I am a Davos man
but...in a good way..
Welcome to another edition of the S.A.D. newsletter. Usually, I talk about technology and society, but today we have a short travel report. Please subscribe if you haven’t yet and check out the previous posts.
Yes, I am now officially a Davos Man. But in a good way. Let me explain.
I recently attended and spoke at the 3rd World Biodiversity Forum in Davos, Switzerland. It was an honour to be part of such an event. The discussions ranged from understanding ecosystem changes, biodiversity conservation, law, policy, science action, and impacts. It was serious business.
But let’s talk about Davos itself. This town is known for its fancy vibe and posh history. Back in the day, it was a medical destination thanks to its fresh alpine air. Nowadays, it is famous for the other world forum — the World Economic Forum (WEF), where the elite of the elite gather. This is where the term “Davos Man” was born. Picture a rich, out-of-touch guy who talks a lot but does little.
I think to make the biodiversity crisis a prominent topic, the organisers of the Biodiversity Forum tried to leverage the Davos cachet to gain some traction. However, they did not do as good a job in gaining wider publicity as the WEF does.
For years, the Economic Forum has been seen as a meeting of the world’s most powerful people and the Davos Man became a kind of joke. A 2016 article in The Guardian had the headline “Let’s make attending Davos as shameful as running a sweatshop”. Yikes! Another article asked, “Why does Davos Man get it so wrong?” . For example, in 2008, right before the subprime crisis, Davos attendees were confident there wouldn’t be a global recession, and in 2016, they underestimated the risks of Brexit and Trump’s presidency. Davos often fails due to groupthink and overconfidence among its elite attendees.
Here’s a another scathing take on Davos Man but things are improving:
A final complaint about Davos Man was that he was full of empty rhetoric. His meeting was derided as an intense, gregarious affair, repeated every year without anything of substance to show for it. Davos Man chats while the world burns. Yet this complaint is ringing less true. Davos Man is now more action-oriented. The WEF has reimagined its annual conference, not as a mere colloquium, but also as a platform for launching initiatives. Chart 5 shows a two-fold increase in the thematic of “partnerships,” “alliances,” “pledges,” and “collaborations,” reflected in press releases such as First Movers Coalition Launched to Drive Demand for Zero Carbon Tech (2020) and World Economic Forum Launches Initiative to Enable Equitable and Trusted Use of Data for Global Common Good (2020). In sum, the WEF now has a larger modus operandi: It not only builds consensus through dialogue, but also identifies leaders and galvanises them to take action.
Now, there’s also “Davos Woman,” and the conversations are increasingly focused on social inclusion and the environment. This year, for instance, featured the event “Women Rock N Roll Davos With AI, Health, And Inclusive Leadership.” Additionally, a shamanic ritual was performed reflecting a broader range of discussions and activities. Unfortunately, we missed out on such rituals and rock-n-rolling at the Biodiversity Forum.
Ok, enough with the critique. Let’s get back to my trip.
The scenery was amazing. The WEF usually happens during winter, the ski season, and most of the action in Davos occurs during that time. However, the Biodiversity Forum is in the summer, so last week felt like a town waiting for the action to start back up. Nonetheless, I could still see some snow-peaked mountains, and the train trip from Zurich to Davos through the Alpine region is an incredible ride.
However, walking around the streets of Davos can be a bit jarring. Around 800 people came for the Biodiversity Forum and I could see people I know walking around and sitting in cafes and bars with their forum badges. Despite this, I felt a bit uneasy due to the presence of various weapons on display. Switzerland is supposed to be a nice, peace-loving, neutral country, but each store front stuffed with scary-looking knives was unsettling. And Switzerland is apparently one of the heavily armed countries in the world but they have fewer homicides than the United States.
During the conference, as I grabbed a coffee and a cookie from a cheerful barista with, I curiously asked, “Who’s the most famous person you’ve served?” He grinned and said, “You!” Classic Swiss humour? Perhaps. Later, I learned that my hotel room might have been used by one of Angela Merkel’s bodyguards. Not Angela Merkel herself, but a brush with fame nonetheless!
Speaking of my hotel, I came across an interesting sign. It politely reminded guests not to steal bathrobes, towels, or hangers. It was a surprise to see this in such a swanky place, considering the high-profile guests. Who was stealing towels? Merkel’s entourage? But don’t worry, I’m one of the good ones. I didn’t take any towels; I followed the rules.
So, there you have it. I am now officially a Davos Man, but the good kind.
Fun write up! I did a Davos piece in early 2023: https://open.substack.com/pub/agowani/p/davos-for-the-davos-crowd