There are no experts of tomorrow, only of yesterday

Despite having one of the largest economies in the world, the European Union (EU) remains deeply divided. Income inequality poses a key challenge to the economic bloc, and one that it will have to overcome if it is to survive, according to the Strategic Economic Outlook on Europe published at Davos, as part of the World Economic Forum annual meeting.

   Giuseppe Conte, Prime Minister of Italy, said that “our experience might be an indication of what Europe will look like tomorrow. A sense of despair is spreading. Even the middle class is facing poverty. Everyone feels that tomorrow will be worse than today.”. Conte proposes some urgent interventions to “heal our severe social wounds”. These include citizen income and a flexible retirement age.

   We should move on and make a huge step forward. For instance, Jack Ma, a billionaire Chinese business magnate, investor, philanthropist, and co-founder and executive chairman of the Alibaba Group, said in Davos that “there are no experts of tomorrow, only of yesterday”!

   He added that “in business, never worry about competition, never worry about the pressure. If you worry about pressure, don’t be a businessman… If you create value, there is opportunity. Today the whole world worries. That means there is great opportunity.”.

   “How can we teach kids to be more creative and do things that machines cannot do? Machines have chips, but human beings have hearts. Education should move in this direction. […] To manage smart people, you have to use culture, the value system, they believe what they do. If you just want to use rules and laws and documents to control - that’s how you control stupid people.”

   Over the above, that is how Europe could be again the best place to live on planet. This is how European leaders could invest on new generations, providing a better future for them, a culture that evolves over the fourth industrial revolution. We must learn from business leaders. For example, how we can prepare for future migration scenarios? How we can ensure that everyone will still have income, and a sustainable path of living?