Summary of Peter S. Goodman's Davos Man

Everest Media

Description

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.
Sample Book Insights:
#1 The annual pilgrimage known as the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, has become an essential stop on the traveling circuit of the global elite. The Forum has turned itself into an indispensable stop on the traveling circuit of the global elite.
#2 The United States was the primary architect of the post–World War II liberal democratic order, which had worked magnificently for the sorts of people who flocked to Davos. But Trump was promising to blow up globalization, and many of the same forces that had put him in office were behind Brexit, an assault on another pillar of the global economy.
#3 Davos Man was not big on introspection. He was mostly annoyed that inequality was even a topic, given that it clashed with his favorite sort of tale: the ones where everyone lives happily ever after so long as the unfettered pursuit of wealth is sacrosanct.
#4 I was shocked at the contrast between the Forum’s noble packaging and its crude reality. I saw billionaires engage in simulations of the Syrian refugee experience before enjoying truffles at dinners thrown by global banks.

Sujets

• Capitalism
• Ideology

Informations

• Publié par: Everest Media LLC
• Date de parution: 19 mars 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781669354499
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Insights on Peter S. Goodman's Davos Man
Contents Insights from Chapter 1 Insights from Chapter 2 Insights from Chapter 3 Insights from Chapter 4
Insights from Chapter 1

#1

The annual pilgrimage known as the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, has become an essential stop on the traveling circuit of the global elite. The Forum has turned itself into an indispensable stop on the traveling circuit of the global elite.

#2

The United States was the primary architect of the post–World War II liberal democratic order, which had worked magnificently for the sorts of people who flocked to Davos. But Trump was promising to blow up globalization, and many of the same forces that had put him in office were behind Brexit, an assault on another pillar of the global economy.

#3

Davos Man was not big on introspection. He was mostly annoyed that inequality was even a topic, given that it clashed with his favorite sort of tale: the ones where everyone lives happily ever after so long as the unfettered pursuit of wealth is sacrosanct.

#4

I was shocked at the contrast between the Forum’s noble packaging and its crude reality. I saw billionaires engage in simulations of the Syrian refugee experience before enjoying truffles at dinners thrown by global banks.

#5

The Davos Man must have hoped to be reassured that the story would end happily, but he was in for a bummer. Ian Goldin, a professor of globalization at Oxford University, warned attendees that they were at risk of wasting the potent virtues of the modern economy.

#6

The panel discussions in Davos were a mix of globalization boilerplate and criticism of capitalism. Some suggested that the key to reinvigorating the middle class was to create a favorable environment for moneymaking, while others said that artificial intelligence would create digital refugees who would be displaced from jobs.

#7

The word stakeholder is a Davos Man talisman. It demonstrates that the speaker cares about loftier matters than simply enriching shareholders. It demonstrates that they empathize with their workers and their children.

#8

Benioff was extremely fortunate to have met a lot of gurus in his life, and he often celebrates the concept of ohana, a Hawaiian term that loosely translates to family, at Salesforce gatherings. He views Dreamforce, the company’s annual conference, as a way to pursue better versions of himself.

#9

Salesforce, under Benioff’s leadership, committed to giving 1 percent of its equity and product to philanthropic endeavors. The company regularly volunteered at schools, food banks, and hospitals.

#10

Benioff’s version of compassionate capitalism airbrushed key stakeholders out of the picture: the government and labor unions. Under his logic, the wealthy are generous, so unions are an unnecessary intrusion on business, and taxes represent money seized by the government.

#11

Benioff had derived his wealth by helping make the world more unequal, arming the largest corporations with a tool kit that helped them enrich their shareholders. He relished his identity as a digital disrupter intent on turning business into the driver for social transformation. But his philanthropy, his genuine likability, and his empathy obscured the central reality of his enterprise: he was an enabler, a beneficiary, and a reinforcer of the world as it was.

#12

The World Economic Forum, which was originally just a meeting in Davos, Switzerland, has grown to be a global meeting place for the world’s most important people. The most powerful people on earth regularly attend, which reinforces the Forum’s intrinsic value.

#13

Schwab has a knack for sniffing out the next trend, and he has turned Davos into a venue for demonstrating social concern. He has invited multinational corporations to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to serve as strategic partners, securing access to exclusive lounges and private conference rooms.

#14

The Forum has benefited greatly from the influx of money flowing through it. It has spent almost $80 million on land and buildings, and has provided Klaus Schwab with a series of for-profit businesses, all while maintaining that the money is from donations.

#15

Hans Schwab, the founder of the Forum, was able to capitalize on the narcissism of the powerful. He was able to convince China’s president, Xi Jinping, to attend Davos and deliver a keynote speech.

#16

During the annual meeting of the world's billionaires, Davos Man defended globalization and its effects on inequality, as the stark reality is that globalization has reduced the bargaining power of workers and corporations have taken advantage of it.

#17

Trump’s presidency was met with optimism by many in Davos Man's circle. They were thrilled about his plans to cut taxes, which would result in even more money landing in their accounts beyond the reach of any pesky tax collectors.

#18

Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, is the epitome of success in an age defined by innovation, iconoclasm, and net worth. He has played along, serving up innocuous Jeffisms that are embraced by the business world as the secrets to effective management.

#19

Trade has been a crucial component of a world order that has discouraged armed conflict. And yet, many people have become distrustful of international trade, which has been exploited by political movements offering fake solutions to real problems.

#20

The American economy experienced tremendous growth after World War II, and the three decades that followed did not eradicate deep-seated racial and gender discrimination in the United States. Yet within those thirty years, the United States saw broad economic advancement.

#21

Shareholder maximization was the principle at the heart of globalization as engineered by Davos Man. The trading system created at Bretton Woods was not built for the kind of globalization promoted by Friedman.

#22

The postwar order, which was established at Bretton Woods, had assumed that trading partners were more similar than not. But when China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001, every manufacturer on earth was supplied a cheaper way to make products: they could shift production to an authoritarian country teeming with people who were desperate for jobs.

#23

China’s exports grew from $266 billion a year in 1995 to nearly $2. 3 trillion in 2016. The beneficiaries of this surge were anyone who ever set foot inside a shopping mall or purchased anything online. But trade produces losers as well as winners.