This is a special episode of The McKinsey Podcastcovering last week’s meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos. McKinsey Senior Partners Becca Coggins and Shelley Stewart III speak with Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly about what was top of mind for CEOs—from geopolitics to leading through the AI moment to the faster-than-expected arrival of humanoid robots at scale.

Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy Ngiaw.

This is a special episode of <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-podcast">The McKinsey Podcast</a> covering last week&rsquo;s meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos. McKinsey Senior Partners <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/becca-coggins">Becca Coggins</a> and <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/shelley-stewart">Shelley Stewart III</a> speak with Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly about what was top of mind for CEOs&mdash;from geopolitics to leading through the AI moment to the faster-than-expected arrival of humanoid robots at scale.
Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy Ngiaw.

The McKinsey Podcast, our new flagship podcast series, takes you inside our global firm, and features conversations with experts on issues that matter most in business and management. McKinsey & Company is a management-consulting firm that helps businesses, governments, and not-for-profit organizations realize their most important goals. Topics covered in this series include strategy, technology, leadership, marketing, operations, organization, and the role of business in society.

The McKinsey Podcast features conversations with experts from global management-consulting firm McKinsey & Company, focusing on the issues that matter most in business and management.

The McKinsey Podcast

Our flagship series The McKinsey Podcast takes you inside our global firm, and features conversations with experts on issues that matter most in business and management. McKinsey & Company is a management-consulting firm that helps businesses, governments, and not-for-profit organizations realize their most important goals. Topics covered in this series include strategy, technology, leadership, marketing, operations, organization, and the role of business in society.

Our flagship series The McKinsey Podcast takes you inside our global firm, and features conversations with experts on issues that matter most in business and management. McKinsey &amp; Company is a management-consulting firm that helps businesses, governments, and not-for-profit organizations realize their most important goals. Topics covered in this series include strategy, technology, leadership, marketing, operations, organization, and the role of business in society.

Special episode: 2026 Davos highlights

As AI capabilities accelerate, nearly anyone can create software. The real business constraint is no longer code, but judgment: how quickly an organization can learn, adapt, and redeploy talent at scale. In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, Snowflake CEO Sridhar Ramaswamy joins McKinsey’s North America Chair Eric Kutcher to dig into how AI is industrializing intelligence, supercharging productivity, and forcing leaders to rethink everything from pricing models to workforce strategy.

In this recurring series on The McKinsey Podcast, Eric speaks with top CEOs about the practice of leadership

The McKinsey Podcast is cohosted by Lucia Rahilly and Roberta Fusaro.

To watch the full-length version of this interview, visit The McKinsey Podcastplaylist on McKinsey’s YouTube channel.

As AI capabilities accelerate, nearly anyone can create software. The real business constraint is no longer code, but judgment: how quickly an organization can learn, adapt, and redeploy talent at scale. In this episode of <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-podcast">The McKinsey Podcast</a>, Snowflake CEO Sridhar Ramaswamy joins McKinsey&rsquo;s North America Chair <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/eric-kutcher">Eric Kutcher</a> to dig into how AI is industrializing intelligence, supercharging productivity, and forcing leaders to rethink everything from pricing models to workforce strategy.
In this recurring series on The McKinsey Podcast, Eric speaks with top CEOs about the practice of leadership
The McKinsey Podcast is cohosted by Lucia Rahilly and Roberta Fusaro.
To watch the full-length version of this interview, visit&nbsp;<a href="https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhvMIsPbo0GAPNJfL83RKPmeuJRSk0KKu&amp;si=PldqxOy2OWYRvFFW">The McKinsey Podcast playlist</a> on McKinsey&rsquo;s YouTube channel.

AI is turning every company into a software company

Affordable luxury: It may sound like an oxymoron, but in an uncertain economy, it’s striking a chord with cautious consumers looking for value—and expecting more from the brands they buy. “Brands are actively thinking about the fact that people are shifting their spending,” according to McKinsey Senior Partner Gemma D’Auria. “If they want to stay relevant, they need to meet their customers where they are.” In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, D’Auria and McKinsey Senior Partner Holger Harreis speak with Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly about , including what consumers want, where they’re finding it, and how fashion executives can use AI to enhance creativity, competitiveness, and the customer experience overall.

Any unanswered questions about this episode? Send them our way at: TheMcKinseyPodcast@mckinsey.com

Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy Ngiaw.

Affordable luxury: It may sound like an oxymoron, but in an uncertain economy, it&rsquo;s striking a chord with cautious consumers looking for value&mdash;and expecting more from the brands they buy. &ldquo;Brands are actively thinking about the fact that people are shifting their spending,&rdquo; according to McKinsey Senior Partner <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/gemma-d-auria">Gemma D&rsquo;Auria</a>. &ldquo;If they want to stay relevant, they need to meet their customers where they are.&rdquo; In this episode of <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-podcast">The McKinsey Podcast</a>, D&rsquo;Auria and McKinsey Senior Partner <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/holger-harreis">Holger Harreis</a> speak with Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly about , including what consumers want, where they&rsquo;re finding it, and how fashion executives can use AI to enhance creativity, competitiveness, and the customer experience overall.
Any unanswered questions about this episode? Send them our way at:&nbsp;<a href="mailto:TheMcKinseyPodcast@mckinsey.com">TheMcKinseyPodcast@mckinsey.com</a>
Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy Ngiaw.

The world is changing. Can fashion keep up?

How CEOs can navigate the new era of trade

Your AI questions, answered 

Tariff tumult. Shifting geopolitical alliances. AI acceleration. Structural shifts are reshaping global trade. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey Senior Partner Shubham Singhal and McKinsey Partner Jeongmin Seong speak with Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly about how to adapt to the current phase of global trade reconfiguration—from where to manufacture to supply chain decisions—and how best to invest.

In the second half of this episode, McKinsey Senior Partner Kate Smaje joins Lucia to answer some audience questions from our last McKinsey Live webinar, based on the second edition of the book Rewired, about how to rewire your organization in the age of digital and AI.

This episode has been adapted from our McKinsey Live webinar series.

Tariff tumult. Shifting geopolitical alliances. AI acceleration. Structural shifts are reshaping global trade. On this episode of <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-podcast">The McKinsey Podcast</a>, McKinsey Senior Partner <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/shubham-singhal">Shubham Singhal</a> and McKinsey Partner <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/jeongmin-seong">Jeongmin Seong</a> speak with Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly about how to adapt to the current phase of global trade reconfiguration&mdash;from where to manufacture to supply chain decisions&mdash;and how best to invest.
In the second half of this episode, McKinsey Senior Partner <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/kate-smaje">Kate Smaje</a> joins Lucia to answer some audience questions from our last <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-live/webinars/rewired-to-win-reimagining-the-enterprise-with-tech-and-ai">McKinsey Live webinar</a>, based on the second edition of the book <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-on-books/rewired">Rewired</a>, about how to rewire your organization in the age of digital and AI.
This episode has been adapted from our <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-live/webinars">McKinsey Live webinar series</a>.

Special episode: 2026 Davos highlights

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