Good morning. When black rock CEO Larry Fink became co-chair of the World Economic Forum last year, he called US President Donald Trump and asked him to come speak, what he did. Fink also called Scott Galloway, an author, podcaster and marketing professor at NYU Stern who has a very different view of what will make America great. As Galloway told me last night at our annual meeting Fortune Global Leadership Dinner: “Larry Fink called me and said, ‘I want you to come.’ It was more than enough.
While the WEF focuses on heads of state, I joins a media scrum After Trump’s meeting with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, I thought I’d bring you some insights from my conversation with Galloway. (I first met Galloway in 2009 as a mentor at the Kairos Summit hosted by then-Wharton student Ankur Jain, who later founded the Bilt Group.)
Galloway last attended the WEF in 1999. “Back then, the calling sign of America was consumerism; it was more cooperation and alliances. Today, I think the calling sign of America is chaos, corruption and coercion,” he said. “America has been the operating system of the world…There’s just a sense of unease…In 1999 we were saying ‘we want more,’ now we want to make sure things don’t get worse.” He hailed Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s speech as the best of the week. “All 27 EU member states should have been sitting behind him,” Galloway said. “Right now it’s like Germany and the 26 dwarfs.”
By soliciting both Galloway and Trump to come to Davos, Fink understands the power of the WEF to bring opposing worldviews together under one roof. I’ve heard Saudi Tourism Minister HE Ahmed Al-Khateeb compare notes with Switzerland Tourism CEO Martin Nydegger, I’ve seen Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick chat with random people in the room, including me, and I’ve seen dozens of world leaders find common ground during our dinners and lunches. (That’s why I also appreciated having Deloitte, AonPMI, Toptal and Workday sponsor editorial meetings that allow us to create our own green villages.)
On Monday, I hosted a CEO lounge to discuss the results of the Edelman Trust Barometer 2026in which 70% of respondents this year expressed an “island” mindset; they don’t want to talk, work, or even be in the same space with someone who doesn’t share their worldview. Richard Edelman told me that CEOs urgently need to tackle the resentment that is ravaging the business world.
What leaders achieved at Davos is never immediately obvious: the details of the Greenland deal, for example, are still sketchy— but by showing up, Davos attendees at least came together with an instinct for connection. This is a good starting point.
Contact the CEO daily via Diane Brady at diane.brady@fortune.com
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CEO Daily is compiled and edited by Joey Abrams, Claire Zillman and Lee Clifford.
