Greetings from Davos. I'm here for the 44th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, where the theme is "The Reshaping of the World: Consequences for Society, Politics and Business," and I'm in a global state of mind. That's not only because I'm in the company of 2,500 business leaders, heads of state and young entrepreneurs from all over the world, or because I flew in yesterday from Munich and am bound next week for São Paulo for the launch of Brasil Post. It's mostly because we've chosen this moment to launch The WorldPost, in partnership with the Berggruen Institute on Governance. It's a moment that represents the culmination of more than a year of conversations between Nicolas Berggruen, our editor-in-chief Nathan Gardels, executive editor Peter Goodman and me about the need for a global platform that can bring together a mix of perspectives, from world leaders to young people whose voices might otherwise go unheard. And that's exactly what The WorldPost will do. With a mix of boots-on-the-ground reporting, opinion and analysis, The WorldPost will be a hub for everything from political and economic news to discussions of the cultural and artistic forces shaping and reshaping our increasingly global collective imagination....
There are certain issues that we believe are central in reshaping our world, which The WorldPost will relentlessly cover: the occupations and jobs of the future, including youth unemployment; personal and planetary sustainability; political governance; the future of China; philosophical and spiritual inquiries; global health and well-being; new approaches to fighting the drug war; and the ways that stress and burnout are impacting people's lives, companies' bottom lines and health care costs.The HuffingtonPost | The WorldPost
Covering the World: Introducing The WorldPost
Ariana Huffington
9 comments:
Okay, back in the 80s when I was running around Manhattan with my Euro Trash friends, I knew Nicolas Bergruen. He was this quiet, mousey little guy who was living off daddy's trust fund (his father was a very important, early, Picasso collector), didn't say much, but he was always at every party, sometimes with a hot girl, but definitely platonic.
I lost contact with him years ago and then all of a sudden I start reading about how he made billions and he's in all these ventures and this and that.
I'm telling you I was shocked because I figured this guy wouldn't amount to anything and he'd just spend the rest of his life spending his inheritance.
If you listen to Youtube interviews of Bergruen when he talks about how he made his money, he says he only had $250k and he started by buying an apartment, but then somehow parlayed that into billions in a relatively short time. Like it's so easy.
I can't tell you what, but something is shady about this guy, believe me. I hope Arianna Huffington did her due diligence before jumping in bed with him (not that I spend my life worrying about Arianna Huffington), but I am just in total disbelief when it comes to this Bergruen character.
I'm know him and he's a timid little nothing. Now he's some flamboyant billionaire jet setting around on a Gulfstream? Who did he blow?
AH is in many ways a strange person herself. (IMO)
She claims to be a progressive, yet, launched HP and didn't pay any of her website's contributors. HP was launched with the profit motive in mind and was sold to AOL for a reported $315 million with AH pocketing ~$21 million.
Nothing wrong with a little profit, but, relying on free contributions to drive revenue and bottom line in a for profit enterprise seems wrong to me?
Then she authors a book about the American middle class not having any economic opportunities and admonishing them to rely on their inner strength and resilience.
( No irony there )
I have to think many contributors were more than a little surprised when she cashed out without even a token of appreciation.
Her unabashed promotion of / shilling for Tony Robbins - a bona fide snake oil salesman (aka positive thinking self-help you out of your money guru, hot coal walking new age huckster) speaks volumes of strangeness as well.
All that positive *&%$ didn't help her run for governor in 2003 either.
Mike, from your description of Bergruen it doesn't shock me they found each other.
Is this where Ezra Klein landed?
Seve I think I read a group of former contributors have a lawsuit for $100m...
rsp,
Article on the Klein situation with some interesting blog metrics:
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/johncassidy/2014/01/maybe-ezra-klein-and-jeff-bezos-are-both-right.html
rsp,
Was Ezra Klein an asset to the Washington Post or was the Washington Post an asset to Ezra Klein? Klein strikes me as being similar to one of these "golden boys" from Goldman Sachs or Morgan. At the firm they're superstars, but when they strike out on their own, they end up being duds. We'll see how successful Klein is in his new venture. It goes without saying, if you have the name "Washington Post" behind you, it already gives you a huge platform.
I think that what we are seeing is the development of new models of delivering the news and commentary. The Post declines to fund Politico and it is wildly successful as a startup. The Huffington Post is also wildly successful as a startup, bootstrapping off freely provided content, Nate Sliver bows out of the NYT. Glenn Greenwald leaves the Guardian to start a new news outlet. Now Ezra. Kind of reminiscent of how cable ate broadcast TV.
Good news for us....an Ezra Klein freed from the corporatist chains of the Washington Compost might be more receptive to MMT. I'm sure he's at least heard of our stuff, right? I mean he is certainly smart enough to get it.
Justin,
Klein had Matthews do this write up a while back:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/modern-monetary-theory-is-an-unconventional-take-on-economic-strategy/2012/02/15/gIQAR8uPMR_story.html
So MMT is on their radar screen at least...
There is going to be a void over there at Wonkblog Justin perhaps give them a call and see if they are going to be looking for some more sharp young people in town who want to work/write on econ-policy... you have the chops imo.... (as long as they let you keep your "day job" at MNE of course :)
Another thing that is hard to believe is that the Al Gore people got like 300m from Al Jezeera for that cable channel they had started...
Looks like Klein envisions a almost 10m payroll where ever he goes... but I would think that you have to generate Drudge-like traffic to justify that kind of expense level...
rsp,
Thanks Matt, I didn't realize that HP was facing litigation from the contributors.
I wish them all the best.
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