The 2018 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland recently concluded. During the conference there were many moments and points that will remain in our memory and will be taken up again by global leaders.

The big players of tech and taxes

“Google and Facebook are a menace”, George Soros warned at the 2018 World Economic Forum. But the philanthropist was not the only one to accuse the big players of tech. Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple and the Chinese companies Alibaba and Tencent are worth around 4,000 billion dollars in the stock market. This is equal to all of the listed companies of the Eurozone. So, it is no coincidence that they are the ones accused of abusing their market power and of creating market monopolies and dependency amongst the general population. In response to these accusations, at least the financial ones, Google CEO Sundar Pichai noted: “It’s not an issue about the amount of tax we pay, as much as how you divide it among various countries”.

America first

In Davos, Donald Trump stole the stage from everyone, even Merkel and Macron, the unquestionable protagonists during the event’s opening days. Although he has been emphasising his America first motto, the president decided to reassure Europe and big business: “We absolutely believe in free and fair trade and anybody who wants to do trade with us on a reciprocal basis is welcome to do it.”

European announcements

Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron concentrated on the defence of European institutions and declaring the values and historical meaning of the union. Together. In direct antithesis to Trump’s individualism. Macron spurred his European partners to take courageous action to build a strong Europe. However, this was not without the typical French nationalism: “France is back”, he declared. He also urged the “slower” countries not to hinder the development of the others.

Cryptocurrencies under scrutiny by top officials

At the 2018 World Economic Forum, it was impossible not to talk about what could revolutionise the economy of the future. All of the participants at Davos spoke about cryptocurrencies, and the IMF’s Managing Director Christine Lagarde accused them of facilitating the financing of crimes and declared that the IMF is closely monitoring bitcoin. Alongside the scepticism and fear of the “bubble”, there is trust in the technology governing them, blockchain.

The year of women

A forum that has always been the prerogative of men this year played host to seven important women. In Davos, seven women in top positions graced the stage: Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund Christine Lagarde, Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg, IBM CEO Ginni Rometty, CERN director-general Fabiola Gianotti, the number one at the French energy company Engie, Isabelle Kocher, the Indian activist who works on empowering female entrepreneurs Chetna Sinha and the General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation Sharan Burrow. But the role of women was also one of the central themes of the 2018 World Economic Forum: According to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, for example, hiring, promoting and keeping women at work is one of the top objectives that companies should pursue. “We need to change the culture so that women can feel welcomed, but also supported”, he said. “Equal pay between men and women is a problem we need to resolve. By the end of the year, Canada will launch a federal law for compensation transparency”.