Three days at Semafor World Economy 2026 in Washington, DC last week. I spoke on one panel (notes on that here). Mostly I was there to listen.
The opening dinner was in the Rotunda at the National Archives, twenty feet from the Constitution. The closing gala was under the glass roof of the Kogod Courtyard at the Smithsonian. In between, three people from the audience I'm still thinking about.
Gianni Infantino, FIFA
Much more engaging in person than I expected. Warm, funny, conversational. The FIFA dynamic ticket-pricing rollout for the 2026 World Cup still makes no commercial sense to me. I run a prediction-market company, market design is what we think about all day, and this one is going to erode fan trust before the tournament starts. But the man himself is a better sell than his pricing strategy is.
John Kerry
Revealing to watch him with a business hat on rather than a political one. Without the campaign register, what's left is drier and more operational. You can see what he actually thinks about problems, which is rarer than it should be from a former presidential candidate and Secretary of State.
Steve Bannon
I disagree with his politics. In person he was articulate and passionate. I take conviction seriously even where I don't share it.
Three reminders that watching someone up close is different from watching them from a distance.