Davos 2025: Positive Momentum or Misplaced Confidence?

Every January, Davos, a popular ski resort in the Swiss Alps, captures the world’s attention as global leaders gather for the annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting. They convene to discuss the future of our planet, address pressing geopolitical and economic issues, and explore opportunities for progress.

This year, from January 20 to 24, over 1,600 business leaders—including 900 of the world’s top CEOs—joined more than 350 governmental leaders, including over 50 heads of state and government. Under the theme “Collaboration for the Intelligent Age,” conversations centered on five critical themes shaping the global economy: reimagining growth, industries in the intelligent age, investing in people, safeguarding the planet, and rebuilding trust.

The prevailing mood was one of confidence. Despite geopolitical turbulence, AI disruption, and significant economic uncertainty, CEOs emphasized momentum, progress, and a readiness to act. The energy was optimistic, the vision ambitious, and the rhetoric bold.

But as I reflected on the key discussions, I couldn’t help but ask—are today’s leaders doubling down on legacy strategies when they should be rethinking the fundamentals? Are they confusing forward motion with real progress?

Let’s examine whether Davos 2025 was a showcase of genuine strategic foresight—or a demonstration of misplaced confidence.

1. US Policy and Trade Wars: Reacting vs. Reinventing?

CEOs are bracing for new tariffs, trade disputes, and regulatory shifts under the new U.S. administration. Many are focused on reacting—adjusting supply chains, renegotiating contracts, and mitigating short-term risks.

But here’s the real issue: global supply chains were already fragile before any policy changes. The real winners won’t just be those who adapt to changing regulations; they’ll be the ones who fundamentally rethink supply chain resilience.

Trade wars expose structural weaknesses that require long-term reinvention, not just short-term adjustments. Instead of simply maneuvering around policy changes, leaders should be asking: How do we build supply chains that are future-proof, localized, and adaptable? The companies that thrive won’t just navigate policy shifts—they’ll rewrite the rules.

2. Generative AI: Game-Changer or Illusion?

AI is undeniably transformative, but the enthusiasm at Davos seemed overstated. While generative AI has been heralded as the next great revolution, only 11% of pilots actually scale because companies are treating AI as a plug-and-play tool rather than a fundamental business reinvention.

While use of AI, even as a tool will drive productivity gains, without rethinking workforce structures, decision-making, and operational models—a fundamental rewiring of how decisions are made, how work is done, and how value is created, AI will not deliver on its potential. The companies that truly unlock AI’s potential won’t just implement it—they’ll redesign their organizations around it.

CEOs should be asking this fundamental question: Are we using AI to automate tasks, or are we leveraging it to redefine how work gets done and how we can become more valuable?

3. 21st-Century Leadership: Is Resilience Enough?

At Davos, resilience, grit, and empowerment were highlighted as defining traits of modern leadership. While these qualities sound great on stage, in today’s disruptive business landscape, they’re not enough.

Success requires more than endurance (a sum of grit and resilience), it demands the ability to challenge assumptions, embrace paradox, and make counterintuitive bets.

Leadership today isn’t about resilience in the face of disruption—it’s about being the force that shapes the future with bold, unconventional moves.

4. Health Innovation: Fixing Symptoms, Not Root Causes.

Workforce burnout, mental health, and shifting work dynamics were widely discussed at Davos. These are real problems, but they’re symptoms of a deeper issue—outdated workplace structures, unrealistic productivity expectations, and misaligned incentives. Many of the proposed solutions, like wellness programs, flexible policies, and mental health initiatives, tend to just treat symptoms rather than root causes.

Let’s be honest. We don’t need more wellness programs. We need to rethink work itself. Should the future of work align with human performance, delivering high productivity and impact, where value creation not just output volume, becomes the standard.

What leaders should be asking: Are we truly addressing the causes of burnout, or are we simply putting band-aids on a broken system?

5. Space: The Next Economic Frontier or Overhyped Dream?

The space economy was framed, by many companies at Davos, as the next great frontier.

My question: Are businesses truly prepared for this?

My take: No, they’re not prepared because they’re not thinking big enough.

My opinion: Space won’t just be an extension of today’s industries—it will fundamentally alter how we live, work, and interact.

Most businesses still view space as an extension of today’s industries rather than as a catalyst for entirely new markets. The winners won’t be those who enter space as an afterthought; they’ll be the ones who redefine their industries through it.

Integrate space into your long-term strategy today so that you can define your category paradigm for tomorrow.

Optimism vs. Overconfidence: The Fine Line That Will Define the Future.

Davos 2025 reinforced the belief that it’s time for leaders to take action. Momentum is building. Confidence is high. But is it well-placed?

The companies that will lead the future won’t just be optimistic—they’ll be clear-eyed, pragmatic, and willing to challenge their own assumption while being open-minded toward all the new and disruptive technologies and the continually reshaping landscape that we will live in.

They will need leaders that won’t just respond to the shifts or adapt to change but will actively shape the future!

Are you one of them?