WEF26 · Larry Fink on Trust, Relevance, and Davos’ Disconnection
Can an elite club fix its own legitimacy problem before asking the world to sit still for it?
Session: Welcoming Remarks & Special Address
Speaker: Larry Fink
Location: Davos, Switzerland
Source: WEF Annual Meeting 2026 — Opening Remarks
The clip opens not with a proclamation, but with a question:
who actually cares about this gathering?
“Will anyone outside this room care what we’re doing here?”
It’s a crisis of legitimacy, thinly veiled as self-reflection.
The speaker acknowledges that for “many people,” this meeting *feels out of step with the moment,” especially in an age of rising populism and deep institutional mistrust.
“…for many people, this meeting feels out of step with the moment… an established institution in an era of deep institutional distrust.”
He doesn’t dismiss the criticism. He embraces it — politely.
He then reminds us that he believes in the forum’s mission because he’s leading it. This is offered as evidence of sincerity rather than, say, a structural problem.
“I certainly wouldn’t be leading this if I didn’t believe that we can change and make the world better.”
But, in the same breath, he admits the obvious:
“…it’s also obvious that the world now places far less trust in us to help shape what comes next.”
This is a leadership memo framed as a confession. The “we” here includes the assembled elites, stewards of global capital, and the institutions that orbit them. The world beyond Davos, by implication, is watching with increasing skepticism.
The clip doesn’t offer solutions. It doesn’t pledge repair or restitution. It simply frames the problem as a matter of perception and trust.
Which, in an era of deep mistrust, may be the most Davos-ish thing of all.
Filed for archival purposes. Video excerpt above.