Episode #228 - Peter Goodman

Peter S. Goodman is the global economic correspondent for The New York Times. In his latest book, Davos Man: How the Billionaires Devoured the World, Peter exposes the ways in which members of the elite, affluent class have a hidden impact on almost every aspect of modern society. 

For those of us that keep track of agriculture and the food industry, we’ve seen the impact of these billionaires at work with the consolidation in the meat industry and with most of our food in grocery stores coming from a handful of powerful food conglomerates.

Peter uses the term “Davos Man,” coined by political scientist Samual Huntington to describe attendees of The World Economic Forum, an annual gathering of the world’s most powerful people. Started in 1971 by Klaus Straub as a non-profit organization, Davos is intended to “demonstrate entrepreneurship in the global public interest.” But as Peter describes in his book, what this event actually provides is an opportunity for secret meetings and clandestine deals. 

Co-host of the podcast, James Connolly, chats with Peter about the stories in the book and the ways in which “Davos Man” has stripped away protections and resources, all while bolstering their own wealth. In this episode, they cover:

• The comparison of robber barons of the past to the Davos Man of today

• Stakeholder Capitalism

• The Great Reset

• The normative behavior of billionaires

• The good and bad of Universal Basic Income (UBI)