It’s that time of year again.
All the billionaires, technocrats, and corporate media shills are gathering in Davos, Switzerland, at the World Economic Forum (WEF) to ask why everyone else in the world despises them.
For example, does it ever occur to them that flying private jets into the Swiss ski town, while insisting that the rest of us make consumption changes to fight climate change, is a tremendously stupid display of hypocrisy that will only further erode trust in institutions? (RELATED: Lower-Caste Davos Attendees Left Stranded In Cold During Fyre Fest Of The Alps)
Take BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, who controls the world’s largest asset management company. Fink is a Davos man, par excellence. He knows why everyone hates the WEF and the 850 CEOs and 65 heads of state who attended, yet still isn’t willing to give it up.
France’s President Emmanuel Macron (R) gestures as he speaks next to BlackRock chairman and WEF co-chairman Larry Fink during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on January 20, 2026. The World Economic Forum takes place in Davos from January 19 to January 23, 2026. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP via Getty Images)
Fink acknowledged the deep distrust surrounding the World Economic Forum (WEF), stating Tuesday that for many the annual Davos meeting “feels out of step with the moment: elites in an age of populism, an established institution in an era of deep institutional distrust.” He admitted there is “truth in that critique,” and that the world now “places far less trust in us to help shape what comes next.”
He then insisted he would not lead the WEF if he didn’t believe in its potential, but stressed that for it to be “useful going forward, it has to regain that trust.” He conceded that a major failure of the Davos attendees has been their inability to listen to those left behind by globalization.
Adding to this concern, the BlackRock CEO warned that Artificial Intelligence “threatens to replay the same pattern,” potentially putting millions out of work while the gains flow “to the owners of models, data, and infrastructure.” The observation is particularly salient considering BlackRock itself is a significant investor in AI data centers and infrastructure.
This photograph taken on January 20, 2026 shows a general view of the town of Davos at nightfall during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos. The World Economic Forum takes place in Davos from January 19 to January 23, 2026. (Photo by INA FASSBENDER / AFP via Getty Images)
The decline of public trust stems from fundamental issues that Fink failed to address, such as the total financialization of the economy, the outsourcing of manufacturing jobs, forever wars, and corporate bailouts.
Rebuilding trust will not be achieved through more WEF gatherings, cheap rhetoric, non-profits, or data sheets.
Instead, trust can only be restored when leaders are held accountable for the detrimental policies they impose on the public. It requires high-profile climate activists to stop using private jets and demands that those at the top have skin in the game. If you’re a billionaire who’s worried about carbon emissions, book your next flight on economy with the rest of us proles.
Without skin in the game and real consequences for those in power, institutions — including governments, banks, and universities — will continue to exploit the average citizen across the globe, not just in this decade, but in decades to come.
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