Can Davos fix the ‘insular’ mindset that’s dominating business? It’s a place to start
Good morning. When BlackRock CEO Larry Fink became co-chair of the World Economic Forum last year, he called US president Donald Trump and asked him to come speak, which he did. Fink also called Scott Galloway, an author, podcaster, and NYU Stern marketing professor who has a very different view of what will make America great. As Galloway told me last night at our annual party luck Global Leadership Dinner: “Larry Fink called me and said, ‘I want you to come.’ And that was more than enough.”
With all the focus at the World Economic Forum on heads of state — I even joined a media pool after Trump’s meeting with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky — I thought I’d bring you some insights from my conversation with Galloway. (I first met Galloway in 2009 as a fellow mentor at a Kairos Summit organized by then-Wharton student Ankur Jain, who founded the BILT group.)
Galloway last attended the World Economic Forum in 1999. “The brand of America then was consumerism; it was more cooperation and alliances. Now I feel the brand of America is chaos, corruption and coercion,” he said. “America has been the world’s operating system… There’s just a feeling of unease… In 1999, we said, ‘We want more,’ and now we want to make sure things don’t get worse.” He praised Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s speech as the best of the week. “All 27 EU member states should have sat behind him,” Galloway said. “Right now, it’s like Germany and the 26 dwarves.”
By urging Galloway and Trump to come to Davos, Fink recognizes the power of the World Economic Forum in bringing opposing worldviews under one roof. I heard Saudi Tourism Minister His Excellency Ahmed Al Khatib compare notes with Swiss Tourism Board CEO Martin Nydiger, watched Trade Minister Howard Lutnick talk to random people in the room, including myself, and witnessed dozens of global leaders find common areas over dinners and lunches. (That’s why I also appreciate the editorial gatherings sponsored by Deloitte, Aon, PMI, Toptal, and Workday that allow us to create our own green village.)
On Monday, I moderated a CEO salon to discuss the 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer results, with 70% of this year’s participants expressing an “isolated” mindset. They don’t want to talk, work, or even be in the same place with anyone who doesn’t share their worldview. CEOs need to urgently address the sense of injustice that dominates the business world, Richard Edelman told me.
What the leaders achieved at Davos was not immediately clear — the details of the Greenland deal, for example, remain unclear — but by their presence, Davos participants were at least meeting with an instinct for communication. This is a good place to start.
Connect with the CEO daily via Diane Brady at diane.brady@fortune.com
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2026-01-23 11:04:00
