Small dispatches from the one street where all of Davos, actually, happens.
Three simultaneous 'AI and the Future of Work' panels on the same 60-meter stretch of Promenade. Two share a moderator. One is sponsored by a consultancy that also sponsors the other two. Attendance ratio: 12, 9, 41 — the third one had a free espresso bar.
Overheard at the Ameron. The barista, unfazed: 'Yes, so it is like the co-op down the road.' The CEO, delighted: 'Exactly!' It is not exactly.
Slide 3 was titled 'Post-Labor Economy: A Growth Story.' Slide 7 was a photo of the founder next to a horse. The shuttle came before slide 12. We may never know.
Two banks, one hedge fund, one head of state's advance team, and a Substack. Deals rumored. Cocktails confirmed. Coat check overwhelmed.
MODERATOR: How do we, as leaders, meet this moment?
CEO #1: We meet it by leaning in — but also, crucially, by leaning across.
CEO #2: I want to build on that. What we're seeing is not a moment. It is a movement of moments.
CEO #1: Precisely. And that movement has a name. It's called cooperation.
MODERATOR: We're out of time. Thank you.
Generated. Not attended. Indistinguishable from four panels we did attend.