The World Economic Forum’s annual gathering at Davos kicked off on Monday, and once again the snowy Swiss retreat has generated some criticism online.
While the list of high-profile attendees who traveled to the gathering see it as an important exchange of ideas on the global economy, environment, COVID-19, and the war in Ukraine, others don’t always quite agree.
The event is regularly targeted both by conspiracy theorists who say its members concoct nefarious schemes at the Alpine resort, and by critics who say its ultra-wealthy attendees are out of touch — or that it’s become little more than a junket for corporations, government officials, academics, and journalists.
Advertisement
This year is no different, it seems.
From harsh words — including a notable dig by former New York Times editor Jill Abramson — to video clips shared widely among detractors, here are some moments that have stood out.
Abramson: ‘not impressed’
Abramson, who left the Times in 2014 and is now a distinguished professor of practice at Northeastern University’s school of journalism, offered the most (or, perhaps, least) quotable critique of the event and its cozy relationship with reporters.
In an email to former Buzzfeed News editor and Times columnist Ben Smith that was featured Wednesday on Smith’s news website Semafor, Abramson reportedly said Davos “was — and is, a corrupt circle-jerk.”
Former @nytimes editor Jill Abramson is not impressed with its presence at Davos https://t.co/NRAyujMRaE pic.twitter.com/n2mCrOGW8m
— Ben Smith (@semaforben) January 18, 2023
Abramson, Semafor reported, was disturbed to see how much coverage the WEF was receiving in the Times, much of which she dismissed as “sweetener to flatter the CEOs” who hobnob there and appear on its panels.
(In an email to the Globe, Abramson confirmed she sent the message to Smith privately, and stood by it. But she said she “might have used a few more polite words” had she known it would be widely shared.)
Advertisement
‘Extra-terrestrial’ John Kerry
Former Massachusetts senator John Kerry, who is currently President Biden’s special envoy for climate, attracted attention from conservative news outlets Tuesday when video circulated online of him describing the collective power of the “select group of human beings” gathered at the conference.
Attendees, he said, “are able to sit in a room and come together and actually talk about saving the planet,” adding that it was “almost extra-terrestrial to think about, quote ‘saving the planet.’”
“If you said that to most people, most people they think you’re just a crazy tree-hugging, lefty-liberal — you know — do-gooder-whatever,” said Kerry, who spoke during a panel titled “Philanthropy: A Catalyst for Protecting Our Planet.”
Unsurprisingly, one of the furthest-reaching critiques of that portion of his speech was from “RNC Research,” a Twitter account linked to the Republican National Committee, which posted a clip of his appearance.
John Kerry to the elites gathered at the World Economic Forum in Davos:
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) January 17, 2023
"It's pretty extraordinary that we, a select group of human beings...are able to sit in a room and come together and actually talk about saving the planet." pic.twitter.com/ZjHabcg8Oo
Musk’s non-invitation
Elon Musk, meanwhile, has been part of the discussion despite not being at the event. In December, he claimed that he’d turned down an invitation to the conference because he thought “it sounded boring af lol.” But a WEF spokesman said Tuesday that he hadn’t actually been invited, according to the Associated Press, which reported that the Tesla CEO and Twitter owner was last invited in 2015, and has never attended.
Musk has been throwing jabs at the event this week from the sidelines, including comparing the views expressed there to those found on the online message board 4chan. On Wednesday, he posted a poll asking followers whether “The World Economic Forum should control the world,” with two options: “Yes” or “No.”
Advertisement
The World Economic Forum should control the world
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 18, 2023
A Sinema-Manchin high-five
West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, a Democrat, and Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema, who left the Democratic Party last year and registered as a political independent, were both seen as spoilers amid Democrats’ slim majority in the Senate, each generating their share of headlines this year.
So it was only natural that a high-five shared between the two of them while on stage at the glitzy retreat would attract some attention.
Manchin and Sinema slapped hands to celebrate their refusal to end the filibuster, a Senate policy that makes it difficult to pass legislation, and which critics say blunts progress.
Celebrating their stance in a room packed with some of the world’s wealthiest people made it a particularly unsavory move to their opponents — and despite lasting just a moment, it became one of the most discussed few seconds of the event thus far.
Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin—surrounded by billionaire CEOs in Davos—share a high five after agreeing that they won’t reform the Senate filibuster.
— Sawyer Hackett (@SawyerHackett) January 17, 2023
She still hasn’t held a town hall for her constituents. pic.twitter.com/HC7LhqijwW
Spencer Buell can be reached at spencer.buell@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerBuell.