A More Somber World Economic Forum At Davos

The World Economic Forum, arguably the most prestigious gathering of world’s political, business and intellectual leaders (plus, absurdly, me and Robert Scoble), has officially opened at the tiny ski resort town of Davos, Switzerland. 2,500 attendees from 96 countries have flocked to the event this year, about 500 more than last year. And a record 40 heads of state are present as well. At least one rock star isn’t here this year, though.

The theme of this year’s event is “Shaping the Post-Crisis World,” and many of the dozens of sessions over the next few days are laser focused on the worldwide economic collapse.

There is a clear consensus among attendees that the worst is yet to come, and that we are facing the worst economic outlook of the last few generations. Some of the CEOs I’ve talked with (and most of the big company CEOs are here) are flat out scared about what kind of economic shock will hit them next.