Good morning, Davos delegates and devotees!
It’s been a pleasure being part of your inbox during the forum. If you liked these emails, you should sign up for our regular Quartz Daily Brief. We also have a range of excellent weekly emails about Africa, lifestyle, and the key metrics that explain our changing world.
On your way out of Davos, wish the hard-working WEF staff luck: Next year, some of them may be sleeping in shipping containers.
It will be a glorious, sunny day, with a high of 0°C (32°F). Here is the ski report—purely for informational purposes, of course.
What to watch for today
Our driverless future. The next huge disruption could be the self-driving car. Carmakers and Silicon Valley are racing to develop advanced autonomous functionality. A panel on self-driving cars will feature Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Renault-Nissan, along with Paul Jacobs of Qualcomm, Yale’s Wendell Wallach, and the European Commission’s transport chief Violeta Bulc.
More Brexit banter. British chancellor of the exchequer Philip Hammond will be quizzed about the nitty-gritty of what his boss, prime minister Theresa May, said this week (more on that below). Does the British government’s vision for Brexit add up?
Exotic states. Duncan Haldane, one of the 2016 winners of the Nobel Prize for physics, helped to reveal the truly strange behavior of materials in exotic states, such as close to absolute zero (-273°C). He will share his “journey of profound discovery” with Mariette DiChristina, editor-in-chief of Scientific American.
Oh, and there’s something happening in Washington. As the forum winds down, at 5:30pm Davos time, across the Atlantic power will officially pass from Barack Obama to Donald Trump. You can follow Quartz’s coverage of the inauguration throughout the day here.
The last dance. Mark the beginning of the Trump era at the WEF’s official black-tie end-of-forum soirée at the InterContinental, or countless other private dinners around town (if you don’t have an invite by now, better make other arrangements). It’s also your last chance to stride purposefully through the Belvedere in search of drinks and canapés, and sing along with Barry in the Piano Bar.
Who won day three?
The winner of the day is not a single delegate but a fifth of all of them. Although women comprise only 20% of Davos attendees, their influence is growing palpably at the forum. Using “Davos Man” as shorthand for the assembled corporate titans seems hopelessly outdated, even if there is still a long way to go to reach parity. The winner is Davos Woman.
Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg seemed to be everywhere, speaking eloquently about resilience, while also addressing fake news and creating positive narratives. Both Meg Whitman of HP and Mary Callahan Erdoes of JPMorgan impressed while talking tech and finance, respectively. The Girls’ Lounge, a female-focused networking venue started by Shelley Zalis, founder of the Female Quotient (a group dedicated to advancing workplace equality), has been buzzing throughout the week. It serves as an energizing hub for high-powered women, enlightened men (hello, Paul Polman of Unilever), and substantive discussions about stereotypes, unconscious bias, and the day-to-day work necessary to close the gender gap once and for all.
More highlights from yesterday
A great, global Britain. Theresa May gave a sober speech about the prospects for post-Brexit Britain to a skeptical crowd. She admired the “quiet resolve” of Leave voters, an odd description for a campaign that heavily featured Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage. Anyway, she name-checked “free trade” 10 times, a “rules-based” global order three times, and extolled the “bold, ambitious course” that her country has chosen. There was polite applause at the end.
“We are the responsible people.” Former European Parliament president Martin Schulz didn’t mince words on a panel about the future of the EU immediately following May’s address. Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte also stuck the boot in, saying that Britain opted to “pay a huge price” economically in return for stricter controls on immigration. Schulz and Rutte then turned against each other, arguing about “pragmatic” versus “romantic” visions for the EU. Along the way, Helmut Kohl, François Mitterrand, Jean Monnet, Robert Schuman, and Margaret Thatcher were mentioned. It was all very Davos.
But what do you really think, Mr. Soros? George Soros, billionaire hedge fund investor and Hillary Clinton campaign contributor, used a 30-minute interview over dinner to lay into Trump. Soros called the soon-to-be president a “would-be dictator,” “con man,” and “imposter.” Earlier in the day, the investor announced a multimillion-dollar partnership with Mastercard to aid migrants and refugees, which in a way is also pretty insulting to Trump’s worldview.
Medicine meets data. Atul Gawande, a surgeon and best-selling author, made a strong case for “an enormous cultural shift” in health care, from reactionary acts of heroism to preventative and predictive medicine. Data is crucial, but doctors must also focus a bit less on stressing their autonomy and more on humility, discipline, and teamwork, he said.
Liveblogs ahoy. Catch up on all the day’s action via the Guardian and WEF.
Reading for the plane
Revisit all of Quartz’s Davos coverage here. In particular, take the time to read reporter Steve LeVine’s six key predictions for geopolitics this year, addressing many of the subjects that dominated the forum. Afterwards, you can impress your colleagues back home by speaking sagely about the Kim-Trump-Putin “triangle of instability” or the “uprising of Luddites.”
Chart interlude
It’s as if something big happens here around this time every year.
Seen and heard
“A city like Davos in India would give a big boost to tourism.”—Nitin Gadkari, Indian road transport minister
“I’m French, so I’m comfortable managing rebellion.”—A senior exec at a professional services firm
“Fake news is our fault, because none of us has the time to research.”—Will.i.am
Who says CEOs aren’t romantics? Here’s Nerio Alessandri, CEO of Technogym: “Beauty will save the world. Aesthetics is also ethics.” (It really sings in the original Italian.)
Speaking of Technogym, Marina, a personal trainer from Milan, has been working out on the company’s high-end exercise equipment at a branded pop-up on the Promenade all week. She must be the only staffer who will leave the forum healthier than when she arrived, given the regimen of late nights, champagne, and cheese that has marked the week for the rest of us.
“Good morning, you faceless, unelected bureaucrat!”—European commissioner Frans Timmermans, relaying a sarcastic greeting his eldest son sometimes uses
And a final dose of badge-shaming, for the road.
News from around the world
China delivered its dubious GDP figures. Beijing said the nation’s GDP grew by 6.8% in the fourth quarter. As for reality, who knows? This week the government finally admitted to making up some statistics. Today’s figure would suggest growth is stabilizing in the world’s second-biggest economy. For the year, GDP growth was reportedly 6.7%—just as authorities predicted 12 months ago.
US senators grilled Trump’s pick for treasury secretary. In a bruising confirmation hearing (paywall) they questioned Steven Mnuchin, a former Goldman Sachs banker, on his failure to declare almost $100 million in assets. He broke with Trump by voicing a preference for a strong US dollar, and said he wanted to quickly raise the debt ceiling before it maxes out in March.
Senegalese troops entered the Gambia after its president refused to give up power. Adama Barrow, who defeated the country’s longtime leader Yahya Jammeh at the polls in December, was sworn in as president in a makeshift ceremony in Dakar, neighboring Senegal’s capital. A Barrow spokesman said Jammeh either “accepts the situation or we are looking at a state of war“ (paywall).
US investigators said Tesla’s Autopilot wasn’t to blame for a fatal crash last year. In a big win for Elon Musk, authorities determined that drivers with Tesla’s semi-autonomous driving software were 40% less likely to get in an accident, making Teslas much safer than the average car.
Italian rescuers tried to reach dozens of people missing in an avalanche. They were inside a hotel that was destroyed by tons of snow and ice, shaken loose by a series of recent earthquakes.
Matters of debate
Teen drug use can be slashed with “natural highs.” Iceland’s incredibly successful program offers classes in music, dance, hip hop, art, and martial arts.
A populist strongman can alter the nature of a democracy. History shows that authoritarian leaders bend the rules until they are unrecognizable.
The White House should be run like a corporate board. Half a dozen people around a table should make decisions collectively.
Surprising discoveries
Obama briefly considered minting a $1 trillion coin. Facing a government shutdown, it was one way to pay off the national debt.
Dutch trains run on windmill power. There are 2,200 turbines generating enough electricity to meet the country’s mass transport needs.
Running could actually be good for your knees. The activity stimulates changes in the biochemical environment inside the joint, which could help it work more smoothly (paywall).
One in five people may “hear” flashes of light. Many may not even realize they are experiencing sensory cross-wiring similar to synesthesia.
Our best wishes for an inspiring day at the forum. Please send any news, tips, spare lift passes, and 2018 Davos hotel bookings to me, Jason Karaian, at jason@qz.com.
The best way to keep up with news while you’re on the go is the Quartz app for iPhone and Android.