Davos’ fight for relevance

Every January a collection of the world’s top business and political leaders head to the Swiss town of Davos for the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum. The event is a week of panels and networking meant to promote dialogue among elites. But a scandal last year threatened to overshadow the 2026 meeting, which begins in a few days. Critics have also questioned the event’s relevance in a changing world. The FT’s Switzerland and Austria correspondent, Mercedes Ruehl, explains the problems the WEF has faced and shares her reporting on how this year’s event is shaping up. Clips from the World Economic Forum, Instagram: @christinelagarde The FT does not use generative AI to voice its podcasts. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - For further reading: Microsoft and McKinsey pay up to $1mn each to back Donald Trump’s Davos hub Davos assured Trump ‘woke’ topics were off the agenda The Davos set in decline: can the World Economic Forum save itself? ‘A family enterprise’: WEF founder Klaus Schwab on alleged wrongdoing at Davos - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Follow Mercedes Ruehl on X ( @mjruehl ), or on Bluesky ( @mjruehl.bsky.social ) Michela Tindera is on X ( @mtindera07 ) and Bluesky ( @mtindera.ft.com ), or follow her on LinkedIn for updates about the show and more. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Davos’ fight for relevance is an episode from Behind The Money with the Financial Times by Topher Forhecz.

This episode is 22:19 long.

This episode was published on Jan 14, 2026.

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