- Thursday is the last full day of the World Economic Forum in Davos.
- The rich and powerful have discussed what 2025 will bring for the economy, technology and business.
- This is what BI is seeing and hearing on the ground.
Thursday is the last full day of the World Economic Forum in Davos, where the rich and powerful have been discussing the year ahead in economics, business and technology.
Here’s what Business Insider is hearing and seeing on the ground.
A softer start to day four
You can tell the parties in Davos are late when the security lines at the Congress Center are shorter. This was the scene on the morning of the fourth day.
Last night, the Business Insider crew was hanging out with the rich and powerful, trying to gauge their biggest accomplishments of the week.
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi told me he loves coming to Davos – not only for the events, but also for the sheer number of connections he can make. Connections were certainly the theme of the night.
From Uber, we made our way to one of the most sought-after gatherings: JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimonannual drinks reception. Hosted in the iconic Kirchner Museum, this event is a staple in Davos, bringing together the biggest names in business and politics. It’s not just about the cocktails – it’s a chance to meet Dimon, his senior management and an exclusive circle of global power players.
Business Insider reporters met JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon (left), former British Prime Minister Tony Blair (center) and Mary Callahan Erdoes, CEO of JP Morgan Asset Management, Mary Callahan Erdoes (right). Business Insider
And yes, we managed to sneak in a photo with Dimon himself, alongside Mary Callahan Erdoes, CEO of JP Morgan Asset Managementand none other than shapePrime Minister of the United Kingdom Tony Blair. Just another night in Davos. – Spriha Srivastava
Who will manage your AI colleagues?
AI agents are coming, but who will manage them? It is a very real concern among some business leaders I have met.
HR software maker Lattice faced backlash last year when it announced it would start giving AI workers official employment data. The idea may not seem so ridiculous now as business leaders ponder how to govern a new class of AI capable of performing certain tasks without human input. “We were ahead, but by months,” Lattice CEO Sarah Franklin said BI in Davos.
ManpowerGroup Chief Commercial Officer Becky Frankiewicz also told BI that it has heard from business leaders who are thinking about ways to govern AI agents. Tech companies will likely be the first to jump in, she said, but she already knows of one consulting firm that is tackling this new AI-era challenge. “They’ve done the agents already,” she said. “The next question they asked was: should we have managers for agents?” – Hugh Langley
Uber wants to “exit Amazon” Amazon
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi held a Q&A at a small gathering Wednesday evening. Hugh Langley/Business Insider
“Never underestimate the power of human laziness” Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi told a small gathering Wednesday in a question and answer session. He was talking about Uber’s plans to grow its same-day delivery network with merchants ranging from Apple to Walmart. “At the end of the day, what we want to do is empower every local merchant to go outside of Amazon,” he said.
Khosrowshahi traveled to Switzerland after attending the festivities in DC for of Donald Trump inauguration, where he described there being a revived sense of optimism among business leaders.
“You see, whether you agree with the executive orders or not, there’s a sense that there’s a window, there’s a license to move quickly,” he said. – Hugh Langley
Davos is already preparing for 2026
The conference doesn’t technically end until noon on Friday, but things are already winding down. Some people leave on Thursday, while a good number of delegates leave early on Friday.
But an end is only a new beginning, and this is the case for Davos… 2026.
Planning for next year’s event has already begun. Many companies will close their spaces along the Promenade — the main thoroughfare that runs through the city where retail stores have become a “shelter” for the business that leases it — by the end of the week if they haven’t already. When I first arrived on Sunday afternoon, I saw a store with a large display advertising a possible 2026 home base.
Restaurant reservations for large dinners also start to fill up quickly, although a person involved in event planning told me that some establishments decide to wait a little in the hope that they can rent out the entire space in one go.
The entire week is a boon to local businesses and homeowners who make many times more than they see by selling items or renting out their space every other week of the year.
Of course, some shops choose to stay open, like the city’s luxury watch shop. (Her Rolex suit the vibe pretty well, to be honest.)
And then there’s a souvenir shop in the middle of town, which might secretly do the best business. A simple cotton t-shirt with some Davos brands can run you close to $40. – Dan DeFrancesco