Klaus Schwab, the founder of the World Economic Forum (WEF), has resigned from his position as Chairman after 55 years of leadership. His departure marks a significant transition for the organization known for its annual Davos meetings, where global leaders converge to discuss economic issues.
🚨Just in: Klaus Schwab has officially resigned as the World Economic Forum's Chairman pic.twitter.com/z32BXNcLkC
— The Calvin Coolidge Project (@TheCalvinCooli1) April 21, 2025
Klaus Schwab, the founder of the World Economic Forum (WEF), has resigned as chairman and member of the WEF’s Board of Trustees, effective immediately, as announced on April 21, 2025. Schwab, aged 87, had led the Geneva-based organization for 55 years, establishing it in 1971 as a platform for global public-private cooperation, most notably through its annual Davos meeting of political, business, and other leaders.
DOGE: Klaus Schwab is out as WEF chair after a board probe exposed the group’s toxic culture AND more importantly, Trump cut off his US funding. His globalist dream lies in ruins, rejected by a world no longer fooled. pic.twitter.com/HauPxTCeRK
— @amuse (@amuse) April 5, 2025
The WEF confirmed his departure, quoting Schwab as stating, “Following my recent announcement, and as I enter my 88th year, I have decided to step down from the position of Chair and as a member of the Board of Trustees, with immediate effect.”
BIG DEAL: Klaus Schwab Retreats From WEF After Great Reset EXPOSED pic.twitter.com/IaCvmoSdmY
— Alex Jones (@RealAlexJones) May 21, 2024
The WEF board appointed Vice Chairman Peter Brabeck-Letmathe as interim chairman and established a search committee to select a permanent successor. Earlier reports, including one from Reuters on April 3, 2025, indicated Schwab had begun the process of stepping down, initially without a clear timeline, with some sources suggesting a transition might extend to January 2027. However, the April 21 announcement accelerated this, confirming his immediate exit.
News outlets, including The Independent, Toronto Sun, Yahoo, The Globe and Mail, Metro News, The Irish Times, Bloomberg, Investing.com, Deccan Herald, SWI swissinfo.ch, Live Mint, Times of India, CGTN, TradingView, Moneycontrol, and others, covered the resignation, noting Schwab’s long tenure and the WEF’s role as a key global forum. Some reports mentioned prior allegations of workplace issues at the WEF, investigated by external law firms in 2024, which found no legal violations or substantiated misconduct claims against Schwab.
Klaus Schwab’s immediate resignation as chairman of the World Economic Forum on April 21, 2025, rather than the anticipated 2027 transition, is likely driven by a combination of internal and external pressures. At 87, health concerns or a desire to avoid prolonged scrutiny may have prompted the accelerated exit. Allegations of workplace misconduct at the WEF, investigated in 2024 and reported by outlets like Reuters, though unsubstantiated, could have increased reputational risks, pushing the board to expedite the transition. Additionally, posts on X and some news reports suggest organizational challenges or strategic shifts within the WEF, possibly necessitating new leadership to address evolving global dynamics, may have influenced the abrupt change.