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

A historic wave of ownership transitions is set to reshape the backbone of the US economy. The fate of jobs, local spending, and wealth creation all hinge on whether enough qualified—and diverse—buyers can step in to continue to pave the way for small business ownership. In this episode, Shelley Stewart III, McKinsey senior partner and Roberta Fusaro, editorial director, talk about the scale and stakes of the "Great Ownership transfer". After, Ken Yearwood, McKinsey partner, joins to talk about the risks of inaction and the practical pathways to making these transitions work. 

The McKinsey Podcast: https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-podcast

Shelley Stewart III: https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/shelley-stewart

The Great Ownership Transfer report: https://www.mckinsey.com/institute-for-economic-mobility/our-insights/the-great-ownership-transfer-a-new-era-of-business-stewardship

McKinsey Institute for Economic Mobility: https://www.mckinsey.com/institute-for-economic-mobility/overview

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

A historic wave of ownership transitions is set to reshape the backbone of the US economy. The fate of jobs, local spending, and wealth creation all hinge on whether enough qualified&mdash;and diverse&mdash;buyers can step in to continue to pave the way for small business ownership. In this episode, Shelley Stewart III, McKinsey senior partner and Roberta Fusaro, editorial director, talk about the scale and stakes of the "Great Ownership transfer".&nbsp;After, Ken Yearwood, McKinsey partner, joins to talk about the risks of inaction and the practical pathways to making these transitions work.&nbsp;
The McKinsey Podcast: <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-podcast">https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-podcast</a>
Shelley Stewart III: <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/shelley-stewart">https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/shelley-stewart</a>
The Great Ownership Transfer report: <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/institute-for-economic-mobility/our-insights/the-great-ownership-transfer-a-new-era-of-business-stewardship">https://www.mckinsey.com/institute-for-economic-mobility/our-insights/the-great-ownership-transfer-a-new-era-of-business-stewardship</a>
McKinsey Institute for Economic Mobility: <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/institute-for-economic-mobility/overview">https://www.mckinsey.com/institute-for-economic-mobility/overview</a>
Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy Ngiaw.

Sell, close, or continue? The transfer of US businesses is at a crossroads

As generative and agentic AI reshape how work gets done, the real divide isn’t who has the best ideas—it’s who can turn them into real results at speed and scale. In this webinar, McKinsey Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly speaks with Senior Partners Kate Smaje and Robert Levin about the updated Rewired playbook—and why winning with AI now depends less on ambition and more on building the organizational capabilities to deliver.

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

This conversation has been adapted from our McKinsey Live series.

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

As generative and agentic AI&nbsp;reshape how work gets done, the real divide isn&rsquo;t who has the best ideas&mdash;it&rsquo;s who can turn them into real results at speed and scale. In this webinar, McKinsey Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly speaks with Senior Partners&nbsp;<a href="https://preview.mckinsey.com/our-people/kate-smaje">Kate Smaje</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://preview.mckinsey.com/our-people/robert-levin">Robert Levin</a>&nbsp;about the updated&nbsp;Rewired&nbsp;playbook&mdash;and why winning with AI now depends less on ambition and more on building the organizational capabilities to deliver.
<a href="https://preview.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-podcast">The McKinsey Podcast</a>&nbsp;is cohosted by Lucia Rahilly and Roberta Fusaro.
This conversation has been adapted from our&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-live">McKinsey Live</a> series.
Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy Ngiaw.

Rewiring for AI: From ambition to advantage

Most leaders herald the promise of AI, but many employees see it as a looming threat—a modern echo of Annie Oakley’s classic lines: “Anything you can do, I can do better. I can do anything better than you.” What does it take, then, to lead constructive partnerships between humans and AI agents at work? In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey Senior Partner Alexis Krivkovich and McKinsey Global Institute Partner Anu Madgavkar speak with Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly about new research on what AI can and can’t do, where humans will continue to add value, and what needs to happen to help all of us work side-by-side with agents and robots successfully.

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

Most leaders herald the promise of AI, but many employees see it as a looming threat&mdash;a modern echo of Annie Oakley&rsquo;s classic lines: &ldquo;Anything you can do, I can do better. I can do anything better than you.&rdquo; What does it take, then, to lead constructive partnerships between humans and AI agents at work? In 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/alexis-krivkovich">Alexis Krivkovich</a> and McKinsey Global Institute Partner <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/anu-madgavkar">Anu Madgavkar</a> speak with Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly about new research on what AI can and can&rsquo;t do, where humans will continue to add value, and what needs to happen to help all of us work side-by-side with agents and robots successfully.
Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy Ngiaw.

Special episode: 2026 Davos highlights

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