Klaus Schwab’s home office is in addition to his normal Office. The WEF’s founder and his wife living next to the WEF headquarters in the Geneva suburb of Cologny. Schwab is the best-networked man in Switzerland – if need be, he’ll get the US President on the phone. In the past few weeks he has created the largest collaboration platform in the fight against the Coronavirus. The heads of the world’s 500 largest companies are in the process, there are weekly video conferences to exchange experience, recently Bank Chief Christine Lagarde (64) and Austria’s Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (33) reported Central. VIEW language Schwab on the phone.
Klaus Schwab: Stressful and busy as always! Yesterday, I had calls to 47 phone and five video conferences.
That was four weeks ago of the case. Meanwhile, the executives working at home, and again claimed the same as before the crisis.
My wife and I had four weeks ago, all the symptoms you have with a Corona disease. However, in a very mild Form. It was still a frightening Episode. Now we’re both back in top Form.
at this time, the Test for people with serious problems. Now I want to make the anti-body Test, to see if I’ve developed immunity.
We have already pointed out to 2017 on the dangers of a virus infection and in Davos, a coalition called the CEPI was founded. She is now one of the leading organisations in the development of vaccines.
We could not imagine in fact that this Virus is going to roll with this speed of Wuhan the whole world. We’ve been relying perhaps too much on the experience with epidemics such as Sars and swine flu. These remained limited to a specific region.
I am amazed at how little we still know about this Virus. There are too many prophets, the trombones are any Numbers in the world. Scientists say that the possibility exists that about one-fifth of mankind will be infected. This corresponds to about 1.5 billion people.
I think that is inhumane. We need to ensure that everyone can die in Dignity. But there would be a Surplus of sick people, which could also be of a good health care system like the Swiss have not coped. We need to prevent conditions such as in Italy or Spain.
This will depend on how quickly it is going to be a vaccine for this Virus, finally puts out of the way. Of course, business leaders today are rather pessimistic for 2020. You can, however, hope for a revival of the economy in 2021. I spoke with the boss of a large company that operates in China shops for luxury goods. For three, four weeks, open again, and the demand has recovered quickly. This is a light look!
Already in the beginning of this year, a global debt from the three times the world’s economic output! This debt-backpack will now be loaded even heavier. The good news is that countries like Switzerland have done the Right thing.
Yes. If we compare the total debt, because we are in an international comparison very well, even if the private debt is due to the mortgage burden is high.
businesses that are on maximum Profit and the shareholders, have less life force than companies that invest in the future You don’t now have the reserves it needs to survive a crisis. You have neglected your own life force!
The biggest U.S. carriers have spent in the past ten years, 96 per cent of their profits for the repurchase of shares!
It is better, if threatened companies fill their reserves. Also, every citizen puts something on the high edge, to prepare for the future, and not the money from a crisis quickly, to have a beautiful life.
of Course, these limitations will have a large damage. But we must not only focus on the material side. Because lives are at stake! Health has always be a higher priority than material well-being. Especially in a rich country like Switzerland: We can afford to have restrictions, not old people – who have our built up wealth – to be supplied in a gym barely.
There will be a victory over the Virus, if we have a vaccine. And this is likely to be in 12 to 18 months. It needs the capacity to quickly five to eight billion doses for the world population.
There are initiatives to speed the. Currently, a good ten success are promising vaccines in development. Normally, the admission to the market can take from three to five years. To accelerate this, we need to tolerate compromise in the clinical Tests. This could lead to a vaccine with side-effects on the market, which raises questions of liability.
In the first scenario, the crisis is relatively short, the economic consequences are so drastic, and we return to the old life. In the second scenario, the crisis makes us as a people, but also the Nations selfish, which would lead to the collapse of the EU. In the third scenario, we ask ourselves what we can from the crisis for the future of learning – a big part of my team.
people are losing their jobs, entrepreneurs in fear of their business model, Doctors, nurses, and many other vital areas of work limit to their power. This is huge Stress, and not slowing down.
There are three objectives. First, truthful Information, because there is in the Corona-crisis, a lot of Fake News. Secondly, the exchange among the best scientists. Thirdly, we provide a publicly available, in the case of the company, their products and services available to combat the Virus. Maersk, one of the largest logistics companies in the world, for example, to carry protective masks and protective clothing.
We do not know, of course, as then the Situation will be, especially in terms of travel restrictions. The need for a Meeting at the highest level will be bigger than ever. It takes after the Corona-crisis, a kind of Bretton Woods after the Second world war, where we learn from the experiences and the structures for the Post-Corona-develop time. The crisis makes us aware of how fragile and frail we are. We need to understand as a warning of nature.
To the Person
Klaus Schwab (82) studied, inter alia, mechanical engineering at the ETH Zurich and earned a total of five academic degrees. In 1971, he led, together with his wife, the first world by Hilde economic forum in Davos, GR. In January the found 50. Output – the Premier Meeting in the world! The World Economic Forum (WEF) with headquarters in Cologny near Geneva, employs nearly 1000 people.
