Klaus Schwab Separates from WEF – New Career with Chat-GPT and Schwab Academy

Summary

After more than 50 years, Klaus Schwab is leaving the World Economic Forum (WEF) he founded. A new leadership team under André Hoffmann and Larry Fink takes over management, while Christine Lagarde could assume the position in the future. Schwab is focusing on building his new "Schwab Academy" and publishing AI-powered books about the "intelligent age."

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Detailed Summary

The World Economic Forum in Davos is taking place for the first time in 2026 without its founder Klaus Schwab. The January 2025 forum marked his last public appearance as an active leader, when he opened the event together with WEF chief Børge Brende and Federal President Karin Keller-Sutter.

Reason for departure: A few weeks after this opening, Schwab got into difficulties. An internal investigation was launched due to suggestive emails and excessive expenses. Although the investigation later yielded little incriminating evidence, Schwab stepped down from his positions beforehand.

New leadership structure: André Hoffmann, Vice President of Roche, and Larry Fink, head of the influential US financial firm BlackRock, take over the provisional leadership of the WEF. In the medium term, Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank, could assume the position.

Schwab's new project – the Schwab Academy: Schwab is now focusing on building the "Schwab Academy," registered as a company in Geneva since summer 2025. The Academy's goal is to prepare people for the enormous changes that the transition from the industrial age to the "intelligent age" brings – characterized by artificial intelligence and other technologies.

AI-powered books: Schwab is publishing a series of books with the support of Chat-GPT. The first book is titled "Thriving and Leading in the Intelligent Age." In the book, he describes the writing process as a direct demonstration of the possibilities of the intelligent age when human intention and collective intelligence come together.

The second book is called "Longevity and Retirement in the Intelligent Age." A third book focusing on "Restoring Truth and Trust in the Intelligent Age" is in preparation.

Remaining connection to the WEF: Schwab will not completely disappear from the WEF. The forum will hold an honor ceremony in 2026 for the award winners of the Schwab Foundation, a foundation for social entrepreneurship founded by Schwab and his wife Hilde. However, this is significantly less prominent than his previous appearances.

Key Findings

• The WEF will be held in 2026 for the first time without its founder Klaus Schwab – after more than 50 years of his leadership
• The reason for Schwab's departure were allegations of suggestive emails and excessive expenses; however, an internal investigation found little incriminating evidence
• The new leadership team under André Hoffmann and Larry Fink provisionally leads the forum; Christine Lagarde could assume leadership in the future
• Schwab is focusing on building the "Schwab Academy," registered as a company in Geneva since summer 2025
• He is publishing a series of AI-powered books on the "intelligent age," written with the support of Chat-GPT
• The books address topics such as leadership, longevity, and retirement in the context of technological transformation
• Schwab's name will still be present at the 2026 WEF through the Schwab Foundation, but without a central role

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