Davos 2025: From the Great Reset to the Fear of Becoming Obsolete?

Five years ago, in the wake of the COVID pandemic, the World Economic Forum (WEF) advocated for a "Great Reset", a radical transformation of our societies, leading to the disappearance of property in an ‘as a service economy’, heavily controlled by a combination of ‘enlightened’ global leaders from private, public, and civil organizations. A defining symbol of the global transition crisis that we analyzed at that time in our post, "Great Reset: Is Resistance Futile?"

Fast forward five years, that reset is finally happening—but in the exact opposite direction of what WEF leaders had envisioned:

• Instead of global governance, multipolarity is taking hold everywhere, driven by the rise of the BRICS and the U.S. pivot toward an "America First" approach.
• Rather than Malthusian policies, a global wave of deregulation is gaining momentum, notably in the U.S. with the DOGE and American's withdrawal from the World Healthcare Organization and climate agreements.
• Far from the Great Reset’s social credit agenda—which saw COVID as a "rare window of opportunity" to restructure societies—it is a powerful resurgence of populism that we observe. The victory of Trump, the rise of nationalism in Europe, the Global South’s push for independence, and the general backlash against DEI initiatives...  everything signals a major change in the zeitgeist (1).

A Seismic Global Shift

At Davos 2025 (2), despite former WEF president Klaus Schwab urging participants to maintain a sense of "constructive optimism," the new president highlighting that the world is at "the most uncertain geopolitical moment in generations" and the determined rhetoric of globalist figures like Ursula von der Leyen, the atmosphere has indeed felt quite deflated...

Not matter much Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang reaffirmed China’s commitment to economic globalization, multilateralism, and inclusive development—an ironic support to the WEF's long-term rethoric— the absence of key representatives from multiple countries has evidenced it: the era of globalization that defined recent decades is over.

A growing sentiment that Donald Trump’s characteristically bombastic speech has only reinforced: In just five years, the world has entered a new age.

The Fear of Becoming Obsolete (FOBO)

If there was one topic that has united all participants, though, it's the acceleration of technological disruptions. The WEF has long championed the Fourth Industrial Revolution. 2025 undeniably leaped into a new dimension: the generative AI revolution dominated every discussion. With multiple sessions highlighting the productivity shock triggered by agentic AI, the evolution toward AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) or ASI (Artificial Superintelligence), and their convergence with robotics. With Anthropic’s president suggesting that breakthroughs once thought to be a century away could arrive within the next decade. And with a general consensus: this acceleration will upend all traditional work models, across all industries.

All this creating a palpable sense of anxiety, with a new term spreading like wildfire across the conference halls: the Fear of Becoming Obsolete (FOBO).

A New Era of Change

A century ago, Thomas Mann set his seminal novel The Magic Mountain in a Davos sanatorium, capturing the decline of Europe just before the geopolitical upheaval of World War I.

Ironically, what better symbol of FOBO than Davos 2025, with its disoriented elites confronting a world in transition? Reciting virtue-signaling speeches and acting as self-appointed stewards of global destiny, while teams at Elon Musk’s companies in the U.S.—or DeepSeek in China—dismantle the old order.

No matter how hard WEF communicators stress the "alarming economic outlook for 2025", warn that geopolitical fragmentation could "shave 7% off global GDP," and call for new collaborative initiatives to usher in the "Age of Intelligence," history is already moving toward a different world—a multipolar, fragmented, and exponential one, where technological sovereignty is increasingly recognized as a vital imperative.

A Necessity for Tomorrow: Courage

Everywhere, decision-makers are asking themselves: What should we do? Align? Resist? Find new escape routes?

In Davos corridors, most decision-makers admitted facing uncertainty. Having yet no clear game plan for what’s coming. But being aware of one thing: they must prepare for every possible scenario. And above all, they must find the courage to navigate the disruptive years ahead. As Christine Lagarde noted in her speech, the coming years pose "existential" threats, particularly for Europe.

Courage: this will be more essential than ever. While the specter of nuclear escalation seems to be receding, a ruthless economic war is now taking shape in a definitively multipolar world, as the new US United States secretary of state, Marco Rubio, has boldly admitted.

The Paris AI summit has confirmed this: we are entering a fifth-generation war—informational, societal, and, above all, technological. A harsh reality further underscored at the Munich Security Conference, where U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance bluntly reminded Europe of its responsibilities and fate.

As the world enters a new global paradigm, difficult confrontations between the old and the new world are inevitable.

The real question remains: who will have the courage to face them?

The next post in this new "Future Frontlines: Navigating the Forces of Change" series will be published at the end of February, and will focus on analyzing Europe's challenges in this new world. Click here to subscribe > 

_{(1)  As we highlighted in our previous post: "What lessons can we draw from 2024, and what lies ahead in 2025?"}

_{(2)  The World Economic Forum (WEF) is a global organization that brings together political, business, and academic leaders to discuss economic policies, technological trends, and global challenges. From January 20 to 24, 2025, the forum convened 3,000 participants from over 130 countries in Davos, including more than 350 heads of state, government officials, and ministers. Centered on the theme “Collaboration for the Intelligent Age,” it focused on five key topics: Reimagining Growth, Rebuilding Trust, Safeguarding the Planet, Industries in the Intelligent Age, and Investing in People.}