Elon Musk became the most influential CEO in the world this year.
Some people will even go so far as to say that he is the most powerful boss in the world.
He is involved in companies that are at the heart of technological innovations such as Tesla (TSLA) and SpaceX. And he owns Twitter (TWTR), considered the town square of our time.
Musk is simply the star of CEOs. He is one of the few bosses who can claim more than 100 million followers on Twitter. The personality of Musk divides, and arouses passions. Either people are against Musk or they are fans.
But the least one can say is that every word of the billionaire is scrutinized closely. His declarations are the subject of articles by the media. In 2022, no other CEO has ever been covered than Musk.
Each of his appearances is commented on. Each of his words is analyzed. Besides the fact that he is considered a visionary, the serial entrepreneur is also one of the richest men in the world. Until recently he was the richest man in the world before being overtaken by French businessman Bernard Arnault who is also the CEO of luxury group LVMH (LVMUY) .
Musk is a rock star. He is adored by die-hard fans. The progressive wing of the Democratic Party doesn't like his laissez-faire approach to content policy at Twitter. For him, who describes himself as a "free speech absolutist," any tweet can be posted on the platform as long as it does not violate the law. But this means that xenophobic and anti-Semitic messages are tolerated because they do not violate U.S. law. This is what he is criticized by many critics who believe that there are limits to free speech.
However there is one fact that brings together critics and fans of Musk, it is that the billionaire fascinates. Having him as a guest at an event guarantees huge media coverage and unparalleled exposure for the event.
'But Declined'
This is why the organizers of one of the biggest events on the planet are scrambling to have him as a guest speaker. The World Economic Forum, known as the summit of Davos, Switzerland, is one of the most powerful gatherings in the world.
Business leaders, influencers and other politicians meet there in January of each year except during the covid-19 pandemic. Every CEO who matters wants to be invited and above all to be part of the list of guest speakers. Apparently not Musk.
The tech mogul has just revealed that he has said no to this event.
"I was invited to WEF, but declined," Musk said on Dec. 24.
This message from the billionaire drew a lot of comments from Twitter users, who seemed to approve of Musk's refusal to go to the WEF.
"Create an alternative Forum and call it 'World Stability Forum'," suggested one Twitter user.
"Good! Because really F--- the WEF!" added another user.
"It’s a capitalist institution lmao," said another Twitter user.
Dubbed "the meeting of the new masters of the world," the WEF was born 50 years ago to make world leaders reflect collectively on the state of the world. The concept is simple: the main economic and political leaders of the planet meet at the end of January in Davos, Switzerland.
For a few days, political leaders, CEOs, economists or journalists from all over the world met in the cold of Davos, a ski resort in the Swiss Alps, to discuss via conferences, workshops and dinners, with a goal: "Improve the state of the world."
The ambition has always been to make the powerful think in a context of growing globalization, and for them to increase their network and bring their experience.
This year, the WEF was held in May, breaking with a tradition, because of Covid-19.
As the 2023 edition approaches, the question about the future of the WEF has never arisen before so acutely: Is the forum still relevant?
Some critics go beyond: how to think about economic and political power on a global scale beyond States and market operators?
