WEF @ Davos, coffee machine of the world — the worse and the best…

(Title inspired from a quote by Jacques Attali)

Since half a century, this ski resort became a place where thousands of leaders meet, literally from all over the globe, to share, imagine, conspire & inspire, wheel & deal,… a place where politics, finance, business, experts, connect and design the (their) future. Lots of fantasms and conspiration theories gravitate around this event. So I was curious…

For the first time I was invited there for a speech, in front of a room with 80 representatives of Family Offices worldwide. So, I promised my social media network to share my insights of what I have seen there. I learned a lot, at this very particular timing in history. I roamed there, without any judgment, open to whatever encounters.

I have seen the worst and the best. It is not really a surprise, because that kind of “top triangle” concentrates an image, a projection of the whole society itself. A society where still, nearly everyone, from very poor to very rich, worldwide, has the same single mantra in mind : get more money for him/herself.

But here is already the answer to the burning and major bottom-line question: Yes, we went over a “tipping point of consciousness”. It is absolutely visible with the naked eye. The “old system” is cracking, the ‘new one” is emerging. Clumsy, but strong. Like perspiration though invisible sceens of appearances: Lets try to do less harm…

So, here are the insights from Davos 2024: Navigating the Intersection of geopolitics, business shifts, and global challenges…

Davos, the annual World Economic Forum (WEF) gathering, is a convergence of global leaders, thinkers, and influencers. Beyond the mainstream discussions, a nuanced narrative unfolds, revealing a spectrum of perspectives …

1. Diverse Perspectives, Risks, Fears, and Positive Intentions: The Davos experience is not solely defined by cynicism; amidst challenges, and people doing “their business”, there are lots of individuals genuinely striving for progress. The challenge was in bridging the gap between those who want to connect and move forward and those who may not know how, but could. The call is for innovation, disruption, regeneration, derisking, and genuine engagement, virtues often underlined by the attendees. Nothing is black or white — but in shades of light to dark grey…
2. Beyond the Red Zone: The peripheral events surrounding the WEF World Forum, historically overshadowed by the main sessions attended by heads of state, are seen today as more compelling, attractive, interesting, awakening jealousy. The ‘Red Zone’ is deemed less interesting compared to the myriad transversal discussions happening on the fringes, where real change-makers explore unconventional and transformative ideas.
3. Aspirations of the Rising Generation: The younger generation, aged 30 and below, expresses a clear preference for sustainable and regenerative solutions with a positive social impact, reflecting a growing demand for a more conscious approach to global challenges.
4. Media and Content Shift: Media outlets and documentaries are slowly shifting towards content with genuine value. While the transition is gradual, there is an acknowledgment that real value is necessary, even if it means acquiring content that aligns with authentic and positive intentions.
5. Navigating Between Extremes: Conversations oscillate between the worst aspects of humanity and those striving for positive change. The challenge is to align with ethical actors who are beginning to gain recognition, steering away from cynicism and emptiness, powered by short term profit.
6. Cryptocurrencies — a Definite Future: Cryptocurrencies are acknowledged as an integral part of the future economic landscape. We gravitate between countries who accepter the bitcoin as national currency, and building strategic goals around digitalisation, like El Salvador, and countries who still are in witch-hunts against it, like Belgium. With Blackrock officially creating ETF’s around it… the battle is over. Lets get along with it folks, and make the best out of it. Again, we now are slowly cruising out of the first collective naive and speculative hysteria, into serious and solid crypto-for-good.
7. Artificial Intelligence — Pivotal Topic: it is all over the ‘Promenade’, and one of the major subjects this year. However, lots of concerns arise if AI remains tethered to individualistic postures, it will potentially lead to catastrophic consequences. Think tanks worldwide are rebooting purpose of AI so it can serve instead of enslave (or worse). Also, at the fingertips, voice start to question… “what is true intelligence — which kind of intelligence do we really need to solve historical challenges”. That will probably be for the next years: consciousness, collective awareness of the true reason of being and essence of humanity on this planet…
8. Overwhelmed Consultants and Leaders: The demands on business and political leaders have surged and multiplied vastly in the last decade, with expectations spanning performance, sustainability, ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance), CSRD, human-centered approaches, hypercomplex risks, and disruptive innovation from ‘new entrants’. Of course, this is the next mega-consulting-business. It is on all billboards. But the pace of time has led to concerns about the sustainability of this high-pressure environment. It all is galvanized with hyper-regulation, mostly in the West. This burden blocks disruption, and calls for new approaches teaming up with legal exceptions for societal experiments. If we cross that with fundamentals such as long term absenteeism, massive mental disorders (not considered as a risk any more, but as a mega-tendency to deal with urgently), the job of a manager or political leader is becoming hypercomplex, stressing. And the omnipresent “mental health apps”, tendency on the spot, will not really help, if we have to believe serious studies done on those subjects. The whole “system” is ill and broken, and has to be rebooted with new regenerative and positive business models. How long will western leaders be able to run with concrete blocks at their feet ? With such a multiple pressure ? I have seen zero signal of solutions there concerning that challenge: leaders under multiple pressure, even with lots of pharmaceuticals (anti depressing, amphetamines, etc)… except some “wellbeing” apps… How long are they going to be able to run in this cracking system ?
9. Davos 2024 Theme, “Regaining Trust”: The speech of Mrs VdLeyen is galvanized with fear of social disruption through misinformation and fake news. Well, maybe, maybe she has some responsibility to take here, if we have to count on the lack of results of the Green Deal, the post-covid plans and the lack of transparency of the vaccine deals (combined, these topics cost over 3000 billion €, the largest plans in the history of mankind after the big bang). Even President Zelenski’s speech lost the thrive of the beginning of the war. But despite the general atmosphere of skepticism and fear, under the radar, a growing % of the public believes in the positive evolution of human consciousness. Nobody seriously believes any more in the official narratives. The strings hanging behind the ‘top leaders’ are now visible with the naked eye, without subtitles. Naivety has disappeared from all the lobby discussions.
10. Parallel Sessions’ Influence and Control: Parallel sessions at WEF, considered more attractive by the general public, pose a challenge to control for event organizers. Efforts are underway under the radar to reduce the number of parallel sessions, potentially limiting access to ‘alternative’ voices, so the ‘control of the information’ can be regained. And of course, control on their own ticket sales… Good luck. Emergence of new societal views and models are on the way and stronger than any possible control. At Davos and everywhere else. Narratives are being structured, communities organized, even at sovereign levels. The ‘next thing’ will be collaborative and distributed instead of competitive and concentrated, regenerative instead of extractive/accumulative — whether ‘they’ like it or not. It is on all the lips, even of most investors aware about multiple systemic risks arising, going together with their global and local responsibilities and liabilities.
11. Talent hunt, key skills and generations: curiously, an absent subject, which would perfectly make sense today. On all the lips are the subjects “sustainability, impact, regeneration”, also “but how do we do?”, logically — and in the very next phrase, should be “which are the skills we need, and how to we attract and keep those”. But no. Maybe next year. The only real signal is the nextgen Family Office wanting to invest smart, with impact, of course whilst mitigating risk and protecting assets.
12. ESG Evolution and Regeneration: ESG originated at Davos, became a ‘license to operate’. But there is a quest for the next transformative concept, ESG gaining in bad reputation. The shift from controlling supply chains to business ecosystems, and from ESG to Regeneration is in discussion under the radar. I could sens it, whilst the response to Club of Brussels’ systemic regenerative economic model being higher in conservative lounges than in alternative sessions.
13. A very curious open sociology: everybody greets everybody, everywhere, nicely and politely, openly. On the pavement, in garages or trains, in corridors or elevators, cards are exchanged, visions, dreams, ambitions. Deals are made that would take years — even between people from countries in war. In Davos’ snow. Why ? Because money rises above frontiers ? Or because we are in between people who want to progress with their dreams and ambitions ? Who knows…
14. People : Also, there is a very clear distinction between people who “have it”, and those who “are imprisoned, in fear”. Just watching their eyes is enough. It is now very clear that some “have lost the light, but have to go on”, and those “who have done their homework on purpose, and decided for real to go for it”. Discernment becomes easier on who we want to connect to, and who not.
15. Other tendencies on health : longevity tech, mental health apps, and more discreetly, therapeutic psychedelics. In some lounges, we have an interesting mix between BIG 4 consultants, mega investors, and Burning Man profiles. They do meet… and have quite interesting and surprising discussions…
16. A few startling figures: (a) Cost of security in a week in Davos = over 50 million CHF, (b) Cost of a bed in airbnb sharing = over 5.000 CHF a week © Cost of a 1,5L water bottle = 15 CHF (d) 2 km of Uber = 50 CHF. (e) Over 1.500 private jet roundtrips (f) >60 country leaders,… (g) Badge cost 1.000 CHF, company ticket up to 250.000 CHF. Is it worth all that ? Future will tell…

My big conclusions and suggestions for next steps :

(a) Invest together in new business ecosystems, in “super-incubators” with multiple helix stakeholders (academic, SME’s, communities, public players, media, schools, science,…). We can help with the 2 months “Extrapreneurs” business solution co-creation program. This is open to all, worldwide. It is evolving in a ‘global regeneration game’.

(b) Engage teams and communities around business cogeneration, for profitable and scalable multiple solutions to historical local challenges. Get employees and communities follow up those emerging initiatives, help and mentor them. We are creating one super-hub per continent, in countries which are the most open for regeneration (in negociation), with quickly afterwards, one super-incubator/capital, who will train and inspire others countrywide.

(c) Mitigate risk by investing in validated systemic multi-solutions together, without reinventing the wheel, but adapting and improving the wheel, and scale it up massively, in each industry or societal function. Impact investors, as well as the larger public, will be pointed to the most valuable investment opportunities: directly, through our investment fund in Luxemburg, or through our Kairos blockchain launchpad. The opportunities are absolutely massive, a large multiplier of GDP’s.

(d) Bottom-up grassroot projects will be interfaced by the Family Offices running the super-incubators, allowing finance and resources to flow to the field. But in my view, the ones that truly will succeed, are those who work with their heart, with regenerative humanist values, sincerely willing to contribute to common good, with strong co-entrepreneurial intelligence. Opportunists, sorry, will have a hard time…

And, get ready to share experiences @Davos 2025 (and everywhere else of course !)

Michel A. de Kemmeter

Club of Brussels, founder

www.kairosmultisolutions.org

Well, this is visible with the naked eye. Get ready for that displacement. It is not too late, but don’t wait too long hè.