariffs will help businesses. It dominated the WEF, from influencing (the price of shirts could go up, GAP CEO). Richard Dixon and Ralph Lauren (R) CEO Patrice Louve told me.
In this year’s Davos recap, I wanted to provide an evergreen guide to becoming a better investor or leader based on what I learned on the ground. If you don’t mind, please give me some wisdom.
Find out what you missed from Davos in our new hub.
Don’t compromise your values as a leader: Obviously, META founder Mark Zuckerberg has sold himself (and he’s not alone in big tech…). Zack chose his own wealth and the wealth of his shareholders by rolling back DEI efforts to curry favor with President Trump. Some will say it’s smart business, others will say it’s wrong.
I liked what Nasdaq Inc. (NDAQ) CEO Adena Friedman, who has championed board diversity, told me during the opening bid. And I think a lot of companies feel the same way I do, but it’s going to be a little quieter. ”
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