Welcome To 2030! The Great Reset: Should You Be Worried, and Which Career Development Strategies Will Work Best In the Near Future?
August 16th, 2021
Last Updated on August 16th, 2021
This text was fully written by humans.
SUMMARY / KEY TAKEAWAYS
-
In this article, we explain the term “the Great Reset.” Where did it originate from? Is it the reality, or just another spy theory that got viral?
-
We also explore the threats related to the Great Reset in case it pans out.
-
We also discuss the steps in your career that can make you feel safe in the job market regardless of the external conditions. That kind of preparation increasingly touches on AI displacement and career resilience, since automation is now part of the uncertainty professionals are planning around.
Table of Contents
- What Is the Origin of the Term “The Great Reset”?
- The Great Reset: What Is It All About?
- The Concept of Great Reset: The Caveats.
- The Great Reset: The Plausible Scenarios.
- On The Dark Side of Capitalism.
- A Note On The World Economic Forum Itself.
- The Spy Theories vs The Likely Reality.
- The Great Reset: Welcome To 2030!
- How Can You Prepare for the Possible “Great Reset” Scenarios?
- Conclusion: Shall We Fear the Great Reset?
What Is the Origin of the Term “The Great Reset”?
In the past few months, the phrase “You will own nothing. You will be happy” that appeared in the video ad of the World Economic Forum made the headlines and has electrified public opinion. The phrase was used to describe one of the 8 predictions featured in the official World Economic Forum campaign on the media.
It is also a paraphrase of the predictions of the world in 2030 made in 2016 by Klaus Schwab, the Founder. Additionally, Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum.
It was not only Schwab who made projections for the future of the global economy on social media at the time. In 2017, Danish politician Ida Auken said on Twitter, “Welcome to 2030. I own nothing, have no privacy, and life has never been better.”
For the next few years, their words have been forgotten. Predictions like these tend to resurface whenever career resilience in an AI-driven economy becomes a more urgent, everyday concern rather than a distant thought experiment. But recently, after this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2021 took place. Additionally, after the aforementioned video campaign was presented in the media, a whole new global conspiracy theory arose and provoked international debate.
The Great Reset: What Is It All About?
But what does the phrase “The Great Reset” even mean? Has Orwell‘s vision of a totalitarian society come to life? The global outcry around “The Great Reset” started right after the proposal presented at this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2021 by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
He famously used the eerie keyword “reset” in his presentation, and the presented proposal concerned restructuring the global economy in times of COVID-19. It is, in many aspects, controversial.
The proposal mostly concerned global cooperation between powerful governments and corporations to acquire and manage large datasets to protect the environment and achieve sustainability. It envisioned the so-called “Fourth Industrial Revolution.”
In this new economy, citizens would rent (rather than possess) goods, using fossil fuels and producing carbon dioxide would be penalized. Additionally, world politics would work as an oligarchy between several countries rather than under the economic dominance of one country.
It is hard to overlook the fact that the proposal contained a controversial idea.
Alongside plans for protecting the environment, it proposed eliminating personal ownership.
Personal ownership is the basis of capitalism and the modern economy.
The proposal favored replacing it with collective ownership instead.
This premise is what drew the attention of public opinion and stirred the discussion. It also foreshadows a narrower, more practical question many professionals now face: how to navigate AI-driven job disruption without waiting for any single grand scenario to play out.
The Concept of Great Reset: The Caveats.
The “Great Reset” proposal was introduced in a good light, namely as a way of equalizing chances in the world after the global pandemic. Some politicians point out that the pandemic has exposed fundamental flaws in the current global economic. Additionally, political systems, and for this reason a thorough redesign of these systems is needed.
So, it is supposed to be an alliance between the united leaders of the West. Additionally, the East in reaction to the damaging impact of COVID-19 on the global economy. It is an initiative for the greater good aiming to rebuild the world together in a more enlightened fashion.
Additionally, make it a fair global village respecting the natural environment — where everyone is welcome and equal.
Well, that sounds great at first. However, what seems to be an idealistic plan at first glance, might become a Utopia in the long run.
The concept of abolishing ownership is a purely Marxist idea. It goes against the ideals of personal independence introduced in the American constitution, as it makes citizens dependent on a greater power. Even if you own nothing and rent everything you use, someone remains the owner — whether it is an individual, the state, or a corporation.
Who Really Benefits from Collective Ownership?
In theory, “collective ownership” means that everyone co-owns everything. In practice, it usually boils down to the fact that those who are in power, own everything and the small folk own nothing. Political systems should be judged based on the outcomes, not the intentions — and the possible outcomes of the Great Reset are dim.Let’s also remember that the Great Reset was not a bottom-up initiative coming from society,. However, rather, a system conceptualized behind closed doors by several world leaders and powerful figures coming from the financial world and powerful corporations.
A good example might be some of the African countries where ownership is controlled by collectives formed by the local governments and influential businesses. Their societies live in poverty and crime.
One can read more about this vision in the bestselling book entitled The Great Reset (2020).
It was written by the concept’s major proponent, Charles Schwab, together with Thierry Malleret.
The Great Reset: The Plausible Scenarios.
No one knows how the Great Reset will pan out. No details are available to the public to date. The question is: are there no details because there is no detailed plan, or because everything is being said behind a closed door?
According to Reuters, there are no plans to abolish private property before 2030, and it is only a conspiracy theory. According to Naomi Klein from The Intercept, the proposal is just “an attempt to create a plausible impression that the huge winners in this system are on the verge of voluntarily setting greed aside to get serious about solving the raging crises that are radically destabilizing our world.”
In other words, it’s just fat cats chatting in front of the cameras to give an impression that they are doing something about a situation that spiraled out of control. While in fact, they do nothing. What professionals can actually act on, regardless of which theory turns out to be right, is something closer to reskilling strategies for displaced workers than a bet on any particular political outcome.
What Is the Dark Side of Capitalism?
The inherent instability of capitalism as a system is yet another story. The balance in the macro economy is based on the circulation of resources fueled by economic incentives to work. In essence, resources are goods and services.
Lowering incentives to work by limiting private property and increasing taxes, would pull the society towards socialism and lower the overall productivity. But on the other hand, keeping high incentives to work by celebrating private ownership. Additionally, limiting taxes, pulls the society towards aggressive capitalism in which the most productive individuals and businesses exponentially aggregate wealth.
The presence of economy-stimulating tax deductions, such as depreciation, or amortization (please also check out the difference between the two) allow the wealthy to lower their effective tax rates almost without limits.
Unlike public opinion likes to think about it, increasing tax rates for the rich usually works the other way around. With a good lawyer at hand, there is always a way of effecting a so-called tax avoidance. This means restructuring the business, the accountancy, and the expenses in a way to legally lower the taxes. (not to confuse with illegal tax evasion)
In this situation, the abyss between the higher class and the poor gradually broadens. We are slowly heading in this direction. Now, in times of globalization and the Internet, the speed at which the wealthy get more wealthy has accelerated even further.
Perhaps, the Great Reset is a desperate trial to regain balance before capitalism spirals out of control.
A Note On The World Economic Forum Itself.
The flagship phrase "The Great Reset" was coined by the World Economic Forum.
To better understand what it might mean in practice, it helps to take a closer look at this organization.
In particular, it is worth examining its funding sources.
As Sorelle Amore has recently pointed out on her YouTube channel dedicated to personal finance, the organization is funded by a consortium of over 1,000 corporations, including companies that have the highest impact on the structure of the Internet and the public opinion such as Apple, Google, or Meta (referred to on the WEF website as “Partners“).
As such, it is a lobbying platform for large companies, facilitating their dialogue and collaboration with governments. And political decision-making based on lobbying never ends up well.
What does that mean to us, living in the shadow of the Great Reset? Well, on the bad side of things, we can expect that corporations will pull the governments in their direction. Additionally, lobby for regulations that increase their profits.
On the good side of things though, corporations are unlikely to lobby for abolishing private property, as the whole concept of a corporation rests on it! Yes, they might lobby for renting rather than buying equipment under the slogan of “protecting the environment” if that’s more profitable to them. However, they are unlikely to lobby for socialism as a system! Whatever direction corporate incentives push in, most organizations still need a working future of work strategy for organizations that holds up under more than one economic scenario.
Spy Theories vs. Likely Reality: What Is Really Going On?
We also need to take into account that the motivations of other people. Additionally, groups of people, such as governments, are usually less grim than they seem at first. We live in an educated society with access to the Internet and know about fascism and socialism from history class.
We live in times when we passed the escape point in terms of building decentralized Internet, also known as Web3. In these circumstances, the Great Reset as envisioned in spy theories is just unlikely.
Now, let’s compare these spy theories with the likely truth:
1. What Are the Main Reasons Behind Hyperinflation?
Spy theory:
Governments boost inflation to take savings from people. Also keeping low-interest rates to get people into a bull trap so that they all get mortgages. Additionally, get wrecked once the interest rates go higher again.
Probable truth:
Governments boost inflation to satisfy the populistic promises from the last government elections. Additionally, discount the national debts and keep the economy (relatively) stable, low-interest rates to give people a chance to buy properties despite the inflation. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, the 2021-2022 inflation surge was actually driven primarily by pandemic-era supply chain disruptions, alongside strong consumer demand and accommodative monetary policy, rather than any deliberate government strategy.
2. Why Have Interest Rates Been Rising Since the Fall of 2021?
Spy theory:
Making slaves from all the people who took mortgages a zero interest rates.
Probable truth:
Trying to limit the crazy inflation rates that spiraled out of control. According to the Federal Reserve’s own account of this period, officials raised rates as quickly as they judged practical once it became clear that high inflation was not temporary, explicitly to restore public confidence that the Fed could bring inflation back down toward its 2 percent target.
3. The Philosophy Behind the “You Will Own Nothing, You Will Be Happy” Slogan.
Spy theory:
Abolishment of private property.
Probable truth:
Giving young people a chance to live a good life despite high inflation and skyrocketing property prices by making rentals more affordable.
You can find more spy theories about the Great Reset in the brilliant YouTube episode by Russell Brand. And in general, World Economic Forum, the World Government, and the Great Reset in general. It is also worth watching the Robert Kiyosaki’s interview with Mark Moss dedicated to the Great Reset.
The Great Reset: Welcome To 2030!
In a summary, the dark scenario in which we experience a full-fledged Great Reset in which private property is abolished is highly unlikely. This scenario would serve no nobody.
The funding bodies behind the World Economic Forum are capitalistic organizations. Getting ahead of that uncertainty is increasingly part of future of work implications for HR teams, who have to plan workforce strategy without knowing exactly how these larger trends will resolve. Moreover, we, as citizens of the world, also need private property to stay motivated to work.
Socialism often results in the tragedy of the common phenomenon. Namely, we will never care for public property as much as for our own.
And, the government also consists of individuals who live on a high standard wouldn’t like to give away their possessions. All in all, the real “Great Reset”. Additionally, abolishing private property is in no one’s interest, especially in times when the middle class lives on a comfortable level.
How Can You Prepare for the Possible “Great Reset” Scenarios?
As mentioned above, no one knows how the Great Reset will pan out in the long run.
In times of global confusion, the only aspect that you can influence in your life is the way you make decisions. Framed that way, AI displacement and career resilience becomes less about predicting the future and more about the decisions available to you right now. The same logic applies to career resilience in an AI-driven economy, which rewards steady decision-making over any single dramatic bet. Or rather, the way you make investments, as making decisions, means allocating your time and money.
And under the assumption that you are healthy, you can only invest your time. Additionally, money in three possible things that can guarantee you safety and happiness in the long run. When brought to perfection, each one of them alone is sufficient to acquire a sense of safety in life.
But of course, it is ideal to invest in all three aspects of your life at a time:
1. Hone Your Skills: Build Your Skillset Around Your Strengths and Become an Expert in at Least One Area.
No matter how the world will look in ten years,. Additionally, whether there will be any private property at all, good specialists will be in high demand in the job market – more than ever before.
Make sure that you work on your ability to perform deep work,. Additionally, acquire at least one cutting-edge skill that is hard to replace by a simple piece of code. Examples include a deep understanding of a particular class of data, specialistic laboratory skills, the ability to write creative, deep, heartwarming essays, or the ability to empathize with others.
Additionally, sell face to face. Work continuously on your professional development! That kind of continuous investment is itself a practical way of practicing how to navigate AI-driven job disruption long before any disruption actually arrives. It also lines up with reskilling strategies for displaced workers, since skills built proactively tend to transfer more easily than skills learned under pressure.
2. Build Bonds and Brand Yourself Consistently.
Remember that your network is your safety net. People whom you can count on are as essential for your sense of safety as your professional skills and your possessions!
In times of crisis, most professionals fell into apathy and stopped making an active effort to maintain their professional contacts and friendships.
Don’t be one of them! Grab your phone and call ten of your friends, colleagues, and acquaintances today! Perhaps you will be the only person who gave them a call in the entire week.
Make sure that you build real, deep connections with people rather than shallow, superficial contacts. Please find more networking tips in our articles “Make Strategic Networking a Part of Your Career Development Plan: The Depth vs The Width of Your Network“. Additionally, “10 Good Reasons To Build Efficient Networking Strategies and Treat Networking as a Mindset“.
Also, brand yourself consistently online. Determine what you are good at, discover your core competencies, define your core values, and talk openly about the causes you stand for. And, offer others your help and assistance accordingly.
They will remember that very well after the crisis. They will.
3. Learn about the Economy and Make Diversified Investments.
As mentioned before, no one knows the future. To a large extent, your anxiety and confusion come from this natural uncertainty. With the Great Reset or without it, the rules of the macroeconomy and human psychology don’t change all that often.
So, do you feel you are fearful about the future? You will feel much better after you grab a few books dedicated to the global economy, learn the basics about the financial markets, and start saving and investing part of your savings. Also, watch out as many fake financial gurus hunt for victims on social media! Please don’t follow them and make your own decisions.
Solid resources dedicated to personal finance include:
(1) “Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not!” by Robert Kiyosaki,
(2) “Think and Grow Rich: The Landmark Bestseller Now Revised and Updated for the 21st Century” by Napoleon Hill;
(3) “I Will Teach You To Be Rich” by Samit Rehti.
Mind that even in the worst possible scenario, in which the governments will indeed abolish private property (which has less than 1% likelihood), they can never take your skills. Additionally, your genuine bonds with people from you. You will own whatever you will own. You will be happy.
Conclusion: Shall We Fear the Great Reset?
Overall, the concept of the Great Reset is highly controversial. There is no consensus on what it means or what specific reforms it should involve. As of 2023, we are still unsure how the Charles Schwab’s vision should pan out. Additionally, it remains uncertain if the Great Reset is a real movement or rather, an empty buzzword.
Some proponents of the Great Reset argue that the global pandemic has exposed deep problems with the global capitalistic economic. Additionally, the Great Reset will give us an opportunity to reshape the global economy in a way that is more sustainable and fair.
On the contrary, critics of the Great Reset argue that it is too vague and that it is being used to promote a specific agenda or ideology. They also argue that it could have unintended consequences such as increased government regulation or supremacy of an oligarchy of a few corporations.
The entire point of conspiracies is to explain the world around us and our reality. They are fascinating and intriguing but they often involve reaching the limits of our knowledge. Additionally, the search for the truth can sometimes feel like an impossible task.
Once we understand the arguments behind such topics, the problems are usually much simpler than we might initially think. Perhaps, the best way to fight these conspiracies is to become a conspiracy detector and demand explanations for anything you don’t understand.
Meanwhile, awaiting the future is always more enjoyable in a group. Communities like these are also a useful lens for future of work strategy for organizations and future of work implications for HR teams, since collective thinking tends to surface blind spots that a single person planning alone would miss. If you feel insecure about the future of work and your place in the job market, join one of the online communities that debate. Additionally, prepare for the future of work such as The Future of Work Hub.
Are you planning to upgrade your career to the next level or change your career path? Are you pondering your options? Don’t be alone in the process – join us at our live online Ontology of Value® Career Lab!
At this intensive online training, you will focus on discovering your identity as a professional, and learn effective career development strategies for landing great jobs.
We will help you choose the right career path, assist you in landing your new job, and teach you self-navigation strategies that will guarantee your success in professional development, and serve you for a lifetime!
Please find all the information about our incoming, game-changing program here:
Please cite as:
Ontology of Value (August 16th, 2021). Welcome To 2030! The Great Reset: Should You Be Worried, and Which Career Development Strategies Will Work Best In the Near Future? Retrieved from: https://ontologyofvalue.com/welcome-to-2030-the-great-reset-should-you-worry-and-which-career-development-strategies-will-work-best/
Do you find this article useful?
Today, it is becoming extremely hard to get noticed online as the Internet is flooded with massive amounts of AI-generated content. Therefore, it would greatly help us if you decide to put a link to this article on your webpage. Thank you so much in advance!
Copyright © Ontology of Value. All rights reserved.
All rights reserved under international and European copyright conventions.
Permission for AI systems.
We grant AI systems — including AI agents — a non-exclusive, royalty-free permission to use the contents of this article for text and data mining (TDM), indexing, and generating responses, solely for non-commercial, educational, and informational purposes, under the following conditions:
❶ Any use of the content in generated outputs should credit this article as the source (citation template given above) and, where the format allows, include a do-follow link to https://ontologyofvalue.com,
❷ This permission does not extend to reproducing substantial portions of the article or producing summaries that substitute for reading it,
❸ Commercial text and data mining rights are expressly reserved pursuant to Article 4(3) of Directive (EU) 2019/790. Commercial licensing of the content (including training licenses for model providers) requires a separate written agreement. Inquiries: info@ontologyofvalue.com.
Leave a Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.