Arianna Huffington at Davos…
Burnout, Davos-Style
As I said, getting enough sleep isn’t the highest priority among Davos participants. It’s partly the active, after-hours scene (many of the parties don’t even start until 10 or 11), and partly the way lack of sleep has become a sort of virility symbol for many of the world’s movers and shakers. In the cult of no sleep, 7 a.m. is the new 9 a.m. Despite the late nights, trying to make a breakfast appointment in Davos is an exercise in sleep deprivation one-upmanship. “Oh, hi Arianna, yeah, 8 is a bit late, but it’s fine because that’ll give me time to have gotten in a couple of ski runs and a conference call with Moscow first.” The WEF organizers have apparently noticed the trend and have put together a panel to explore the question, “Why is it the latest fashion to be a burnout victim?” The panel description defines burnout as “a condition of emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion” that results when “striving for recognition and success is exaggerated and the balance between work, family life and leisure is lost.” The panel is fittingly scheduled for Saturday, the last day of the forum, in the middle of the afternoon, which seems like a missed opportunity — how much more resonant it would have been if it was held at 3:30 a.m. instead of 3:30 p.m.
It’s still tone-deaf.