Historian who called out billionaires at Davos last year not invited back in 2020

Approximately 53 heads of state, 119 billionaires and countless other CEOs are in Davos this year for the annual gathering of the world’s elite. But one person who won’t be returning is Dutch journalist and historian Rutger Bregman.

Bregman, who went viral last year for calling out billionaires for tax avoidance, has reportedly not received an invitation this year. He jokingly tweeted last night, “For some reason, I haven't been invited to Davos this year. Was it something I said?”



Last year during a panel, Bregman called out Davos attendees for not addressing the elephant in the room – taxation. He said the industry had to stop talking about philanthropy and start focusing on taxes.

“Almost no one raises the real issue of tax avoidance, right?” said Bregman. “It feels like I’m at a firefighters conference and no one’s allowed to speak about water.”

He later admitted that his speech had not gone down well with the audience. “The response in the room was quite aggressive.”