And you and I may have to reconvene in Phoenix in early February, to discuss the ongoing
political situation, Gerry
48:24 | Gerald Baker
I understand there is something going on in Phoenix in early February. I'm hoping it's going to
involve the New York Giants, but I'm afraid it probably isn't, but it did last time.
48:32 | William Leis
Let's have fingers crossed. I want to end on, it's been a fantastic conversation. I've actually
learned an enormous amount. You two are fantastic. I think there is an argument that we're
feeling gloomy. I know we're not, naturally. So, let's finish on an upbeat note. What are we
feeling most optimistic about? What is there that we feel and business leaders are feeling
most optimistic about currently?
49:01 | Simon Freakley
Well, let me just jump in on this point. As you know, Will, AlixPartners does this disruption
survey every year. We interview 3000 executives around the world in the major Western
economies. We've just actually completed our cycle this year and the early returns are in. 84%
of those 3000 CEOs around the world are on average feeling optimistic. Yes, they've got
multiple disruptions. Yes, they've got multiple challenges. Yes, they know they have to, the
majority of them, fundamentally change their business model to the next three years. Yes,
they're feeling worried that maybe their own jobs are at risk. But fundamentally their
businesses, their markets, they're feeling pretty optimistic. 84% on balance of those 3000
interviews check the box of feeling optimistic, economically about the future.
49:53 | William Lewis
And Gerry?
49.54 | Gerald Baker
I think there's actually a very, potentially very positive interpretation one can put on that from a
political perspective, that one can put on the election results. I do think that voters have
indicated yesterday, it's not decisive, it's not dramatic, but I think they have indicated yesterday
they're sort of tired of the kind of disorder and chaos and uncertainty of politics in America
over the last five, six years, since the end of the Obama administration, since Donald Trump
came on the scene. And again, I fully understand why people voted for Donald Trump and why
they felt frustrated, especially given the alternative. But that period ushered in. There was so
much frustration with the existing political order that there was a kind of a sense, "Look, we'll
try anything. We'll try a complete outsider as president, we'll try", and politics became
dominated by these outsider figures who said things and did things that were kind of slightly
outrageous, maybe some way successful, but sometimes not so successful. But they were
destabilizing, they were chaotic, they were disruptive.
And again, disruption can be very good, as we all know, in business as in life. But I think
Americans have maybe just had enough of the uncertainty and the disruption, maybe a little
bit. They want to impose some order on the chaos. And those candidates you saw, those
Trump backed candidates, people like the guy I mentioned in Pennsylvania, Mastriano, all
these people who deny the result of the 2020 election, some of these rank outsiders, people
like TV stars like Dr.Oz in Pennsylvania or Blake Masters, the candidate in Arizona who is a
venture capitalist backed by Peter Thiel. These outsiders who came in offering disruption and