|
| | | |  |
| By Suzanne Lynch and Zoya Sheftalovich |
| Presented by |
 | | |
GOOD MORNING and welcome to the latest Global Playbook from Davos, as we approach the midway point at the World Economic Forum. Fun and games: POLITICO’s annual sledge run party went off last night (more from the guest list below). The socializing continues today with an array of events scheduled, including the famous Swedish Lunch at the Schatzalp. Italy, Ukraine and Belgium are among the countries flexing their national muscles as they try to grab the attention of the Davos crowd with national receptions tonight (a promised appearance by the Belgian royal family at Belgium House will be hard to beat). Also on: McKinsey’s legendary nightcap at the Ameron for the second consecutive year. Expect lots of dad dancing. TRUMP FALLOUT REALPOLITIK: The party scene may be in full swing, but the mood is far from festive as some big political hitters reacted to the head-spinning news coming from Washington following Donald Trump’s inauguration. Mostly, leaders took a softly-softly approach in their public comments on the new administration as they took to the stage Tuesday. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who is in the fight of his political life ahead of next month’s election, called for “cool heads.” Biting the hand that feeds: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy used his address to the Davos crowd to take aim at Europe. He railed against Ukraine’s European neighbors over their defense spending, throwing his weight behind Trump’s 5-percent NATO spending target, and blasting the EU for being “more focused on regulation than on freedom.” Channelling Trump: It’s part of an attempt by Zelenskyy to win over the new administration, amid fears that the U.S. could pull back from Ukraine. Playbook’s own Zoya Sheftalovich has more on how Kyiv is jumping on the Trump bandwagon in hopes of peace. Taking the long view: Historian Niall Ferguson, who like many of those at Davos has softened his views on Trump since his first stint in the White House, cast doubt on the new president’s ambition to strike a quick deal on Ukraine in an interview with Power Play’s Anne McElvoy. “This war will be harder to end than Trump made it sound on the campaign trail … I would be very surprised if, a year from now, there were a truly stable cease-fire.” Listen to the full podcast here. AUDIENCE OF 1: China’s Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang used his keynote speech to sing the benefits of “balanced trade,” without mentioning the U.S. “We don’t seek a trade surplus. We want to import more competitive, quality products and services,” he said. Proceed with caution: It was a similar tone from Brussels, as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen avoided name-checking the new U.S. president in her keynote speech Tuesday, and instead championed Europe as one of the world’s big trading blocs and underlined its commitment to the Paris accord (skilfully sidestepping the very real economic and competitive challenges facing the European economy). Read more here by Nick Vinocur and Sarah Wheaton. No waffle here: Belgium’s Prime Minister Alexander De Croo was more blunt: “If there’s a trade war between the U.S. and Europe, the Chinese will love it. It’s a good thing for them and I think it would be foolish to do it,” he told reporters in Davos, our own Camille Gijs reports.
| | | | A message from IBM: A new study from IBM found that 89% of organizations are maintaining or increasing their AI investments in 2025, signaling a commitment to technological innovation amid economic uncertainty. As organizations ramp up their AI investments, they are being more strategic. This year, move beyond the hype towards strategic AI transformation. | | | AROUND THE CONGRESS CENTER U.N. WARNING: U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres will deliver a keynote speech today in the plenary. Among the focus of his remarks will be climate change, an issue that hasn’t got much traction so far this year with the Davos set. In particular, expect some warnings to the private sector behemoths represented here about backtracking on climate goals. HERO’S WELCOME: A crowd of adoring fans waving Chinese flags mobbed the Chinese delegation, including Vice Premier Ding, as he made his way to a meeting at the Hotel Flüela Tuesday. Meanwhile, guests were treated to noodles, dumplings and twisty breadsticks at last night’s Tianjin WEF reception. The Chinese city will host WEF’s “Summer Davos” later this year. SPEAKING OF CHINA: With Artificial Intelligence dominating discussion at this year’s Davos, new research from Accenture has a worrying message for the rest of the world: Chinese business leaders are more focused on creating new AI products/services than American, EMEA and other APAC counterparts. Sixty-four percent of Chinese C-suite leaders said their primary Gen AI focus in 2025 would be new products and services, versus 49 percent for the Americas, 41 percent for EMEA and 51 percent for APAC C-suite leaders. It comes as Trump prepares to unveil a new $100 billion AI initiative today. GET IN LINE: The Equality Lounge, a mainstay of Davos week, saw steady queues form outside Tuesday as eager attendees waited to get a glimpse of its new second-floor venue at Promenade 40. The Female Quotient team has one of the best views on the promenade from its mountainside balcony.
| | | |
Power shifts, razor-thin margins, and a high-stakes agenda. We’ve transformed our coverage—more reporters, more timely insights, and unmatched policy scoops. From leadership offices to committee rooms, caucus meetings, and beyond, our expert reporting keeps you ahead of the decisions that matter. Subscribe to our Inside Congress newsletter today. | | | | | MEET THE 11 TRIBES OF DAVOS NAVIGATING WEF: With the World Economic Forum in full swing, our own Zoya Sheftalovich has this rundown on the 11 tribes of Davos — which group are you in? The 1 percent of the 1-percenters: This is the crème de la crème of the Davos set, the CEOs and presidents who don’t need to make their own reservations or get their own invitations. White-badged and proud, they’re busy doing deals in private suites in the Belvédère when not delivering a keynote in the Congress Center. The bag carriers: The green-badged brigade making those reservations and getting those invitations on behalf of the 1-percenters. This year, they’re working twice as hard — because the WEF has cracked down on how many of them can come. But while their bosses dine on Champagne and caviar, they’re more likely to be snaffling some free food whenever it’s available. The second fiddles: These are the ministers who will take a private car to the mountain, dine at the Steakhouse Ochsen — and ask a Salesforce lackey whether they can bag an invite to the hottest party in town. They’ll end up at Barry’s Piano Bar like the rest of us. The glitterati: David Beckham, will.i.am, Sting — what exactly do they know about economics or high politics? That part’s unclear. But get one of them to show up at your party, and it’s guaranteed to go off. The do-gooders: The Greta Thunbergs of the Davos set. In between speaking engagements, they’re nibbling spirulina and mountain hemp at the Atelier Vert, drinking kombucha and refusing the merch. Probably hiked to Davos. The rogues: Russians may no longer be welcome at Davos, but there are plenty of other autocrats, oligarchs and vice-peddlers on the promenade. No one wants to be associated with them — but they’ll still sip their cardamon-laced hot chocolates and indulge in their exotic ice cream flavors. The elite anti-elitists: They hate the WEF and everything it stands for — and they made quite the effort getting to Davos to tell you all about it. The blue crew: The WEF staffers who keep the place running (and enforce the strict badge hierarchy, should any lowly hotel-badge-holders try to cross the threshold into the promised land). The press: Ah, the not-so-glamorous orange-badged set. They caught the train to the mountain and eat their meals from the media center or one of the Coop supermarket cafeterias. But beware, we’re everywhere — a wily hack may be earwigging on your conversation in one of the shuttle buses.
| | | | A message from IBM:
  | | | AROUND TOWN FORECAST: Low of minus 7C/19F; High 3C/37F. SWIPE IN: Shout-out to the WEF staff who are diligently helping bedraggled attendees de-robe at the entrance areas to the Congress Center. This year, delegates must also swipe their badge when leaving boots and bags at the cloak checks for an added layer of traceability, given the propensity for cloakroom tickets to get lost. SPICE UP YOUR LIFE: Football legend David Beckham (also known as Mr Victoria Beckham) is not the only British celeb in town this week. Melanie Brown, better known as Mel B of the Spice Girls, is also speaking at the World Economic Forum. Let’s see if their paths cross this week. FANCY A TIPPLE? Now in its second year, Belgium House is open every day. You can pop by to stock up on Belgian beers such as Timmermans’ Oude Gueuze and Lambicus Blanche, Silly Saison or the Bertinchamps Triple. ALL ABOARD: Ukraine House is giving away train tickets to foreigners who haven’t visited Ukraine before. The goal, per Ukraine House Davos Executive Director Ulyana Khromyak, is for people to experience the country as it is now, bomb sirens and all. You can pick yours up at reception. Overheard … at the Green Finance for Ukraine breakfast reception at the Belvédère on Tuesday, which was plagued by microphone issues: “We have light in Ukraine, but no sound in Davos.” GOOGLERS: A big media contingent showed up at Google’s hub at the Alpine Inn last night. Bill Nye the Science Guy was in conversation with recent Nobel prize winner and Google DeepMind co-founder Demis Hassabis, outlining the possibilities of AI. BATTLE OF THE NIGHTCAPS: There were lots of competing events last night along the promenade. Guests at Palantir’s Après Cocktails chatted over Champagne, while media reps enjoyed espresso martinis and classic Margaritas across the street at the Bank of America hub. NATIONAL NIGHTS … Italian Night is on at the Hotel Belvédère from 6:30 p.m. … Ukrainian Night is on at Ukrainian House from 7 p.m., featuring traditional Ukrainian honey and birds of peace-shaped bread … Belgian Night is on at the Belgium House from 6 p.m. (the Belgians’ king and queen, Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, NATO boss Mark Rutte and Nadia Calviño, president of the European Investment Bank, expected to attend.
| | | | New Year. New Washington. New Playbook. With intensified congressional coverage and even faster delivery of policy scoops, POLITICO’s reimagined Playbook Newsletter ensures you’re always ahead of the conversation. Sign up today. | | | | | SPOTTED — Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić grabbing a sandwich in the Congress Center lounge like the rest of us mere mortals. — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, flanked by a massive entourage, crowding into Gallery Room 1 in the Congress Center for a private meeting on Tuesday evening. — Salesforce boss Marc Benioff strolling through the Kurpark Tuesday morning. — Former U.S. Climate Envoy John Kerry on the promenade outside the Hotel Belvédère. — At POLITICO’s Schatzalp reception: former Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin; Munich Security Conference’s Bendikt Franke; Axel Springer’s Jan Bayer; former Member of European Parliament Silvana Koch-Mehrin, founder of Women Political Leaders; France’s Special Envoy for Ukraine’s Relief and Reconstruction Pierre Heilbronn; Katrin Eggenberger, Liechtenstein’s former foreign minister; Global Counsels’ Alexander Smotrov; anti-corruption campaigner Bill Browder; Norwegian athlete Birgit Skarstein; Michael Punke from AWS; Barclay’s Kimberlee Mertz and Ann Thielke; IBM’s Christina Montgomery and Rob Thomas; and POLITICO’s John Harris and Goli Sheikholeslami. — At the Women Who Lead reception at Bloomberg House: Bonnie Y. Chan, CEO, Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited; former Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin; SEWA’s Mirai Chatterjee; American Ballet Theatre Principal Ballerina Misty Copeland; IMF’s Gita Gopinath; Mary Callahan Erdoes of JPMorganChase; Columbia University’s Keren Yarhi-Milo; Cherie Blair of the Cherie Blair Foundation for women; tennis champion Maria Sharapova. — At the Africa Dialogues luncheon at Circle’s lounge on the promenade: will.i.am, CEO FYI.AI; Minister of Industry of Senegal Serigne Diop; Botswana President Duma Boko; ICT Minister of Rwanda Paula Ingabire; Circle’s Dante Disparte; Chris Maurice of Yellowcard; Marie-Laure Akin-Olugbade of the African Development Bank; Togo’s Digital Minister Cina Lawson; Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy & Digitalisation, African Union Amani Abou-Zeid. — At the Semafor Media Party, held at Semafor Haus at the Grandhotel Belvédère last night: former U.S. National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn; Charles Forelle; Semafor’s Justin Smith, Ben Smith, Liz Hoffman; Business Insider EIC Jamie Heller; former Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy; CNBC’s Emma Graham and Dan Murphy; Axel Springer’s Jan Bayer; WIRED EIC Katie Drummond; the Economist’s Kenneth Cukier; Der Spiegel’s Melanie Amann, Edelman’s Justin Blake, Kristy Graham and Jo Sheldon, Lanah Nguyen, Mubadala CCO Brian Lott, Fast Company’s Brendan Vaughan, Bloomberg’s David Merritt; Salesforce’s Sabastian Niles; Teneo’s Andrea Calise and Dara Pavlich. — At the Ukraine House: Ukrainian Trade and Agriculture Minister Taras Kachka; Polish President Andrzej Duda; former Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin; First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Svyrydenko; former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt. — At the Kennedy Forum and West Health Panel at the Brain House: WHO Assistant Director-General Catharina Boehme; West Health CEO Shelley Lyford; Kennedy Forum Founder Patrick Kennedy; Gallup’s John Clifton; KPMG’s Sandy Torchia; Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative’s George Vradenburg. — At Goals House: U.K. Business Secretary Jonny Reynolds, Forbes EVP Moira Forbes; EY CEO Janet Truncale; IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva; Maria Sharapova; footballer Gary Neville; former British PM Theresa May; Cindy McCain, World Food Programme; Marc Benioff, CEO Salesforce; rapper Wyclef Jean; marine biologist Sylvia Earle; journalist Jon Sopel.
| | | | A message from IBM:
AI investments show no sign of slowing down. A new IBM study found that nearly two-fifths of respondents plan investment increases of 25-50%. Heading into 2025, companies are planning more targeted investments with IT operations (63%), data quality management (46%), and product innovation (41%) are emerging as primary focus areas, demonstrating a calculated approach to technological transformation. Make 2025 a year of AI impact and find out why strategies like using managed cloud services, specialized talent acquisition, and open-source integration are becoming standard playbooks for optimizing investments. | | | AGENDA Headliners — Enlarge to prosper? Will Europe Grow? Speakers include EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos; Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković; Prime Minister of Montenegro Milojko Spajić; Andrii Sybiha, minister of foreign affairs of Ukraine; Aspen 3, Kurpark Village, 9 a.m. — State of Play: Conflict in the Middle East; Ayman Al Safadi, deputy prime minister and foreign minister of Jordan; Aula; Congress Center, 9 a.m. — A conversation with Prime Minister of Malaysia Anwar Ibrahim; Aspen 1; Congress Center, 10:15 a.m. — Truth vs Myth in Elections. Speakers include Wall Street Journal publisher and Dow Jones CEO Almar Latour, CEO Institute for Strategic Dialogue Sasha Havlieck, French EU affairs minister Benjamin Haddad, moderated by John Harris, global editor in chief POLITICO; Kurpark Village; 1:15 p.m. —Special address by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez; Congress Hall; 3:45 p.m. — Conversation with Mohammed Mustafa, prime minister of the Palestinian National Authority; Congress Hall; 4:15 p.m. — Beyond Crisis: Unlocking Europe’s Potential; Speakers include Vice Chancellor of Germany Robert Habeck; ECB chief Christine Lagarde; L’Oreal CEO Nicolas Hieronimus; CEO of Merck Belen Garijo; 4:15 p.m. — European Parliament President Roberta Metsola addresses the World Economic Forum High-level Europe dialogue: Europe in the Intelligent Age. 8 p.m. Other highlights — Russia: between weakness and strength; speakers include EU Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis and Swedish Finance Minister Elisabeth Svantesson; Kurpark Village; 9 a.m. — “The Human Skills Imperative: Igniting a Renaissance of Talent in the Age of AI.” Speakers include Workday CEO Carl Eschenbach; Julie Sweet of Accenture; MIT’s Danielle Li and Gabriella Rosen Kellerman, BetterUp; 9 a.m.; Workday Storefront, Promenade 93. — Representation Matters: Launch of the 2024 Report; Women Political Leaders event; Hilton Garden Inn; 3 p.m. — Power Play: Conversations and Cocktails: where women in business and sport unite; Equality Lounge@Davos; Promenade 40; 4 p.m. — Closing the Jobs Gap. Speakers include LinkedIn’s CEO Ryan Rosklansky; Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam; ILO boss Gilbert Fossoun Houngbo; Adecco CEO Denis Machuel; Veronica Nilsson of the Trade Union Advisory Committee (TUAC) to the OECDl; Aspen 2 Room; 11:30 a.m. — The Future of Cancer Care: Bridging Science and Policy for Impact; Foreign Policy Magazine; Hub Culture ICON; 6 p.m. — Artificial Intelligence: Unlocking the Gulf’s Potential; Semafor Haus; Belvédère Hotel; 5:15 p.m. —The unDavos Summit continues at the Mountain Plaza hotel. Full agenda here. THANKS TO: Camille Gijs, Sarah Wheaton and producer Dean Southwell. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | Global Playbook | West Wing Playbook | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook | Paris Playbook
| | Follow us | | | | |
