JAN.

26, 2026

TRUMP’S
NEXT
MOVE
INSIDE HIS
FOREIGN
POLICY
GAMBIT
by BRIAN BENNETT
AND NIK POPLI

[Link]
 VOL . 207, NOS. 1–2 | 2026

CONTENTS

5 22 37 69
The Brief Growing, Older D AV O S 2 0 2 6 Time Off
As people live longer, and better, Donald Trump
15 many societies are only just
Abroad
The View beginning to accommodate
a new demographic reality From Caracas to Kyiv,
By Alice Park from Moscow to Nuuk,
U.S. foreign policy is
now a one-man show
30 By Brian Bennett and Nik Popli △
Ovarian Quest The White House
Researchers are exploring PLUS: Charlie Campbell on Africa’s news briefing
the mysterious relationship mineral reset; Ian Bremmer on Jan. 3
between lifespan and ovaries— on Trump’s limits; Marc Benioff
with implications far on the next phase of AI; Photograph by Jim
beyond menopause Amal Clooney and Philippa Webb Watson—AFP/
By Dominique Mosbergen on new routes to justice, and more Getty Images

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1
FROM THE EDITOR

Trump in the world Trump shows no signs of getting up from the

global chessboard. One place he has been par-
ticularly involved is trade. In this issue, econ-
YOU WOULD BE FORGIVEN FOR ASSUMING omist Robert Lawrence writes about why the
that there are few places less hospitable to Pres- President’s tariffs haven’t yet tanked trade, and
ident Donald Trump than Davos, Switzerland— Neale Mahoney, former special policy adviser
home to the World Economic Forum’s annual in the White House National Economic Coun-
meeting, the subject of a special section within cil, and Adam Shaw, an adviser at the Stanford
this issue. The President gained popularity Institute for Economic Policy Research, write
based on his ability to present himself as a foil about why people around the world are facing
to those who frequent Davos: for his antago- an affordability squeeze. IMF managing director
nism toward expertise and the global elite, his Kristalina Georgieva spoke to Justin Worland,
It has been distaste for norms and consensus-building, his and Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon spoke
a very pillorying of those who privilege causes like cli- to Ayesha Javed about the economic outlook
mate and international cooperation over eco- for the year ahead—one that cannot be consid-
active year nomic self-interest. Yet Trump, whose Inau- ered without understanding the intentions of
for Trump guration took place during last year’s meeting, the White House. While we’ve witnessed in the
beyond is scheduled to appear in person this January past year a new kind of international consen-
America’s at the conference for the first time since 2020. sus emerging, which carries Trump’s imprint,
borders (If for some reason he does not attend, he will Ian Bremmer warns that 2026 will test it. “This
still undoubtedly be Topic A.) will be the year the bubble bursts on the Presi-
It has been a very active year for Trump be- dent’s vision of a Trump-dictated global trade
yond America’s borders, and the annual meeting and security order,” he writes.
provides us an opportunity to assess year one
of the second Trump Administration. As Brian THE OTHER KEY THEME at Davos this year
Bennett and Nik Popli write, though the Presi- will of course be AI. (Coming off our Person
dent campaigned on America First, his actions of the Year selection, it will be front and cen-
abroad may have caused the biggest waves. ter for TIME in 2026 too.) Contributors to the
American Presidents regularly turn to foreign issue, including TIME owner and Salesforce
policy in their second term. Unburdened by a fu- CEO Marc Benioff, attorney Amal Clooney, and
ture reckoning with voters and perhaps wary of investor Robert F. Smith, write about how and
the domestic forces that can grind down a lead- what they believe AI can deliver in 2026.
er’s ambitions, they seek out the chance to leave Elsewhere, former Chilean President Michelle
a legacy outside of the U.S. The American record Bachelet, Dell Technologies founder Michael
in the past 12 months is mixed, but the results Dell, Rockefeller Foundation president Rajiv J.
are being felt everywhere. To measure one con- Shah, McKinsey global managing partner Bob
sequence, Charlie Campbell traveled to Zambia Sternfels, and WEF Young Global Leaders Angela
to explore how Africa is balancing mineral mar- Oduor Lungati and Yifan Hou share solutions to
kets and the drawdown of U.S. foreign aid. problems that they are focused on addressing.
To the surprise of some, Trump has been Since 2018, we have partnered with the
an energetic actor on the world stage. The lat- World Economic Forum to create our special
est example: he began the New Year by arrest- coverage of the goings-on in Davos; this year’s
ing the President of Venezuela and promising to was edited by Ayesha Javed. Our hope is that it
“run” the Latin American country. Elsewhere, proves a useful guide for what the world faces in
in 2025, he helped to weaken an Iranian regime the year ahead.
that threatened its neighbors. In one of the two
major conflicts that have dominated the world
stage this decade, he architected a cease-fire,
with an eye toward ending major hostilities be-
tween Israel and Hamas. At the time of writing,
he is trying to copy this approach to solve an-
other intractable conflict, Russia’s invasion of
Ukraine. Ironically, some of the very sort of be-
haviors that rub the traditional Davos crowd the Sam Jacobs,
wrong way made these achievements possible. EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

2 TIME January 26, 2026

 CONVERSATION

On the covers

Illustration by
Tim O’Brien for TIME

Illustration by
Sean Freeman &
Eve Steben for TIME

The opening bell

TIME CEO Jessica Sibley and other company leaders opened the New York Stock Exchange on
Dec. 11, in honor of the announcement of TIME’s 2025 Person of the Year: the Architects of AI.
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The Brief A
WEIGHT-LOSS
PILL
ARRIVES
BY ALICE PARK

The launch of a pill

version of Wegovy
marks a new phase
in GLP-1 drugs

INSIDE

U.S. RACES TO TESTING THE AIR AMERICA’S MOST

WATCH IN 2026 IN JETLINER CABINS ICONIC COMPANIES

PHOTOGR APH BY JEREMY M. LANGE FOR TIME 5

THE BRIEF OPENER

I
n the last week of December, while most semaglutide pill, Rybelsus, was approved in 2019 to treat
of the U.S. was still in holiday mode, Novo diabetes, as an alternative to the company’s Ozempic,
Nordisk’s plant in North Carolina was operating which patients must inject weekly. Turning Ozempic
at full capacity. into an oral pill required finding a way to protect the
On Dec. 22, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration drug from the hostile environment of the stomach just
(FDA) approved the company’s oral version of Wegovy, long enough for it to be absorbed by the body. Still, the
making it the first of the popular GLP-1 medications to pill is generally not as effective as Ozempic.
get the green light as a pill for weight loss. People who When diabetes patients noticed they were losing
want to lose weight and are prescribed Wegovy now weight on semaglutide, Novo Nordisk and other compa-
have the option of taking a tablet daily vs. injecting them- nies began to study the compound and related ones for
selves with the drug once a week. They’re expected to their potential effects on obesity. In 2021, the FDA ap-
lose about the same amount of weight with either version: proved Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy to treat obesity, and de-
16% to 17% of their starting body weight. veloping the Wegovy pill became the next challenge.
The plant, just outside of Raleigh, is running around This time, the researchers created a proprietary fatty-
the clock to produce bottles of pills in four different acid derivative to better navigate the difficult environ-
doses, which have been available at retail stores and ment of the stomach. Once the tablet reaches the stom-
online pharmacies since the first ach, it creates temporary
week of January. “Obesity has changes in the permeability of
become a consumer-oriented part of the stomach lining that
disease,” Novo Nordisk’s CEO
Mike Doustdar tells TIME.
“We’re embracing that.”
‘Obesity has stops enzymes from break-
ing down the drug, while giv-
ing semaglutide enough time
The company’s entire supply
of the drug will be manufactured become a to be absorbed. To maximize
the pill’s effectiveness, people
in North Carolina. Days before
the launch of the Wegovy pill, consumer- should take it first thing in the
morning on an empty stomach

oriented
TIME visited the plant to watch with up to half a glass of water
the first pills being produced, bot- with no other drinks, food, or
tled, and packaged for patients. other medications for at least

The Wegovy pill starts with disease. We’re 30 minutes, so nothing will in-
terfere with the pill’s activity.

embracing
a fungus: specifically, the same The Wegovy pill has an early
yeast used to make bread, called advantage in hitting pharma-
Saccharomyces cerevisiae. But cies first, but competitor Eli
instead of fermenting sugars or
grains to make bread rise, the that.’ Lilly, which makes Zepbound,
is waiting for an FDA deci-
yeast cells are genetically engi- —MIKE DOUSTDAR, sion about its weight-loss pill
neered at Novo Nordisk’s facil- CEO OF NOVO NORDISK orforglipron.
ity in Clayton, N.C., to produce Both companies are eager to
a protein that undergoes fer- introduce their oral versions of
mentation in several four-story- weight-loss drugs since pills are
tall tanks, then multiple purification steps over about a generally less expensive to produce (and more appealing)
month to produce semaglutide. This compound mimics a than injections, and that should make them more afford-
human hormone that regulates appetite by working in the able. The companies and the White House announced
reward center of the brain. It can help people feel full and in November that the starter dose will cost $149 for a
reduce feelings of hunger. month’s supply for people paying out of pocket or using
After the fermentation and purification process, sema- federal insurance plans, with higher doses costing up to
glutide forms a beige paste resembling pancake batter. In $299. People whose insurance plans cover Wegovy for
one of the few manual steps in the largely automated pro- weight loss will pay as little as $25 for a 30-day supply.
duction, technicians scrape the paste from large funnels Doustdar, who was appointed to lead Novo Nordisk
and freeze it at –20°C, where it keeps for up to five years. last summer as the company began losing market share
In the final step, the paste is thawed and further pu- in the GLP-1 space to Eli Lilly, sees the Wegovy pill as a
rified into a liquid at a high temperature, which is then coup for the company—and a return to focusing on diabe-
spray-dried into a fine white powder—similar to the way tes and obesity. “This is a big disease area. We’re talking
snowmaking machines turn hot water into snow. That about 2 billion people, and eventually, someone has
powder is then pressed into Wegovy tablets. to produce all the doses for them,” he says. “We are
While this semaglutide pill is the first to treat obesity, sitting in the right spot right now [to do that], and still
it isn’t the first that Novo Nordisk has made. Its initial only touching a fraction of the people who are in need.” □
The Brief includes reporting by Chantelle Lee and Olivia B. Waxman
 Minneapolis mourns
A memorial for Renee Nicole Good, near where she was shot and killed by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforce-
ment (ICE) agent in Minneapolis, on Jan. 7. As federal officials argued the shooting was in self-defense, local leaders
challenged that claim, citing video of the event. Mayor Jacob Frey called for ICE to end its operation in the city.
M E M O R I A L : D AV I D G U T T E N F E L D E R — T H E N E W YO R K T I M E S/ R E D U X ; H O B B S : PAT R I C K B R E E N — U S A T O D AY N E T W O R K / R E U T E R S

THE BULLETIN

U.S. election contests to watch in 2026

LAST YEAR PROVIDED SOME HOPE (pictured) is running for re-election in a Democrat, has thrown his hat into
for a bruised Democratic Party look- Arizona, which has become a battle- the ring for the seat being vacated by
ing for a way forward. Following off- ground state in the Trump era. In Republican Thom Tillis.
season election victories on Nov. 4, the California, Democrats vying for term-
party may look to take advantage of limited governor Gavin Newsom’s seat HOUSE The thin Republican majority
public frustration with the economic include Eric Swalwell, Tom Steyer, is whittled further by the 25 GOP in-
policies of a Republican Party that and Katie Porter. cumbents who are not running (vs. 19
controls the Executive and Legislative Democrats). In Arizona, Republican
Branches of government. Heading into SENATE Candidates in the Democratic David Schweikert is vacating com-
the midterms, all 435 districts in the primary for Senate in Maine are petitive District 1 to run for governor.
House of Representatives and 33 seats jostling to challenge Republi- Democrats also see an opportunity in
in the U.S. Senate are up for election. can Susan Collins. The state, New York, where Republican Mike
Here are the key races to watch. which voted for former Vice Lawler holds a pivotal suburban
President Kamala Harris in district he first won in 2022. Mean-
GOVERNOR President Donald Trump the 2024 presidential elec- while, the sudden death of Cali-
has cut federal support for diversity, tion, is seen as a viable fornia Republican representa-
health care, climate, and LGBTQ+ pickup opportunity for tive Doug LaMalfa on Jan. 6
rights. But states can make their own Democrats in the Senate narrowed Republican control
laws, so gubernatorial races loom midterms. Meanwhile, in of the House to 218-213 and
especially large. North Carolina, former will result in a special elec-
Democratic governor Katie Hobbs governor Roy Cooper, tion. —REBECCA SCHNEID
7
THE BRIEF NEWS MILESTONES

GOOD QUESTION The kiTs ThaT The Team used to ex- DIED

How clean is tract the genetic material from the mi-

crobes were designed to collect DNA,
Brigitte
airplane air, really? so that meant the researchers primarily Bardot
captured bacteria—not viruses, many of
BY ALICE PARK
which have RNA as their genetic base (in-
Iconic provocateur
cluding COVID and infuenza). While peo-
every Time you cram inTo a TighTly ple might be more concerned about how Some months before her
packed plane, you might find yourself much virus is foating around a confined death, Brigitte Bardot
wondering if you’re about to catch some- space like an aircraft cabin, Hartmann says declared war. The actress,
thing from the person sitting next to you— that viruses likely make up a smaller pro- who leaped to global star-
or a few rows away. portion of microbes in the air than bacte- dom as a nubile rebel in the
You’re not alone: researchers are also ria, since people shed more skin bacteria 1956 film And God Created
Woman, wanted the French
curious about what’s lurking in airplane than virus particles.
government to outlaw hunt-
air. Erica Hartmann, associate professor She notes that viruses tend to heav- ing with hounds. It was a
in the department of civil and environmen- ily depend on the right habitat in order move characteristic of the
tal engineering at Northwestern Univer- to thrive, and once outside the body latter half of her life, during
sity, and her colleagues tried to find out and away from cells that they can infect, which the plight of animals
by testing face masks worn by passengers they can become slightly less virulent— was often in focus. Her
on fights to docu- although viruses Fondation Brigitte Bardot
ment what kinds of do survive on has been running shelters,
bugs they trapped. surfaces, and sterilization and adoption
The team was also studies show campaigns, and conserva-
interested in the that it takes only tion efforts since 1986.
air circulating in a small amount In a post on X, French
hospitals, another of virus to infect President Emmanuel
public place where someone and Macron wrote that Bardot—
germs commonly make them sick. famous for encapsulating a
spread, and tested The results of new kind of female sexual
face masks worn by the study high- emancipation—“embodied
hospital personnel. light the impor- a life of freedom ... She
touched us.”
The researchers tance of develop-
Bardot, whose death
collected 53 masks ing better ways
at 91 was announced on
in sterile bags and to monitor the Dec. 28, was also a sup-
cut out the outer air for disease- porter of far-right politics
layers to analyze just the microbes circu- causing pathogens, including viruses, in France. Decrying Muslim
lating in the air, then extracted and ana- using filtration and sensing systems that immigration in public let-
lyzed DNA from them. To ensure they could provide more real-time readings. ters and in books, she was
were detecting all the microbial DNA “Imagine something like a carbon monox- repeatedly convicted of
present, they also used an amplification ide sensor or a gas alarm that, depending inciting racial hatred.
process called PCR to enrich what was on the levels of microbes present, could Decades after her films
present on the masks. automatically increase air-exchange rates first provoked scandal and
Overall, the air wasn’t too bad, they or alert people to put on masks,” says fascination, she remained
reported recently in the journal Micro- Hartmann. “Factoring in health and hav- a study in contrasts.
biome. They detected 407 total microbial ing the capability to make informed deci- —Veronique Greenwood
species from both the plane and hospi- sions about how to protect yourself would
tal settings, with similar populations of be amazing.”
bugs from each. The vast majority of these Until then, Hartmann hopes people will
came from skin and are harmless, says remember that as the weather gets colder
Hartmann. “This is not surprising, be- and more gatherings happen indoors, the
cause a lot of the microbes in buildings air—even in tight places like a plane or
and in the air around us refect us,” she hospital—may not be as full of disease-
says. “A lot of the surfaces we touch tend causing germs as we think. Still, if you are
to have skin-associated bugs because we worried about getting sick, face masks are
are transferring bugs every time we touch an effective way to protect yourself from
something. We shed microbes everywhere pathogens that might be circulating in the
we go—I and my colleagues refer to it as air, as well as protecting you from spread-
a microbial aura.” ing germs to others if you are ill. □
8 Time January 26, 2026
 OVERHAULED

Vaccine
advice
For U.S. children
The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention,
overseen by Health
and Human Services
Secretary and noted
vaccine skeptic Robert F.
Kennedy Jr., on Jan. 5
endorsed fewer routinely
recommended vaccina-
tions for all children.
The CDC still recom-
mends all children be
Reiner on the set of North in 1994 vaccinated for chicken-
pox, tetanus, diphtheria,
DIED by becoming friends first, gently tweaked whooping cough, polio,
Rob Reiner romantic-comedy conventions. And his
gloriously cracked fairy tale The Princess
pneumococcal infections,
Hib, measles, mumps,
Model of showbiz generosity Bride (1987) is pure, breezy pleasure. and rubella. But the new
Reiner built a career making the kind schedule recommends
of mainstream popular entertainments one dose of the HPV
THE UNIFYING THREAD THROUGH THE that barely exist anymore, pictures like shot, rather than two,
films of Rob Reiner is a tempered sweet- The Bucket List (2007) and the Stephen and endorses immuniza-
ness, a kind of resilient exultation in- King adaptation Misery (1990). His tions for RSV only for
formed by the knowledge that little in reach extended even further through the high-risk groups.
life ever goes as planned. That would be a production company he co-founded in In the biggest change,
glistening legacy for any filmmaker, and 1987, Castle Rock Entertainment, which decisions about immu-
Reiner, who was found dead on Dec. 14 brought us films from Richard Linklater nizations for rotavirus,
along with his wife, producer Michele and Christopher Guest, among many COVID, flu, meningococcal
A N DY S C H W A R T Z— F O T O S I N T E R N AT I O N A L /G E T T Y I M A G E S; M A M D A N I : A M I R H A M J A — P O O L / T H E N E W YO R K T I M E S/A P

disease, and hepatitis A

A I R P L A N E : C O N S TA N T I N E J O H N N Y— M O M E N T/G E T T Y I M A G E S ; B A R D O T: H U LT O N A R C H I V E /G E T T Y I M A G E S; R E I N E R :

Singer Reiner, left us with that and more. others, as well as the King adaptations
and B are now meant to
Reiner has always felt, somehow, like a The Shawshank Redemption and Dolores
be left up to parents and
person we knew. As an actor—particularly Claiborne. Reiner’s final feature as a direc-
doctors.
in his role as the adamantly liberal- tor was Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, While no vaccines were
minded Michael Stivic on the 1970s a sequel that’s more endearing and re- taken off the schedule
American sitcom All in the Family—his flective than it is laugh-out-loud funny— entirely, and all will still be
timing was always both nonchalant and though maybe, as an unwitting swan song, available and covered by
on point. Because of his feature directo- it’s pretty much perfect. If you’re going to the Affordable Care Act
rial debut, the enduring 1984 mock rock bother with anything—writing or making and other federal insur-
documentary This Is Spinal Tap, everyone a film, shaping a character, pulling fund- ance programs, many phy-
knows what “these go to 11” means. Rein- ing together so someone else can make a sicians were concerned
er’s 1989 When Harry Met Sally . . ., about movie—you may as well turn it up to 11. that vaccination rates
two people who’d been knocked around Reiner did nothing by half measures. will likely fall as a result.
a bit by life, finding their way to romance —STEPHANIE ZACHAREK —Miranda Jeyaretnam

INAUGURATED ANNOUNCED OPENED ENDED KILLED

Zohran Mamdani, as That the Pittsburgh A Palestinian Minnesota Governor Forty people,
mayor of New York City, Post-Gazette will embassy in Tim Walz’s bid for after a fire spread
on Jan. 1. The election publish its final London, on Jan. 5. a third term, on through a bar on
of the 34-year-old edition this spring, The ambassador Jan. 5; he cited the New Year’s Day
democratic socialist by its owners on to the U.K., Husam politics around fraud in Switzerland.
stunned the political Jan. 7, because of Zomlot, called it a charges involving Some 115 people
establishment. financial pressures. “historic moment.” Somali residents. were injured.

9
THE BRIEF BUSINESS

The companies destinations in and of themselves—

recently documented by photographer
that define America Gary He in McAtlas. “While our roots
AMERICA’S
BY CHARLOTTE HU
are American, it’s our local franchisees, MOST ICONIC COMPANIES
suppliers, and crew members who make
McDonald’s a trusted neighbor in thou- RANK COMPANY
NAME
FOUNDING
YEAR
IN 250 YEARS, THE U.S. HAS BECOME sands of communities worldwide every
both an economic powerhouse and an day,” says McDonald’s global chief im- Ford Motor
1 1903
incubator of globally relevant compa- pact officer Jon Banner. Co.
nies. To paint a picture of that business Disney (No. 11), a media and expe-
legacy, TIME and Statista conducted a riential giant, also delivers a slice of 2 Apple 1976
nationally representative survey to rank American culture to the world.
the 250 American companies that are not “For over a century, Dis-
3 The Coca-Cola Co. 1892
only commercially successful but also ney has been woven
have most shaped culture and society. into the American
“America was branded as this special story, with beloved The online retail 4 Walmart 1962
place. There was a story around wel- characters and time- behemoth has
coming people to this beautiful country less tales that have soared to a
$2.46 trillion
to realize their dreams,” says Americus brought magic, joy, 5 Amazon 1994
market cap
Reed, professor of marketing at the Uni- and wonder to gen-
versity of Pennsylvania. “The mechan- erations,” says CEO Bob 6 McDonald's 1940
ics of this is that when you invite the Iger. “Walt Disney’s enduring vision for
brightest and best to come to one place, this great company remains our inspi- General Motors
you get this bastion of creativity. You ration, shaping the creativity, curiosity, 7 1908
(GM)
get innovation. You can see that infused and innovation that fuel our storytell-
in the brands, the products, services, ing today.” 8 Microsoft 1975
organizations that start here.” Some legacy brands, like John Deere
Ford, which tops the list, has long (No. 55), one of the oldest
aligned its brand with the American on the list, have main- 9 Google 1998
identity. Known for making cars acces- tained manufacturing
sible to the masses, Ford transformed strongholds stateside Nike forged
1964
10 Nike
manufacturing and transportation for even as others global- relationships with
the average American, reshaping the de- ize. “We’ve been de- top athletes
to redefine
velopment of cities. “Just as my great- fined by one mission: sportswear
11 The Walt Disney Co. 1923
grandfather put the world on wheels supporting the people
to give people the freedom of move- who provide the food,
12 PepsiCo 1965
ment, our approach to the modern era fuel, and infrastructure that we all rely
is rooted in that same spirit. Innovation on, and that’s farmers and contractors
is not just about building batteries or across America,” says John Deere’s VP of 13 Oracle 1977
technology for its own sake; it is about global brand management, Mara Down-
making people’s lives better,” says exec- ing. “We’re proud to have helped build The Hershey
utive chairman Bill Ford. “We are lever- America over the past two 14 1894
Co.
aging our position as the largest hourly centuries, and we look
auto employer in the U.S. to ensure that forward to continuing 15 OpenAI 2015
the future of transportation is built by to invest in our pres- America’s larg-
American workers for everyday Ameri- ence in America.” est chocolatier
can families.” Today, even amid developed a 16 Cisco 1984
unique flavor to
Companies like McDonald’s (No. 6) political turmoil stand out
that built domestic loyalty by meeting around immigration, 17 Dairy Queen 1940
lifestyle demands of diners are viewed the country’s resilient
abroad as cultural embassies—exports entrepreneurial spirit fosters new
of American reliability, consistency, ef- generations of trailblazer companies 18 Costco 1983
ficiency, and accessibility. It’s not only a like Apple (No. 2) and Google (No. 9),
metaphor. In 2019, Austria made it pos- which have democratized once com- 19 Chick-fil-A 1967
sible for Americans to call the U.S. con- plex technologies, while racing to-
sulate from any McDonald’s location in ward the next wave of breakthroughs.
the country. McDonald’s international 20 Etsy 2005
locations have since evolved into See the full list at [Link]/iconic-companies

10 TIME January 26, 2026

Dubai, United Arab Emirates
| [Link]

6,000+
Attendees
80+
International, Regional and
200+
Sessions
400+
Speakers
Intergovernmental Organizations

Technology Partner
LIGHTBOX

Venezuela
aftermath
U.S. Special Forces abducted Venezuelan
President Nicolás Maduro and his wife
Cilia Flores in Caracas on Jan. 3. The raid
involved more than 150 U.S. aircraft and
followed months of strikes on alleged
drug boats, and a blockade of Venezuelan
oil shipments. Two days later, Maduro
pleaded not guilty to drug-trafficking
charges in a Manhattan courtroom.

▶ For more of our best photography,

visit [Link]/lightbox

▷
What residents described as
damage from the U.S. operation in
the coastal city La Guaira on Jan. 4
PHOTOGRAPH BY JESUS VARGAS—
GETTY IMAGES

12 Time January 26, 2026

 ◁
Armed men
on motorcycles
in Caracas, on
Jan. 4, the day
after U.S. troops
captured Maduro
in the capital
PHOTOGRAPH BY
JESUS VARGAS—
GETTY IMAGES

◁ △
Celebration on Jan. 3 in Santiago, Federal agents escort Maduro
Chile; South American nations have and his wife en route to a federal
taken in millions of Venezuelans courtroom in New York on Jan. 5
PHOTOGRAPH BY CRISTOBAL OLIVARES— PHOTOGRAPH BY XNY/
BLOOMBERG/GETTY IMAGES STAR MAX/GC IMAGES

13
T H E B R I E F H E A LT H

5 things
not to say
to someone
with ADHD
BY ANGELA HAUPT

WE’LL SAVE YOU THE TROU-

ble of wondering: Yes, people
with attention-deficit/hyper-
activity disorder (ADHD) have
considered using planners, set-
ting alarm clocks, and creat-
ing reminders on their phones.
No, those suggestions aren’t
helpful.
In fact, these are among the ‘Are you sure you have ADHD? You don’t look like it.’
worst things you can say to When Pilant went to college, her peers looked at her strangely when she
someone with ADHD, which revealed she had a prescription for Adderall to help her manage her ADHD. They
is characterized by symptoms all said the same thing, fueled by a misunderstanding of the many ways the con-
like having a hard time pay- dition can manifest: You don’t look like you have ADHD. “It was so dismissive,
and I was very insecure about it at the time,” she recalls. “I quickly learned not
ing attention, struggling with
to talk about it, and then I shamed myself out of taking my medication.”
task initiation, and engaging
in impulsive behavior. “It’s ‘Everybody struggles with that.’
like, Wow, what a genius idea,”
says Bailey Pilant, a licensed One of the worst things you can lay on someone with ADHD is dismissing one
of their symptoms, like always running late, as something that’s so common,
mental-health counselor in
it couldn’t possibly carry significance. Most people do, in fact, experience
New York who specializes in
ADHD symptoms from time to time, says Russ Jones, host of the ADHD Big
ADHD. Yet people dispense Brother podcast. Forgetfulness and tardiness, for example, are both common.
these well-intentioned but “The degree to which we’re debilitated by those symptoms is what makes the
unsolicited tips again and difference,” he says.
again—including telling Pilant
she should try writing things ‘You’re way too dramatic.’
down. “I can write it down, People with ADHD often experience intense, overwhelming emotions. “They
and I’m still not going to re- feel things more deeply than other people,” says Billy Roberts, a therapist in
member because you can bet Columbus, Ohio. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, he says; it can contribute
I’m going to lose that paper,” to creativity and artistry, for example. Yet friends and family members often tell
she says. “I’m not going to re- those with ADHD to calm down and that they’re being too dramatic or sensitive,
member I wrote it down, I’m which can shatter their confidence and make them less assertive.
not going to remember where I
wrote it down, I’m not going to ‘You have so much potential if you’d just try harder.’
be able to find it, and then, just When you grow up with ADHD, Pilant says, people constantly tell you that you
like that, it’s out of my head.” just need to try harder and be more disciplined. “These comments are so
Instead, Pilant suggests disheartening,” she says. “I can feel my heart breaking remembering all the
offering support with com- times I’ve been told that I have so much potential, if I just applied myself more.
ments like these: “I can see It hurts because that’s not what’s going on.”
how much effort it takes you to
manage this. It sounds really ‘Can you stop fidgeting for one minute?’
hard.” You could also show in-
I L L U S T R AT I O N B Y S O L C O T T I F O R T I M E

It’s common for people with ADHD to feel like they’re always being barked at
terest by asking: “What are to sit still. Keep in mind that for many, occupying their fingers—like with small
the biggest challenges you deal fidget toys—actually improves focus, because it helps regulate the nervous
with every day?” system, allowing them to tune out distractions. Yet people often confuse Jones’
We asked experts which fidgeting with a lack of interest. He wants them to know: “That’s me doing what
other infuriating remarks to I have to do to stay focused,” he says. “I have to occupy some aspect of my
avoid. brain—it’s not me being like, How do I get out of this?”

14 TIME January 26, 2026

NATION

A DEADLIER
JAN. 6
BY DOUGLAS LETTER

On Jan. 6, 2021, I was in the Chamber

of the U.S. House of Representatives
as violent insurrectionists attacked,
bent on interrupting Congress in its
constitutional responsibilities, and on
doing harm to Vice President Mike
Pence, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi,
and members of Congress. Reflecting
on that dark day, I keep returning to an
underlying force fueling the violence:
Second Amendment extremism. ▶
INSIDE

THE PROSPECT OF ELECTIONS LAST YEAR’S ENCOURAGING THE STRANGE AND WONDERFUL
IN VENEZUELA CLIMATE NEWS POWER OF ROLLER DERBY

15
THE VIEW OPENER

The movement I call Second

Amendment extremism comes from
what legal scholars describe as the
“insurrectionist” interpretation of
the Second Amendment. This se-
riously flawed reading holds that
Americans have a right under the
Constitution, and even an obligation,
to take up arms against the govern-
ment when they disagree with its
direction.
At the core of this extremism is
the dangerous view that the found-
ers viewed aggrieved citizens who at-
tack the government through armed
violence as righteous patriots, rather
than as the enemies of the state. This
perspective is baseless. In 1794, Presi-
dent George Washington used the
Army and state militias to crush the
Whiskey Rebellion. The U.S. defeated
the Confederacy over its attempt to
destroy our nation through an armed A Capitol office after it was vandalized on Jan. 6, 2021
rebellion designed to preserve the in-
stitution of human slavery.
Yet, shockingly, this theory is in- Charlie Kirk, have caused the current on assault weapons and high-capacity
creasingly embraced by many Ameri- Administration to take strong action magazines, disproportionately used
cans today, including foot soldiers to stop political violence. in mass shootings and killings of law
in the Jan. 6 insurrection, and pos- enforcement. And, by the dictate of
sibly some Supreme Court Justices Just as chillingly, neither the in- the U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, fed-
and President Donald Trump him- creasing use of firearms in suicides eral prosecutors have stopped pursu-
self. America’s uniquely powerful among youth, veterans, and active- ing felony charges for the open carry
gun industry has promoted armed duty troops, nor the ghastly toll of of long guns and high-capacity maga-
vigilantism for decades, using rheto- American children murdered in their zines in the district.
ric that encourages violence against schools, churches, and neighborhoods, Together, these actions weaken the
democratic institutions in the name has caused the Trump Administration systems designed to have gun dealers
of “freedom.” In that context, the to reconsider its gun-friendly policies. follow the law and keep guns out of
Jan. 6 attack was not an isolated riot. In fact, early in his second term, the dangerous hands.
It was fueled in part by gun-industry President pardoned and restored gun Moreover, if the events of Jan. 6 were
marketing, intensified by America’s rights to politically violent individu- to occur today, I fear they would be
dangerously lax gun laws, and inter- als including Jan. 6 insurrectionists. deadlier. The district’s strong gun laws,
F R O M L E F T: C H R I S T O P H E R L E E F O R T I M E ; M A R K F E L I X — B L O O M B E R G /G E T T Y I M A G E S
twined with an ever growing white- The Administration has worked to gut including its bans on semiautomatic
supremacist movement. the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Fire- weapons and open carry, likely stopped
A year into Trump’s second Ad- arms and Explosives (ATF), includ- some rioters from arming themselves
ministration, it terrifies me to imagine ing slashing inspections of rogue gun and inflicting mass casualties. Police
what another insurrection could do to dealers, diverted resources from gun made many gun arrests from Jan. 5 to
our democracy. Yet the Administra- crime to immigration enforcement, Jan. 7, and insurrectionists left weap-
tion has ratcheted up attacks on po- and repealed funding for programs ons behind in Virginia because they
litical opponents, even as we continue proven to reduce firearm violence. were illegal in D.C. Now, however, the
to witness the tragic consequences In addition, the Trump Department current lack of enforcement of the dis-
of political violence and dangerous of Justice has quietly created a new trict’s gun-safety laws threaten to make
rhetoric, including the assassination Second Amendment Section, charged even more dangerous the kind of insur-
of Minnesota state representative Me- with “investigating” and rolling back rection I survived five years ago.
lissa Hortman and her husband Mark, local gun laws.
and the attack on state senator John One of its first actions—made two Letter is the chief legal officer at Brady
Hoffman and his wife Yvette. weeks before the fifth anniversary of United, the anti-gun-violence advocacy
Not even the attacks directed at the Jan. 6 insurrection—was to chal- group, and former general counsel of the
Trump himself, or the assassination of lenge the District of Columbia’s ban U.S. House of Representatives
16 Time January 26, 2026
 to grow, inside and outside Ven-
The Risk Report ezuela, for new elections. Making
By Ian Bremmer sure they happen will be a priority
for Secretary of State Marco Rubio,
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
other members of Trump’s Cabinet,
and both Republicans and Demo-
DONALD TRUMP’S STRIKE ON tactic. The U.S. President has not crats in Congress. This will also be
Venezuela and the arrest of Presi- demanded that an opposition-led a key concern for governments in
dent Nicolás Maduro and his wife by government take power, waving off Europe, which will be crucial players
U.S. Special Forces shocked govern- questions about María Corina Mach- in helping Venezuela with financial
ments around the world. Observers ado, the Nobel Peace Prize winner support, including from the Interna-
in the U.S., Europe, China, Russia, whose exact whereabouts are un- tional Monetary Fund. Demands for
and elsewhere are left to wonder known, and whom he has called a free and fair elections will, of course,
what Trump’s bold use of force “very nice woman” who “doesn’t also come from Venezuela’s opposi-
might mean for other countries: have the respect within the coun- tion and its supporters, both inside
Colombia, Cuba, Iran, even Mexico try.” For now, Trump appears to and outside the country.
and Denmark (read: Greenland). trust a military-backed government New elections would likely take a
But what about Venezuela it- that needs his support more than year to organize. Only hardball nego-
self? What do the strikes, arrests, an opposition movement with ideas tiations between the Trump Admin-
and trial of Venezuela’s istration and Venezuela’s
President mean for that remaining military and
country’s future? security power players can
First, the good news, clear a path for them, but
at least for those who fear any sort of power-sharing
Maduro’s capture will cre- deal that undermines the
ate a power vacuum that opposition’s ability to win
can be filled only with as much power as vot-
violence. The apparent ers allow will surely trig-
ease with which U.S. sol- ger protests and risks of
diers found and arrested violence. The Maduro
Maduro reflects an inside regime’s security forces
job, one coordinated in ad- have typically responded
vance between the Trump to antigovernment pro-
Administration and Vene- tests with a closed fist,
zuela’s military. It matters but a still fragile, military-
that Maduro’s Vice Presi- backed government will
dent, Delcy Rodríguez, U.S. and Venezuelan flags at a Jan. 3 rally in Katy, Texas
need a normalization of
was quickly sworn into relations with the Trump
power with the backing of Administration that can
the country’s Defense and Interior of its own for Venezuela’s future. restore flows of oil revenue and other
Ministers—a signal of continuity Nor does Trump want to involve forms of help.
that Washington has accepted. the U.S. in the kind of “nation- There are also, according to the
Rodríguez has shaken a defiant building” project that a complete U.N., nearly 8 million people who’ve
fist at the U.S. attack—saying she transfer of power would demand, fled Venezuela in recent years in
was pained by the “kidnapping” of or that the American public is likely search of a better life. Many of them
Maduro and his wife—but Trump’s wary of after two decades of chaotic already face pressure to return
clear willingness to use force and the interventions in the Middle East. home, particularly from the Latin
need to stabilize her government, in All of this suggests that though the American and Caribbean countries
part by removing the current U.S. oil situation remains fluid, Trump and that house the vast majority. More
blockade of Venezuela, will force a Rodríguez can help Venezuela avoid than 1 million have moved to the
pragmatic approach. a surge of dangerous chaos. U.S., most of them with “tempo-
Trump insisted on Jan. 3 that rary protected status.” In the com-
the U.S. will “run Venezuela” for THEN COMES the hard part. Though ing months, all of these people will
now and refused to rule out Ameri- Trump is in no hurry to push for become players—in both the politics
can boots on the ground. That’s true regime change in Venezuela, it of their adopted countries and the
less a likelihood than a pressure won’t be long before pressure begins future of Venezuela. □

17
THE VIEW INBOX

Climate Is Everything
By Simmone Shah
REPORTER

The past year brought a number of

blows for the climate fight, but there
were also clean-energy wins. In the
first half of 2025, for the first time,
solar and wind power outpaced coal
as the leading source of electricity
worldwide—a promising step toward The Jan. 3 White House press briefing following the U.S. attack on Venezuela
reducing emissions.
Globally, solar has become
increasingly affordable and acces-
sible, encouraging adoption around The D.C. Brief
By Philip Elliott
the world. Pakistan stands out,
with 25% of utility electricity gener-
ated from solar as of June—well SENIOR CORRESPONDENT
above the global average. “Solar’s
appeared on every roof, everywhere.
It’s on large luxury villas and smaller, DONALD TRUMP RAN FOR PRESI- war in Gaza. But his rhetoric has not
poorer residences. It’s on factories dent three times pledging to avoid always aligned with reality. If any-
and government buildings, hospitals the type of military entanglements thing, the first days of 2026 felt like
and universities,” says Dave Jones, that unfolded on Jan. 3: The capture a throwback to an earlier era of U.S.
chief analyst at Ember, a global of Venezuela’s leader and his wife interventions—from Panama to the
energy think tank. was a dramatic break from what invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq—
Solar power also became the many in Trump’s MAGA coalition whose outcomes proved far messier
E.U.’s largest source of electricity had imagined when they rallied a than their architects anticipated.
for the first time in June; some decade ago behind an isolationist, The initial reaction from Congress
Central European countries saw America First agenda. was muted, although it was hard to
solar generation grow at a rate twice Trump’s core supporters once ignore the potential rancor. “This is
the E.U. average. And China added helped upend a half-century of Re- what many in MAGA thought they
twice as much solar capacity in publican hawkish instincts and voted to end,” said Marjorie Taylor
2025 as did the rest of the world viewed regime change as a dis- Greene, a onetime Trump loyalist.
combined—and likely peaked in
credited relic of a bygone era. Now “Boy were we wrong.”
coal generation, says Jones.
Trump, facing an oil-rich nation he In an hour-long news confer-
Renewable energy even
saw growth in the U.S., where
might essentially control as a viceroy, ence explaining the strike to the
homeowners rushed to install may see nothing but upside. “We’re American people, Trump suggested
solar panels after the Trump going to be running it,” he said. more adventures may be in the off-
Administration announced a Biden He adopted a colonial posture— ing. He called out Colombian Presi-
tax credit would end Dec. 31. take the spoils of war, as the U.S. dent Gustavo Petro, who had con-
Solar and wind accounted for 88% did not do in Iraq, much to Trump’s demned the operation. “He’s making
of new U.S. electrical generating dismay. In a way, it was the first un- cocaine. They’re sending it into the
capacity in the first eight months furling of a new American empire. United States,” Trump said. “So he
of 2025, per the Federal Energy “We’re going to have our very large does have to watch his ass.” Similar
United States oil companies, the big- warnings went out to the leaders of
A A R O N S C H W A R T Z— B L O O M B E R G /G E T T Y I M A G E S

Regulatory Commission. Even with

a President boosting fossil fuels, in gest anywhere in the world, go in,” Cuba and Mexico. Regime change, it
the U.S. as in the rest of the world, Trump said. seemed, has reached its ripe moment
renewable energy is becoming too Trump’s rise to power was fueled in this hemisphere, cycling back to
good to ignore. by vows to end “forever wars” and a Cold War–era ethos of American
limit U.S. involvement in other na- might is right.
To read more about how climate tions’ affairs. On the campaign trail,
change is affecting the world visit he promised Russia’s invasion of For more insights from Washington,
[Link]/section/climate
Ukraine would end on “day one” and sign up for TIME’s politics newsletter
at [Link]/theDCbrief
he would bring a swift end to the
18 TIME January 26, 2026
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THE VIEW ESSAY

of English Premier League clubs are

U.S.-owned.
But perhaps the single most potent
illustration of America’s budding love
affair with soccer is President Donald
Trump’s embrace of the 2026 men’s
World Cup, which the U.S. will co-host
with Mexico and Canada this coming
summer. I can recall going to some of the
1994 World Cup, which helped to launch
Major League Soccer. But the vibe then
was of an externally imposed affair.

Today, Three proTagonisTs de-

serve credit for boosting the sport in
America: the women’s game, immi-
grants, and the global imperative of
major U.S. corporations to brand them-
selves through the one sport with truly
global reach.
It’s well known how girls and women
picked up soccer under Title IX and
turned the U.S. into the global super-
SPORTS
power of the women’s game. After Mia
How America fell in love Hamm, Julie Foudy, and Brandi Chas-
tain naturalized the sport, the object
with the beautiful game of Kemp’s disdain became the realm of
BY ANDRÉS MARTINEZ “soccer moms,” demographers’ short-
hand for the most mainstream, subur-
ban, white voters.
Back in The 1980s, around when i firsT moved Meanwhile, across the country, im-
to the U.S. from Mexico, Republican Congressman Jack migrants played a no less apparent role
Kemp, then one of conservatism’s brightest stars, who’d in spreading the game. And in an era
quarterbacked the Buffalo Bills before going into politics, of accelerating globalization, Ameri-
declared America’s brand of football stood for democracy can multinationals were always going
and capitalism, unlike that dodgy foreign football, which to need to align themselves with the
was a European socialist plot to undermine our ways. The global sport. Coca-Cola was one of
message was that like socialism and the metric system, FIFA’s first corporate sponsors in the
soccer should be resisted to preserve America. I found 1970s, and not because people in its
And Americans were doing an excellent job resisting. myself cut home market cared much about the
To move to the U.S. as a teenager in those years was like game. Electronic Arts had a huge hit on
moving behind some sporting Iron Curtain. I found my- off from its hands when it created Madden, its
self suddenly cut off from the shared global culture of the the shared NFL video game. But for a truly global
world’s default sport, in a country that insisted on play- global success, it would need to create its
ing its own games to reinforce its exceptionalism and then FIFA game (since renamed EA Sports
proclaimed their domestic league winners “world champi- culture of FC). Media giants with global ambi-
ons.” There was no soccer to be watched on American TV, the world’s tions also understand they need to be
efforts to establish a vibrant domestic league had failed, married to the global game.
and I had no schoolmates with whom to talk about Bayern default The case studies go on and on. The
Munich and Barcelona. Worse, when we had downtime, sport coming together of America’s and inter-
they’d pull out a Frisbee instead of a soccer ball. national soccer’s formidable soft power
How times have changed. Rec soccer is now a staple of will reshape global sporting culture for
American youth; we have vibrant men’s and women’s pro- decades to come.
fessional soccer leagues in the U.S.; I can readily watch
practically any other league on earth; and more Ameri- Martinez is the author of the forthcoming
can TV viewers watched the final of the 2022 FIFA men’s The Great Game: A Tale of Two Foot-
World Cup played in Qatar than that year’s NBA Finals balls and America’s Quest to Conquer
or World Series. This season, for the first time, a majority Global Sport
20 Time January 26, 2026
 SOCIETY
never been athletic growing up, but I hard it was, because I loved it so
Learning to fall in was fast and small, and learned that
derby is one of the only sports where
much. I never thought about quit-
ting, even as it got harder and my
roller derby taught any body type can play and find an personal life got messy. I started to
me how to be me advantage. I learned how to dodge
larger skaters, how to duck under
crave that vulnerability.
Before roller derby, I’d always
BY MARGOT FISHER their hips to avoid a hit, and how to wished I could just skip coming out.
jump over their legs in the turns. It was too much attention, too many
In 2018, hopIng that the mood- I started making friends. I let my people feeling sorry for me. The
iness of the trees and mountains armpit hair grow out and learned person I was coming out to never
might help me discover something my moon and rising signs. I got my seemed to know how to react, which
about myself, I left Columbus, Ohio, septum pierced and started wearing made me feel even weirder.
for Portland, Ore. Sometimes I biked color again. I fell in love, then out But roller derby rewards strug-
to work, and on the first warm day of of love, then in love again. I felt like gle and vulnerability. You push
the year noticed a warehouse by the I was rapidly changing, but at the an impossible, unmoving wall for
bike path had its doors open. There same time rapidly coming home to two minutes and everyone sees
was an oval-shaped track inside, myself. you fail, but the next day you come
where a handful of people back stronger. You get
on roller skates were run- knocked out of bounds
ning into each other. a million times in one
I slowed my bike and scrimmage, your whole
stopped, putting one foot team watching, then next
down to watch them. I fig- week, you’re cleaner on
ured it was roller derby the lines. Derby doesn’t
L E F T: P H O T O - I L L U S T R AT I O N B Y C H L O E D O W L I N G F O R T I M E (S O U R C E I M A G E S : C O C O O N /G E T T Y I M A G E S , S H A N N O N F A G A N — G E T T Y I M A G E S); R I G H T: J O N AT H A N W O R K S

(I had of course watched let you skip steps, but it

Whip It shortly after realiz- does reward you for tak-
ing I was gay), but I’d never ing them.
seen the real thing. The Off skates, I saw the
people in the warehouse other people in my league
were of all sizes, all abil- allowing themselves to be
ity levels, and they were human with each other
hitting each other hard. and themselves, and I re-
I signed up. The author, in action alized that this was the
Roller derby is played how I’d been searching for
in increments called jams. Each I came out as lesbian to my mom all the way back in Ohio. This was
team fields five skaters per jam: fast, over the phone, trying to make how they celebrated their queer-
four blockers and one jammer. The it sound nonchalant. When my ness. I started doing it too.
jammer is the only skater on each parents first visited two months The word lesbian doesn’t scare
team who can score points. When later, she cried at brunch, not be- me anymore. I write queer books.
the jam begins, the jammers fight cause I was gay, but because she My friends and I poke fun at the
through the pack of blockers, then was worried that she’d said or done Portland queer housing posts that
race each other around the track, something that made me feel like I discriminate against Capricorns.
earning a point for every opposing couldn’t be. I pulled up the hood of When my girlfriend and I see two
blocker they pass with their hips. my hoodie and yanked the strings so other women holding hands in pub- pub-
The first thing they teach you is tight I couldn’t see her. I was lucky lic, we nod at them in solidarity,
how to fall safely, because it’s not a to have parents who voted blue and com-
because we are all part of this com-
question of if you’ll fall. I got used went to Pride. But they were see- munity that feels vibrant and safe
to palm-size bruises on my arms ing me, really seeing me, for the first and messy and like coming home,
and legs, quads so sore I couldn’t time, and I hated the vulnerability. all at once.
walk down the stairs. Through derby, I let coming out
I was immediately drawn to jam- RolleR deRby RequiRes you be a celebration. It wasn’t the only
ming. The position is masochisti- to be vulnerable. You fall a lot, you thing about me, but it was one of
cally addicting—the struggle of probably look awkward on skates, them. And I loved it about myself.
fighting through the pack over and and you make stupid mistakes dur-
over and over feels worth it in the ing scrimmages that land you in the Fisher is the author of Leave It on the
one moment you break free. I’d penalty box. I was frustrated by how Track

21
 LONGEVITY

T H E “G O L D E N Y E A R S”

LIFE ONCE FOLLOWED A FAMILIAR

pattern. You’d go to school, get a job,
build a family, and then, sometime in
your 60s, retire, enjoying life for a few
years until you grew too frail to live
on your own. Then you might move
in with family or check into a facility
where you’d spend your “golden years.”
A crucial part of that blueprint was
an unsaid but universal assumption:
that for the vast majority of people, life
would not extend far beyond their 70s.
That was based on the average lifespan
when this still dominant picture of an
American life arc was first formed, and
it underpinned everything—from how
people planned their careers to the
way companies designed their pen-
sion plans. Yet now it looks like a relic.
Today, life expectancy in the U.S.
stands at 79 years, compared with
68 in 1950. The upshot: 60 million
Americans are now 65 or older—
which is roughly equal to the combined

22 TIME January 26, 2026

 populations of Spain and Portugal. A
similar trend is playing out globally,
with an estimated 2.1 billion people—
or 1 in 5—projected to be 60 or older
by 2050. Already, a third of all people
in Japan are in that older age range; 60
more countries are expected to hit that
ratio in the next 25 years.
More than a century’s worth of
scientific and social progress means
that most of us are now more produc-
tive and more useful to society for far
longer than in the past.
“What we have is a fundamental
change in the age structure of society,”
says John Rowe, professor of health
policy and aging at Columbia Universi-
ty’s Aging Center, referring to the way
we’re aging—and also the way we’re
creating young people, with birth rates
plummeting in most countries. Glob-
ally, fertility levels have dropped below
the so-called population replacement
rate of just over two births per woman.

ARE GETTING AN UPGRADE

BY
ALICE PARK

ILLUSTRATIONS
BY JEAN JULLIEN
FOR TIME

23
LONGEVITY

It is a sea change—and one that

raises big questions about how we both
individually and collectively navigate
what, in a sense, is our new old age.
How, for example, should we spend
our extra time? Should employment
still be confined to a finite number of
years, or instead ebb and flow through-
out an entire lifetime? And where, in a
world of acute housing shortages, will
everyone live?
“We have to re-engineer our society,
because the fundamental institutions
of our society—education and work
and retirement—are not designed to
support a population with the age dis-
tribution we are going to have,” says
Rowe, who chaired the MacArthur
Foundation Research Network on Suc-
cessful Aging. “We need a fundamen-
tal redesign.” AN ASU STUDENT TEACHES ate a mentorship program for premed
Rowe is one of a growing global co- A MIRABELLA RESIDENT
TO USE VIRTUAL REALITY
students. He and other retired doctors
hort of experts trying to work out pre- in the building meet regularly with stu-
cisely how this “re-engineering” might dents to answer their questions about
unfold. And they are starting by re- live on campus in a 20-story building topics that might not be covered in the
framing seniors not as a burden, but that’s a blend of a senior living facility traditional premed curriculum, like
as untapped sources of talent, expe- and a dorm. how to achieve work-life balance, avoid
rience, and social glue. It also means The facility, called Mirabella, burnout, and navigate the bioethics
thinking more creatively and flexibly has independent-living, assisted- challenges they may face as provid-
about life’s three-piece jigsaw, so that living, and skilled-nursing options, ers. “I’ve always felt that the best job
it no longer has to follow the familiar like in most retirement communi- I could ever have is one that I wanted
trajectory of learning, work, and retire- ties. But residents are an active part to do but wasn’t necessarily paid to
ment. Instead, learning and work are of the university community, tak- do,” says Kramer. “That’s what this is
sprinkled throughout a lifetime, rather ing classes, mentoring students, and to me. It’s probably the most gratify-
than confined, respectively, to the be- serving as teaching assistants. Every- ing and satisfying thing I’ve ever done.”
ginning and middle; periods of leisure, one benefits—professors give lectures Students get just as much out of it.
meanwhile, no longer need to be rele- at the residence, and several doctoral “Every single time I leave my apart-
gated to the end. music students live in the building ment, I am greeted by 300-plus peo-
rent-free, teaching seniors and gain- ple who are happy to see me, engage
“The Three-sTage life is over,” ing performance experience by giving in conversation, and who have lived a
says Martha Deevy, associate director concerts several times a week. “We get fruitful life and have years—decades—
of the Stanford Center on Longevity. to practice our craft and receive feed- of wisdom and stories to share,” says
And the quickest way to restructure it, back in real time,” says Caleb Bailey, a Bailey. Recent studies show that lone-
she argues, is to stretch out education. doctoral student in guitar performance liness and isolation are hitting older
Learning, the new thinking goes, who is one of four artists in residence and younger populations the hardest,
should take place continuously at Mirabella. and university faculty aren’t necessar-
throughout life—not just during child- Bailey and his classmates also ben- ily equipped or expected to manage
hood and young adulthood. But doing efited from having Mirabella residents the social and emotional education
so requires more than welcoming the in their classes. Two retired nurses of their students. The senior citizens
odd 80- or 90-year-old to audit a col- took a musicology course on the his- on campus are helping provide that
lege course. To truly redesign educa- tory of arts and health with Bailey, for support, says Lindsey Beagley, se-
tion, seniors must become an integral example. “They were able to provide nior director of Lifelong University
A R I Z O N A S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y (2)

part of a university’s social and aca- a wealth of information that even the Engagement at Arizona State Univer-
demic ecosystem. professor was not able to add,” he says. sity Enterprise Partners. “Universities
One such effort is currently unfold- Dr. Richard Kramer, a retired pro- were the engines behind innovations
ing at Arizona State University, home fessor of gastroenterology at Stanford in medicine and public health, so col-
to the first university-based retirement University, moved to Mirabella with his lege campuses should be particularly
community in the U.S., where seniors wife in 2021 and was inspired to cre- well positioned to think about how to
24 Time January 26, 2026
 workers feel they will be offered the
same treatment at retirement age.
A person’s career doesn’t have to fol-
low a straight line, either. Today’s jobs
can be performed for far longer, ren-
dering the traditional model of work-
ing full time for decades, then retiring,
obsolete, says David Rehkopf, co-
director of the Stanford Center on Lon-
gevity. He and other experts believe
workers should flow in and out of the
workforce, spending some years work-
ing full time and some years with flex-
ible hours to allow them to raise chil-
dren, care for aging parents, or pursue
other interests. “You no longer need to
work 50 to 60 hours [a week] to ben-
efit the company,” says Rehkopf. “You
could work 20 hours if you want.”
Some companies are helping older
connect generations more meaning- ASU STUDENTS AND workers transition into different types
fully,” she says. SENIORS MAKE CARDS AT A
CO-GENERATIONAL EVENT
of work better suited to their later ca-
About 100 senior facilities are lo- reer needs and skills, such as tasks that
cated on campuses in 30 states, from rely on deep networks of contacts or
the University of Florida to Stan- In Japan, older people outnum- more mature decisionmaking abili-
ford. The challenge now is to entice ber younger ones, and companies ties. It’s a model that the government
more universities to follow Mirabel- have struggled to figure out what to in Singapore is promoting by providing
la’s more comprehensive model. Al- do once seniors reach retirement age grants and payments to companies that
ready, the positive feedback from se- and how to entice younger employees employ older workers and encouraging
niors and students is drawing attention to join and remain loyal. Some com- seniors to pick up new skills and jobs.
from real estate developers, who have panies have found a clever solution. However, incentives like these are
also been responding to the growing Rather than cutting off retirees, cor- still relatively rare; research shows that
demand for noninstitutional, non- porate giants like Hitachi and Mitsu- older workers are not offered enough
traditional senior living options. One bishi, among others, allow them to con- skill-building opportunities or sched-
developer, Varcity, plans to open a fa- tinue coming into the office for light ule flexibility. Four in 10 companies
cility near Texas A&M that globally still enforce a
will give seniors access to mandatory retirement
classes, sporting events, ‘WE HAVE TO age, according to AARP,
and facilities. Varcity is
planning a similar com- RE-ENGINEER OUR SOCIETY . . . and 53% of executives do
not include age in their di-
munity at Purdue. A F U N D A M E N T A L R E D E S I G N .’ versity policies.
—JOHN ROWE, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
“There is a ton of con-
The currenT pracTice versation around what we
of retiring after a certain might need to do to reskill
age mostly comes from industries work or simply to read the newspaper America and upskill people. But think-
rooted in manual labor and the limits or socialize with other workers. Called ing about that in life-course terms al-
of keeping older employees in physi- the madogiwa-zoku—meaning “win- most never happens,” says Stevens.
cally demanding jobs. But even though dow tribe,” because they often sit by “This is the frontier.”
the nature of work and the makeup of the office windows—these workers are Dr. Linda Fried noticed this prob-
the labor force have shifted drastically, proof to the whole company that man- lem in the 1990s. Many of the patients
most companies still think that when agement acknowledges the service em- in her geriatric practice viewed retire-
workers approach so-called retirement ployees have devoted throughout their ment as inevitable, even though they
age, it’s time to go. career. The company also retains the didn’t want to stop working. So Fried,
But labor and social-science experts experience these seniors have amassed, director of the Columbia Aging Cen-
say that if companies want to be com- which they can pass on to younger em- ter, launched the Experience Corps:
petitive, they should start focusing on ployees. It might seem like a waste of an employment version of the Peace
retaining their older employees, not salaries, but the idea is that investing Corps that matches retired seniors with
showing them the door. in older workers will pay off if younger local school systems. Fried saw early
25
LONGEVITY

education as a good fit for seniors—

young people need support to build
the foundations of learning and self-
esteem, retirees need an outlet for their
valuable experience and maturity, and
teachers could always use some extra
help. “It was designed to be a win-win-
win,” says Fried. “And it works.” AARP
now runs the program in 16 cities.
But while the progress is encourag-
ing, Fried says it’s not enough. “I de-
signed it over 30 years ago, and it’s
still only in 16 cities,” she says. “This
should not be the only program, but
one of an array of programs where any
older adult who wants to volunteer to
make a difference. All of these years
later, there is resistance and a lack of
ability to fund this because it requires
a public commitment of resources.” AN INTERGENERATIONAL through an interpreter; she is learning
DUET DANCE LED
BY AN ASU STUDENT
English from younger people in the
Figuring out where everybody will building. “With different generations in
live is a critical issue, and not just a lo- the building, it gives me more energy.”
gistical one. Prioritizing what seniors lettuce, habanero peppers, and fresh As the older population continues
need—from accessible public trans- herbs. On a blistering July afternoon, to expand, the need to adopt more of
portation to housing options beyond Mariah Veras, 56, donned a hat and wa- these strategies will only grow more ur-
senior-living facilities, for example— tered the dozens of rectangular grow- gent. After all, disparities in the most
can keep older people healthier and in- ing beds with fellow members of the obvious factor in longevity—health—
volved in their communities for longer. Garden Club. Veras had never gar- are already separating those who are
Research has found that seniors who dened before living there; now, she able to age well from those who can’t.
live in institutional settings, removed shows off strings of drying garlic hang- In the U.S., Rowe says the lower por-
from the community, feel isolated and ing under the building’s solar panels. tion of the middle class will face the
tend to become more lonely and de- “I personally think they should biggest hurdles in older age, as they are
pressed from their loss of independence make more places like One Flushing all set to enter old age with a lower level of
and self-esteem, which in turn leads to over New York City to help the elderly,” physical fitness than their parents’ gen-
poor health and higher medical costs. she says. “When I get older, I don’t eration boasted, he says. “It’s 25% to
Multigenerational 30% of the population that
housing arrangements we are leaving behind.”
are one model for build- ‘I DON’T WANT TO FEEL OLDER. Making sure that longer
ing a society that is more
welcoming, rather than I WANT TO STILL FEEL VIBRANT life—and an enjoyably lon-
ger life, at that—is a pos-
dismissive, of older peo- L I K E I A M N O W .’ sibility for all will require
ple. They have become —NEW YORKER MARIAH VERAS, 56
more deliberate interven-
popular in Germany, a tion from policymakers—
so-called super-aged so- as well as a continued
ciety where older populations are want to feel older. I want to still feel vi- push to think about the life course not
quickly outnumbering younger brant like I am now, and living here is in terms of chronological age, but as a
ones; the government and local com- helping my purpose.” At One Flushing, continuum. And it requires a shift away
munities have invested in several younger residents teach older ones how from the ageist attitudes that have led to
such facilities across the country. to use computers and practice convers- segregation and discrimination of older
In New York, an affordable housing ing in English. And useful businesses people. “We know what to do in many,
high-rise in Queens represents a simi- have opened up on the block, including many ways,” says Irving. “The frustra-
lar approach. Built in 2019 on what was an urgent-care center and a tearoom tion is that we don’t do it quickly enough
A R I Z O N A S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y

once a parking lot, One Flushing in- that gets packed on weekdays with and effectively enough. And that goes
cludes more than 200 apartments ear- older residents catching up over hot to the bigger question of our values
marked for residents of various ages, drinks. “I like to stay here instead of a and priorities, which have brought us
plus perks like a rooftop garden where senior assisted-living place,” says Irene to where we are today—but which can
they can tend and harvest tomatoes, Ng, a 75-year-old resident who spoke change to bring us to a different future.”
26 Time January 26, 2026
 technically difficult,” Mediterranean diet,
R E S O L U T I O N S T H AT she says. Push-ups, in particular, is linked
CA N H E L P YO U planks, and squats to a lower risk of dying
A G E B E T T E R T H I S Y E A R are great moves to from any cause.
BY ANGELA HAUPT start with on your If you currently
way to weights. subsist on potato
chips and chicken
If you’re aging—and who isn’t?— Choices in key arenas can wings, however, don’t
even small habits can have a determine whether you’re thriving attempt to go cold
profound impact on your current or merely surviving as you get turkey overnight.
and future well-being. That’s true older. As you think about what kind Dr. George Hennawi,
whether you’re 25 or 75. of resolutions you want to set for REACH founder of the Center
OUT TO A
“For the majority of us, genet- better aging, prioritize those that for Successful Aging
FRIEND ONCE
ics will explain about 20% of our are both specific and measurable, A WEEK at MedStar Health,
aging,” says Nathan LeBrasseur, LeBrasseur advises. (Simply pledg- suggests resolving to
director of Mayo Clinic’s Robert ing to “be healthier” won’t get you eat processed food
and Arlene Kogod Center on Aging. very far.) It’s also smart to ease and meat two times
“Thinking about your trajectory of in, rather than overhauling your a week instead of
aging and how you can influence routine overnight. Strong social connec- your usual five, for
it, starting as early as possible, We asked experts which New tions can help people example. “Start
can make a difference in your year Year’s resolutions they recommend live longer in good there, with just a
ahead regardless of your age.” setting for successful aging. health. It’s important small bite,” he says.
to be proactive about
maintaining and
strengthening these
author of the book mobility, and even bonds, Burnight says,
BEGIN Joyspan: The Art and protect against a and to schedule
TRY
EACH DAY BY Science of Thriving host of diseases. get-togethers rather ONE NEW
LISTING WHAT in Life’s Second Half. That’s why Dr. Gabri- than waiting for your THING
YOU’RE “It enables you to see elle Lyon, author of phone to buzz. She A MONTH
GRATEFUL FOR
those things through- Forever Strong: A calls once a week
out the day,” she says. New, Science-Based the minimum for
You might even be Strategy for Aging reaching out to a
thankful for getting Well, coined the friend. “Every human
Looking on the bright older: researchers term musclespan to is lonely sometimes, Novelty is good for
side is one of the best have found that posi- describe the length of and we can solve that your brain; it’s linked
longevity practices. tive attitudes about time someone lives problem together,” with a reduced risk of
“People who are opti- aging can increase with healthy, strong, Burnight says. “It cognitive decline.
mistic have a good lifespan by up to capable muscle. She can be coffee, a walk, Every month, chal-
social life, a strong 7.5 years, while also urges people to engage lunch, or whatever, lenge yourself to come
sense or purpose, and improving cognitive in resistance training but we have to be up with one new thing
better health habits— and physical health. three days a week, proactive about it.” you’ve always wanted
and the opposite is which could mean to try but haven’t got-
also true,” says Dr. using free weights, ten around to, whether
Alan Rozanski, a cardi- weight machines, you didn’t have the
ologist at the Icahn resistance bands, or nerve or the time.
School of Medicine DO your own body weight. CUT Then, finally do it.
at Mount Sinai who RESISTANCE Aim for at least 15 reps DOWN ON “Look for something
studies how mindset TRAINING of your chosen activity, PROCESSED you’re curious about
THREE TIMES FOOD
influences health. and make sure you’re AND MEAT
and that you can
A WEEK
Fortunately, it’s working at a level that think about and talk
never too late to start requires you to really about—something
cultivating optimism. push yourself to finish that will help you
Start each day by list- the last one or two, grow and continue to
ing 10 things you’re Muscles play a key Lyon advises. Diet is the No. 1 risk develop as a human,”
grateful for, suggests role in longevity: “It doesn’t have to factor for premature says Burnight, who’s
Dr. Kerry Burnight, they improve meta- be complicated, and death, and research currently learning how
a geriatrician and bolic health, support it doesn’t have to be shows that a healthy to play the piano.

27
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 LONGEVITY

D E C O D I N G

30 TIME January 26, 2026

 SCIENTISTS ARE TARGETING
THE ORGAN TO TRY TO SLOW
DOWN AGING. WILL IT WORK?

BY
DOMINIQUE
MOSBERGEN

ILLUSTRATION
BY JOAN WONG
FOR TIME

T H E O V A R Y

31
LONGEVITY

samples were taken. Emera was finally high school biology class. “The ovaries
able in early December to see slides of are the control center of a really com-
the tissue. She was nervous about what plex signaling network,” says Jennifer

D
she might see. “Samples that are not Garrison, a neuroscientist and former
fresh can look very mushy,” she says. executive director of the Productive
To her relief, the images were sharp Health Global Consortium, an organi-
and appeared to be what she needed. zation that funded ovarian health re-
The tissue will now undergo genetic search. Through hormones and other
sequencing. “Will it be good enough chemicals, the ovaries are “talking to
quality to get good data—and if it is, almost every tissue in the female body,”
then what will we see?” she says. Garrison says. “Ovaries are like con-
A study by other researchers pub- ductors in an orchestra. They’re coor-
lished in October found that bowhead dinating things like bone health, heart
DEENA EMERA WAS MESMERIZED BY whales possess an exceptional abil- health, and metabolism.” And when
the images on the screen. “They were ity to repair damaged DNA, which re- that coordination stops or becomes
beautiful,” she says of the slides she searchers think could explain their faulty, health problems can emerge.
saw in December—each a microscopic long lives and ability to stave off dis- “It’s kind of like losing the wi-fi signal
closeup of a bowhead whale’s ovary. eases of aging like cancer. “I suspect to half of your devices,” Garrison says.
The images were marvelously crisp the mechanisms involved in bowhead “I don’t want to make it sound like we
and showed the mottled outer layer of longevity overlap with the mecha- understand how that works. We don’t.
the organs. nisms that enable them to reproduce
Bowhead whales are considered the for so long,” says Emera, who wrote a
longest-living mammals on earth. They book about the evolution of the female
can live for more than 200 years, and body. “What we learn from these ani-
females can reproduce well after their mals could help humanity.” U N L O C K I N G T H E
100th birthdays. Emera, an evolu- Emera is among a growing group H I D D E N P O W E R
tionary biologist, has long wondered: of scientists who think that ovaries— O F T H E OVA R Y
“What is different about their ovaries which, when functioning optimally,
that allows them to continue ovulating appear to be a source of vitality—could Ovaries are ubiquitous in the
for so long?” Could we harness those harbor secrets that could help us all animal kingdom: most female ver-
qualities to benefit human health? live healthier for longer. tebrates and many invertebrates
She had to find out. But obtaining have them. Scientists are starting
samples of any kind from a bowhead OVARIES ARE UBIQUITOUS in to uncover the key role that ovaries
whale is a Sisyphean challenge. The the animal kingdom. Most female play in health and aging. Some
whales—giants of the ocean that can vertebrates—mammals, birds, fish— think they hold secrets that may
span 60 ft. in length and weigh 100 have them, as do earthworms and help us all live healthier for longer.
tons—are endangered, and only Indig- beetles and squid. About half of all
enous subsistence whalers in Alaska, humans are born with them, but until
Canada, Greenland, and Russia are very recently, scientists’ and doctors’
permitted to hunt them. Emera spent interest in ovaries has focused largely
three years cultivating relationships on their role as potential babymakers But we do know what happens when
P R E V I O U S PAG E S: M AT T H I A S C L A M E R — G E T T Y I M AG E S; D I G I TA L V I S I O N — G E T T Y I M AG E S
with some of these whalers, working or victims of diseases like cancer. That you either take ovaries away or when
to persuade them of the value of her interest, however, is rapidly expanding their function changes” as they age.
research. as researchers have started to uncover Menopause, when a woman’s pe-
Even then, she didn’t know if it the key role that ovaries play in female riod ceases, is a stark example of the
would even be possible to get usable health and aging. consequences of ovarian aging. It oc-
samples. “Killing a bowhead whale “The ovary can teach us a lot. You curs when the ovaries stop releasing
is quite the process because it’s such could even posit that it’s a fountain of eggs and hormones such as estrogen
a humongous animal,” says Emera, a youth,” says Diana Laird, a researcher and progesterone. Menopause is the
senior scientist at the Buck Institute at the University of California, San inescapable counterpoint to menstru-
for Research on Aging in California. Francisco, who is studying how ova- ation; it happens at the average age of
“It takes the whalers a long time to get ries age. “Whatever the special sauce 51 in the U.S.
the animal to shore, so it’s possible that is could be an elixir for better health After menopause, a woman’s risk
the tissue I need is going to go bad.” for women and men too.” for many age-related diseases, includ-
During a hunt in August, a female Ovaries are the source of the eggs ing cardiovascular disease, dementia,
bowhead was killed in Arctic waters. and hormones needed during preg- osteoporosis, and metabolic diseases,
Her ovaries—hefty things, each mea- nancy, but it turns out they do so increases sharply. “Menopause is the
suring over a foot—were removed and much more than what we learned in worst thing that happens for women’s
32 TIME January 26, 2026
 health because it’s literally the start of women’s-health experts who sup- and also find ways to slow their aging.
everything that’s going to go wrong in port the use of hormone therapy say Doing that could potentially extend
an accelerated manner,” says Bérénice more robust and updated studies are women’s health spans—the number of
Benayoun, an ovarian-aging researcher needed. years they spend in good health—and
at the University of Southern California. Hormone therapy remains the allow women to have children later if
Garrison says her cholesterol went “best Band-Aid we have” to mitigate they so choose. Women suffering from
through the roof during perimeno- menopause-related health risks, says other conditions linked to ovarian dys-
pause, the transition period before Garrison, yet “there has been almost function, such as infertility and poly-
menopause that is characterized by zero innovation in 80 years.” A novel cystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), could
fluctuating hormone levels and symp- treatment targeting the ovaries could also benefit, as could girls and women
toms such as hot flashes and insom- be groundbreaking. whose ovarian function becomes im-
nia. “I now understand that my risk of paired before 40—a condition known
heart disease skyrocketed,” says Gar- WOMEN LIVE LONGER, on average, as primary ovarian insufficiency, which
rison, who will soon turn 50. than men. But women tend to be can be triggered by disease or treat-
Studies have shown that the ear- sicker than men as they grow older, ments like chemotherapy.
lier someone experiences menopause, suffering from more chronic diseases The ovaries, scientists have found,
the higher the risk of developing age- and disability. Scientists don’t know are among the fastest-aging organs
related diseases; conversely, the later for sure if loss of ovarian function is in the human body. “You don’t call
the onset of menopause, the longer a driving this diminished resilience or if a 40-year-old brain an aging brain,
woman is likely to live. (Preliminary something else is going on that is has- but for 40-year-old ovaries, they are

Scientists Ovaries
are studying are pervasive
ovaries of the in nature,
longest-living found even in
mammal earthworms

Experimental
BOWHEAD WHALE MOUSE drugs have EARTHWORM
slowed ovarian
aging
in mice

data suggests that men with mothers tening aging in women and causing the already in the nursing home,” says
or sisters who experience later meno- ovaries to fail. But what seems clear is Yousin Suh, a reproductive-sciences
pause tend to live longer too.) that as ovaries age and their function professor at Columbia University.
Despite the health issues associated declines—which some scientists think To understand why, Suh compared
U N I V E R S A L I M A G E S G R O U P/G E T T Y I M A G E S (3): W H A L E : F L O R I L EG I U S;
MOUSE: BILDAGENTUR- ONLINE; WORM: UNIVERSAL HISTORY ARCHIVE

with menopause, options to treat them may start to happen 10 to 15 years be- ovaries from women in their 20s
are limited. The most common treat- fore menopause—a woman’s overall and late 40s. “I thought that maybe
ment is menopausal hormone therapy, health takes a dive too. I would find some secret, something
which has been used since the 1940s In cases where a woman’s ovaries specific that was causing this rapid
and is approved by the U.S. Food and need to be removed entirely, her risk aging,” Suh says. “But what I found
Drug Administration to treat symp- for chronic conditions including car- blew my mind.”
toms like hot flashes and to prevent diovascular disease surpasses that of The ovaries, she discovered, were
osteoporosis. Studies have found that a postmenopausal woman, suggesting aging exactly like all the other organs
women who start hormone therapy that even after the ovaries stop releas- in the body—just at a much faster
within 10 years of menopause onset ing eggs, they still play a role in pre- rate. “There was nothing special,” she
have a reduced risk of death from all serving overall health. says. “It was the same mechanisms of
causes. Some critics, however, say By unraveling how ovaries func- aging that you see in other parts of the
more research still needs to be done tion, scientists hope to better under- body: telomere shortening, mitochon-
to confirm the drugs are safe. Even stand how they might promote health drial dysfunction, cellular senescence,
33
LONGEVITY

stem-cell exhaustion. But happening infertility and endometriosis, which

in this much more compressed way. We she suffers from. “I asked myself, Why
had never seen anything like it.” OVA R I E S’ should anybody experience a decline in
The discovery suggested some- R A P I D their ovarian function?”
thing tantalizing: that the ovaries A G I N G Beim started to dig into the history
could offer a preview of how the en- of women’s health and what she calls
tire body will age. Since the ovaries age Women are born with all the the “normalization” of menopause,
in such a rapid way, they could also be ovarian follicles they will ever and she became increasingly indig-
used to more efficiently test antiaging have. Follicles—which house nant. “There’s nothing normal about it.
treatments. “It gave me hope that, my eggs—grow, degenerate, Menopause is just as ‘normal’ and ‘nat-
God, now we can really do intervention and die over time. Research- ural’ as having tooth decay, osteoarthri-
ers are betting that slowing
studies,” says Suh, whose lab is leading tis, heart disease, cancer,” she says.
follicle death could prolong
a pilot study on whether rapamycin, a David Pepin, a researcher at Mass
ovarian function.
drug that has in other experiments ex- General and Harvard, discovered in
tended the life of animals, could slow 2017 that AMH is effective at stop-
ovarian aging in people. ping the growth of ovarian follicles.
Experiments conducted at North- Follicles are the functional units of
western University have found that the ovary: they produce essential hor-
drugs similar to rapamycin can boost mones and are the “house” in which
fertility in mice, including during che- an egg develops. At any given time be-
motherapy, says Dr. Kara Goldman, a fore menopause, multiple follicles are
reproductive endocrinologist who being awakened from a dormant state
is leading the research. The drugs, if and are starting to grow. The vast ma-
proven to work in people, could be jority of them, however, will degener-
used to help women struggling with ate and die. During a typical menstrual
infertility, as well as those undergoing The circular 8 YEARS OLD cycle, one egg usually matures and is
cancer treatments, she says. structures are released for possible fertilization. “But
follicles, plentiful you lose the rest of the growing folli-
in youth, and
PIRAYE YURTTAS BEIM wants to make which decline cles. It’s a very destructive process,”
menopause optional. with age says Pepin.
“I have a daughter who’s 8, and At birth, ovaries come with all the
I want her generation to be mind- follicles they will ever have—about
blown that menopause was a thing,” a million. After about 30 years, typi-
says Beim, founder of Celmatix Thera- cally about 100,000 follicles remain.
peutics, a biotech company that is ex- The speed of follicle death increases
ploring whether a hormone known with age, and by the time menopause
as AMH, or anti-Müllerian hormone, hits, the average woman has fewer than
could delay menopause and improve a thousand.
fertility. The hormone has been shown AMH is produced by the ovaries,
in mice to protect ovarian function and one of its primary functions is
21 YEARS OLD
from accelerated aging caused by During a controlling the number of follicles
menstrual cycle,
chemotherapy. typically one that are awakened to start growing.
Beim says it was a dinner conver- follicle releases Pepin found that AMH can stop fol-
sation in 2019 that cemented her con- an egg. Many licles from waking up and therefore
viction in this mission. Beim, then in more die limit the number of them that are lost.
her early 40s, had been discussing A company he co-founded called
perimenopause with her then hus- Oviva Therapeutics—which Granata
band. “‘Buckle up,’ I told him. ‘It’s Bio acquired in 2025—is developing an
T H E D U N C A N L A B — N O R T H W E S T E R N U N I V E R S I T Y (3)

like puberty, but all over again in mid- AMH drug that it hopes could improve
life,’” she remembers saying. “He re- fertility and ovarian function. Pepin’s
sponded, ‘Isn’t there anything we can lab has been experimenting with AMH
do about this?’” in mice to see if the hormone can pre-
“That was the light-bulb moment serve fertility in chemotherapy pa-
for me,” says Beim, a molecular bi- tients. Pepin says he doesn’t think the
ologist who had started Celmatix a As 34 YEARS OLD hormone could delay menopause in-
decade earlier to develop drugs that menopause definitely, but it might be able to keep
target ovarian health and treat wom- approaches, the ovaries functional for longer and
en’s reproductive conditions such as the rate of
follicle death
mitigate menopausal symptoms.
accelerates
34 TIME January 26, 2026
 Celmatix is experimenting with a test to measure aging in women that award for ovarian health. “I realized
drug that closely mimics AMH, Beim could predict the rate at which their how little I understood about my own
says. They will soon test the molecule in ovaries are aging and when meno- body,” she says.
primates before starting trials in people. pause may occur. Francesca Duncan, XPRIZE is currently fundraising for
a reproductive-sciences professor at this new competition, which it hopes
ElsEwhErE, sciEntists enthralled Northwestern, has discovered that as to launch in 2026. The contest aims
by the ovary are going back to basics. ovaries age, they become stiffer; her to award at least $50 million to a re-
The data we have on women’s health lab is working on an ultrasound test search group or company that develops
is generally abysmal—and our knowl- that uses ovarian stiffness as a way to a method to measure or better under-
edge of the ovaries is even worse. Only measure ovarian aging. stand ovarian function and apply it to
in recent years did scientists discover Women have been fueling the surge meaningfully improve women’s health.
the presence in the ovaries of glia, in innovation and investment in ovar- A lack of understanding of ovarian
usually thought of as support cells ian health, says Benayoun, the USC function is “one of the biggest gaps”
for neurons in the brain and nervous researcher whose work is focused on in science, says Justice, who hopes the
system. (Researchers don’t yet know how inflammation could be driving contest will generate enthusiasm for
what they’re doing there, but associ- ovarian aging. “Having a lot of new a field in urgent need of more invest-
ated sympathetic nerves, which are in- blood in the field and women rising ment. In 2023, only about 2% of all
volved in the “fight or flight” response in the ranks, opening labs, doing re- health-related venture-capital invest-
and were also found in the ovaries, search, and being part of the dialogue ments went to women’s health issues,
appear to promote the growth of fol- has changed a lot of things,” she says. according to a Deloitte analysis.
licles.) And while estrogen and pro- For many of these women, personal Several initiatives have recently
gesterone have long been thought experience drew them to the work or launched in an attempt to fix this
of as the most important hormones kept them motivated. Murphy says it gap, and some are focusing on break-
produced by the ovaries, the organs was her own experience with family throughs in ovarian health. Nuttall
churn out many more hormones and planning that made her realize there Women’s Health, a new nonprofit
other chemicals—some of which were was a need for a test that could mea- foundation, recently offered grants
unknown to science until of up to $5 million to sci-
recently—that could play entists studying ovarian
an important role in main- ‘IF THIS WERE A PROBLEM THAT aging. Another group,
taining health.
Clinical trials in the IMPACTED MEN, IT WOULD AthenaDAO, is a grass-
roots community of re-
U.S. weren’t obliged to in- A L R E A D Y H A V E B E E N S O L V E D .’ searchers and investors
clude women until 1993. —JENNIFER GARRISON, NEUROSCIENTIST
that funds research using
“If you look over the last cryptocurrency. Since its
100 years of clinical and founding in 2022, it has
scientific data, it’s estimated that less sure ovarian aging. Polli, of the MIT invested $1.5 million in projects related
than 10% of that is coming from fe- machine-learning initiative, says she to ovarian function and other women’s
male physiology,” says Frida Polli, a became aware of how little was un- health issues, says founder Laura Min-
neuroscientist who helped launch a derstood about ovarian health after quini. Its first spin-off company is fo-
new machine-learning initiative at unexpectedly getting pregnant at 46, cused on measuring ovarian decline
the Massachusetts Institute of Tech- while a friend in her early 30s suffered and forecasting menopause.
nology aimed at closing the women’s- from primary ovarian insufficiency and Of AthenaDAO’s 1,000 funders,
health research gap. needed donor eggs to conceive a child. about 800 are women, says Minquini.
MIT’s Female Medicine Through Suh, the Columbia researcher, says she “We have members who are clinicians
Machine Learning is using AI to parse endured debilitating perimenopausal and researchers, but we also have
through large health datasets to better symptoms as she was starting her work women who aren’t scientists who have
understand potential drivers of ovar- on ovarian aging. “It totally shook my struggled with PCOS and endometrio-
ian aging, such as genetics and life- world. In hindsight, it’s a miracle that sis, so they are motivated by their own
style factors. Polli says the goal is to I maintained my lab, because my brain stories.”
find potential biomarkers of ovarian refused to work and my immune sys- Garrison, the neuroscientist, says
aging that could, for example, be used tem failed,” she says. it’s about time for women’s health to
to predict the timing of menopause. For Jamie Justice, a researcher take a front seat. “We are generations
There is currently no test that can of aging and executive director of behind where we need to be with re-
directly measure the aging of ovarian XPRIZE Healthspan, a $101 million spect to women’s health knowledge,”
tissue or even tell a woman for sure if competition that awards advances she says. “We’ve got to do something
she is going through perimenopause or in longevity science, challenging ex- different, something really big. If this
menopause. At Princeton, geneticist periences during her own pregnancy were a problem that impacted men, it
Coleen Murphy is developing a blood prompted her, in part, to suggest an would already have been solved.” □
35
 WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM

A world in transition
D AV I D S O L O M O N O N T H E E C O N O M I C O U T L O O K
K R I S TA L I N A G E O R G I E VA O N T H E F U T U R E O F T R A D E
MARC BENIOFF ON AI’S POTENTIAL
A M A L C L O O N E Y A N D P H I L I P PA W E B B O N C L O S I N G T H E J U S T I C E G A P
IAN BREMMER ON THE PRESIDENT’S YEAR AHEAD
P L U S T R U M P ’ S F O R E I G N P O L I C Y R E P O R T C A R D, A F R I C A’ S N E W P O W E R , & M O R E

I L L U S T R AT I O N B Y R I C H A R D M I A F O R T I M E 37
 WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM

W H AT C O M E S N E X T

THE TRUTH
ABOUT AI
Why the Agentic Enterprise
will define the next decade
of the AI revolution
BY MARC BENIOFF

IN HAMPSHIRE AND THAMES VALLEY IN SOUTHERN

England, a new kind of cop is on the beat—and it doesn’t
wear a uniform. “Bobbi,” built on my company’s Agent-
force platform, is an autonomous system that handles non-
emergency calls to the police—the thousands of routine
questions each day that can overwhelm response centers and
slow response times. Bobbi now addresses many of these
calls instantly, freeing human officers to focus on the critical
emergencies that require, with lives hanging in the balance, market moves beyond the initial breakthrough into a con-
the judgment, empathy, and on-the-ground experience that tinuous game of innovation leapfrog. We’re seeing it now
only humans can offer. with AI: Google’s Gemini 3 advancing long-horizon reason-
Bobbi reflects an important shift in how AI is showing up ing and real-time multimodal understanding; Anthropic’s
in the world. What makes the platform work isn’t just a large Claude 3.5 Sonnet delivering frontier-level performance at a
language model (LLM) like ChatGPT or Claude. It’s the way dramatically lower cost; OpenAI’s GPT-4o introducing real-
AI is woven into existing law-enforcement data, connected time voice interaction with striking emotional nuance.
to the systems and applications police already rely on every Over time, LLMs will become more of a commodity layer,
day, and guided by people who set priorities and intervene chosen less for uniqueness and more for performance, ef-
when needed. That’s what I call the Agentic Enterprise: AI, ficiency, and availability. AI agents themselves will move
data, apps, and people all working together as one unified fluidly across models, selecting the right one for the task at
system that turns intelligence into action. hand, often without a human ever noticing.
The second truth is that what we build on top of the
I’VE BEEN PART of many waves of technology through my LLM—the trusted data and workflows that connect AI to
career, from the cloud to mobile, social, and now AI. Each the way we work and live—matters most. Trusted data brings
arrived with enormous excitement, and sweeping assump- context, truth, and greater understanding; apps provide the
tions. These assumptions—like the belief that social media workflows. AI agents tie it all together with speed, insight,
would bring the world closer together—rarely played out the and the ability to operate at a level of productivity and scale
way people first imagined. True to form, with AI we are now that no team could manage on its own.
moving past the honeymoon phase of dazzling expectations The final truth is the most important one: the role of hu-
and into real-world complexity. mans. It is people who bring the creativity to see around
This is perhaps the most important, and most misunder- corners, the values that guide decisions, the relationships
stood, phase of every tech revolution. It’s the moment when that hold customers and teams together. That’s why I believe
the deeper truths that will actually shape the next decade deeply that humans must stay at the center of the Agentic
begin to emerge. I believe there are three such truths that Enterprise, with AI working alongside us. AI should elevate
every leader and organization needs to embrace to ensure humanity, not diminish it.
that this remarkable technology delivers on its potential. Until recently, the pace of AI innovation was outstripping
The first is that while LLMs are incredible achievements, adoption. That gap may now be beginning to close. At the
built through years of deep research and massive technical World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos this year,
investment, they are also increasingly interchangeable infra- Agentforce will provide personalized guidance through the
structure. History shows us that as a technology matures, the week, recommending sessions based on attendees’ bios and
38 TIME January 26, 2026
 ENDING THE ERA
OF MEGAFIRES
BY MARC BENIOFF AND ED RUSSO

IN TOO MANY CORNERS OF THE WORLD, THE SUM-

mer skies now arrive with a sepia haze, telltale
smoke that signals both burning forests and systems
under strain.
First responders rush into wildfires knowing they
may not return home. Families evacuate. Homes and
businesses are destroyed. Air and water are contami-
nated. In the U.S. alone, wildfires now drive hundreds
of billions of dollars in annual losses, while the de-
struction of biodiversity and forest health locks in a
feedback loop that makes each fire more likely, and
often more destructive than the last.
And yet perhaps the most surprising fact about
wildfires is not how grave a crisis they’ve become—
interests, enabling networking, and even booking meetings but how preventable so many of them are. We know
and sessions on their behalf. At Williams-Sonoma, the where the risks are highest. We know a great deal
“Olive” agent now handles about 60% of customer chats, about what works. Advanced satellites, AI-enhanced
grounding each interaction in trusted data and improving forecasts, autonomous drones, and real-time data
response times. Inside my own company, our IT Support platforms allow us to detect fires far earlier and at
agent provides instant answers to common issues, now re- much smaller scales than before, creating the oppor-
solving 35% of IT issues independently and saving what we tunity to act during the critical early window when
project to be 25,000 hours of work annually. they can still be contained.
Nonprofits, governments, and community organizations
are also using AI agents to help humans do what humans do THE PROBLEM IS that while risk and technology have
best. At Pledge 1%, a nonprofit I co-founded that includes fundamentally changed, the institutions, incentives,
roughly 20,000 companies that have given more than and operating models for wildfire management have
$3 billion back to their communities, AI agents match so- not. The vast majority of resources still flow into
cial needs with volunteers and resources at a scale no team emergency response and recovery. Meanwhile, the
could perform manually. At Blue Star Families, an agent as- most effective defenses, including healthy forests
sists staff in helping military families—simplifying a maze and well-managed ecosystems, remain chronically
of information and partners. At the U.S. Internal Revenue underfunded, even though they are our first line of
Service, the Office of Chief Counsel, one of the country’s protection. Although extreme winds unquestionably
more complex legal operations, now automates as much as worsened last year’s Los Angeles fires, even relatively
98% of activity in some workflows. This isn’t about replac- modest additional investments in areas such as local
ing people. It is about giving them teammates that make or- emergency communications and water infrastructure
ganizations faster, more accurate, and more accessible. could have significantly reduced costs and disruption,
I L L U S T R AT I O N B Y D A N I E L H E R T Z B E R G F O R T I M E

The task before us is not to predict which LLM will win in as TIME’s Justin Worland reported in a recent cover
the marketplace, but to build systems that empower AI for story. California has expanded fuel-reduction efforts
the benefit of humanity. The choices we make now—about in recent years, but the fires underscore the impor-
architecture, governance, and partnership between people tance of broad, sustained investment in prevention.
and machines—will determine whether we turn this moment Studies consistently show that investments in wild-
of possibility into lasting progress that strengthens institu- fire mitigation return multiples in avoided losses.
tions, expands opportunity, and unlocks human potential. The National Institute of Building Sciences finds
that every dollar spent on hazard mitigation saves,
Benioff is TIME’s co-owner and Salesforce chair and CEO on average, more than $4 in future costs—and up to
 WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM

△
$15 when focused on making homes more AN ALTADENA, CALIF., RESIDENT readiness” rather than reacting fire by fire.
AND HER BOYFRIEND AT WHAT
fire-resistant in high-risk areas. A review WAS HER HOME, ON JAN. 8,
Of course, wildfire is a global problem.
by the U.S. Forest Service found that more 2025, AFTER THE EATON FIRE Fires do not respect borders. Smoke does not
than 85% of modeled fuel-treatment sce- stop at customs. A fire-resilient future ulti-
narios reduced fire intensity or damage compared with mately requires shared standards, interoperable data sys-
untreated landscapes. Prevention is one of the most re- tems, and coordinated investment. The good news is that
liable investments we can make. risk and restoration are no longer invisible. Tens of millions
What’s missing is commitment and leadership. That of hectares worldwide are now mapped and tracked, allow-
requires updating systems built for rare, seasonal fires so ing governments, scientists, and investors to see where for-
they can manage longer, more intense blazes that cross ests are being restored, where risks are growing, and where
borders and overwhelm suppression; shifting funding intervention can make the greatest difference. That trans-
upstream toward steady investment in forest manage- parency changes what is possible, connecting capital to
ment, fuel reduction, and community protection; and credible projects and grounding policy in real landscapes.
moving beyond a century-old reliance on suppression. It Ending the era of megafires will not come from react-
also means supporting healthier landscapes, while mod- ing faster to catastrophe. It will come from changing the
ernizing insurance and capital markets to reward risk systems that allow preventable disasters to repeat them-
reduction instead of retreating when losses mount. This selves. If we choose to act—investing earlier, coordinat-
is also about affordability and recovery, ensuring people ing better, and managing forests as vital infrastructure—
can stay insured, businesses can reopen, and local econo- fire can once again be a managed ecological force rather
mies can bounce back when fires do occur. than a global catastrophe.
Some momentum is beginning to build. In the U.S.,
PHOTOGR APH BY E THAN SWOPE— AP

a recent White House Executive Order explicitly shifts Benioff is TIME’s co-owner and Salesforce chair and
wildfire policy toward prevention and preparedness— CEO; Russo is chair of the White House Environmental
directing federal agencies to coordinate more closely, ac- Advisory Task Force, president and CEO of the Florida
celerate forest management and fuel-reduction projects, Keys Environmental Coalition, and a board member of
and manage wildfire risk through “year-round response Reef Relief

40 Time January 26, 2026

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 WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM
create fragmented
ecosystems that limit
everyone’s progress.
Collaboration at this
foundational level
ensures the AI agents

COLLABORATING
being built today
will work together
tomorrow.
When we share

FOR A BETTER FUTURE

Sharing our what we learn and
learnings build systems that
work together, every-
MICHAEL DELL one moves faster.
AI has the potential to
Leaders’ perspectives on solving
Dell is the chairman
solve some of our most and CEO of Dell
pressing challenges,
global challenges together
Technologies
from accelerating
scientific discoveries
to making supply
chains more resilient.
Now, as we begin to
experience AI through
autonomous agents
that can act on our
behalf, AI’s reach is
accelerating. But we’ll
Peace-building realize that potential
begins with only if we treat it as a
cooperation collective capability to
MICHELLE BACHELET be built together.
People over
At Dell Technolo-
power
WE ARE LIVING IN A TIME SHAPED BY UNCERTAINTY, RAPID gies, we are customer
change, and eroding trust. Conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, and zero for enterprise ANGELA ODUOR
beyond are reminders that violence spreads quickly and that no AI, experimenting LUNGATI
and learning lessons
country can remain untouched. In an interdependent world, a In many ways, the world
about infrastructure,
threat to one becomes a danger to all, and no state can face these has framed AI as a race
implementation,
challenges alone. The only way forward is cooperation. data management, for global dominance—
Preventing conflict begins with listening, protecting rights, and return on invest- a contest for data, tal-
and addressing the inequalities that fuel grievances. We can- ment. We’ve been ent, compute, natural
not forget that human rights are not an obstacle to peace, but its radically transparent resources, and regula-
foundation. Without justice, no society can heal or rebuild trust. about what we’ve tory control. Africa is
I have seen what peace processes can achieve when victims’ learned, sharing still in its early stages
rights are at the center. Peace built on truth and justice can insights through of this “race,” with only
endure. Peace-building is a global challenge, one that requires weekly public videos 16 out of 54 countries
early detection of risks, coordinated diplomacy, and joint featuring our chief AI having launched
humanitarian action to defuse crises before they escalate. When officer John Roese, national AI strategies;
countries cooperate, share information, and pool resources, they and direct conversa- none have enacted
save lives and create the conditions for long-term peace and tions with customers binding laws.
development. and partners. Our Recent assess-
For this, we need more— transparency means ments suggest that
and better—multilateralism. companies can move the continent contrib-
faster by learning from utes less than 1% of
It remains our most effec-
our experience. AI research output and
tive tool for defusing ten-
We’re collaborat- development, despite
sions, resolving disputes,
PEACE BUILT
ing with governments representing 18% of
and protecting people. on regional AI action the world’s population.
When countries choose co- plans and convening Yet, Africa offers an
operation over division,
peace becomes possible not ON TRUTH AND companies across
industries to establish
alternative approach
that could guide us to

JUSTICE CAN
only for a few, but for all. interworking stan- a shared AI-powered
dards for AI agents. future. Emerging
Bachelet is the former Presi-
ENDURE
If these systems national AI strategies in
dent of Chile and former can’t communicate Kenya, Rwanda, Nige-
United Nations High Com- across platforms ria, Ghana, and South
missioner for Human Rights and vendors, we’ll Africa emphasize

42 TIME January 26, 2026

 digital sovereignty, collaborator.
equity and inclusion, I believe the most
ethical innovation, and powerful force in
a deliberate grounding chess today isn’t a
in African values and human grandmaster
lived realities. or a supercomputer, Prosperity for
Across the but the partnership
continent, a striking between the two. Pair-
all by 2100
harmony is evident: ing human creativity BOB STERNFELS
many African countries and intuition with AI’s
are prioritizing develop- precision and analyti- IT’S EASY TO FORGET HOW FAR WE’VE COME. IN 1926—WHEN OUR
ment over dominance, cal power can achieve firm first opened its doors—the world was still reeling from the Great
cooperation over results neither could War, with an unprecedented economic crisis around the corner. Global
competition, and accomplish alone. life expectancy was around 35 years. But a century later, people are liv-
responsible innova- I’ve experienced ing twice as long. Billions have escaped poverty. We put a man on the
tion over unchecked the power of this part- moon, and then some.
acceleration. nership firsthand. Dur- What drove these past 100 years of progress? How can we create 100
These priorities ing tournament prepa- more? These are the questions that McKinsey’s business and econom-
may seem misplaced ration, AI tools often ics research arm, the McKinsey Global Institute, poses in a new book,
in a world driven by uncover patterns and A Century of Plenty, which imagines a world in which everyone enjoys
speed and scale. How- possibilities I hadn’t the prosperity of today’s richest nations. Getting there by 2100 will
ever, they offer some- considered. Yet it’s require growing the global economy by a factor of eight—a tall order,
thing that the global my strategic intuition until you consider the sixfold growth in per capita incomes we’ve seen
AI ecosystem is in and understanding of
globally since the early 1920s. With all the technology, knowledge, and
dire need of: a model the game’s psychol-
interconnection we have today, can’t we do just a little better?
centered on people, ogy and nuance that
not power. If the world determine which
The McKinsey Global Institute ran the numbers, and the answer is
B A C H E L E T, H O U : C O U R T E S Y; D E L L : E R R I C H P E T E R S E N — S X S W/G E T T Y I M A G E S; L U N G AT I : E VA B L A K E — M O Z I L L A ; S T E R N F E L S : C O U R T E S Y M C K I N S E Y; S H A H : C O U R T E S Y R O C K E F E L L E R F O U N D AT I O N

were to adopt Africa’s paths to pursue. This yes. We can deliver the energy, food, resources, and economic dyna-
orientation toward col- collaboration is about mism necessary, all while protecting the planet. It won’t be easy, and
laborative governance complementing each it will require both cooperation and compromise. But progress is a
and development- other’s strengths as choice. Optimists are hard to come by these days, but they tend to be
focused strategies, it much as it is about on the right side of history. I think they will be again.
could move closer to competition.
a global AI future that The lessons Sternfels is the global managing partner of McKinsey & Co.
is genuinely shared, from chess extend
inclusive, and safe. far beyond the
Africa may lag board. Whether it’s
behind in infrastruc- addressing climate important than ever, Rockefeller Founda-
ture but it can lead in change, combatting achieving universal tion poll found support
reimagining the status public-health crises, electrification is one for global cooperation
quo. or reducing economic of the smartest, most is deeply linked to
inequality, humanity sustainable invest- results: 75% would
Lungati is executive faces challenges too ments the world can support cooperative
director of tech complex for humans make on behalf of initiatives to some
nonprofit Ushahidi or machines to solve human well-being. degree, if they proved
alone. By combining Today, 730 million effective. Those initia-
AI’s computational people don’t have tives are emerging
power with human
Universal enough electricity to in the energy space,
empathy, adaptability,
electrification power a light bulb, where public-private
and creativity, we RAJIV J. SHAH much less access philanthropic partner-
can unlock solutions good jobs, education, ships like the Global
to the world’s most As global aid budgets health services, and Energy Alliance and
pressing problems. are slashed, advo- more. Research Mission 300 are
I see a future where cates of progress need shows a meaningful already advancing
humans and machines to focus on solutions correlation between electricity access while
work together to that will yield the most insufficient electric- creating jobs, security,
solve challenges, not good for the most ity access and poor and opportunity. In a
people. Connecting education, health, and moment of disruption
Human-AI against each other.
people to electricity for nutrition. Electrifying for human well-being,
Partnerships that
partnership combine human inge- the first time should the world could lead to that sort of results-
YIFAN HOU nuity with AI’s capa- be at the top of that huge gains in all those driven cooperation is
bilities could help to list. With technological areas and more. not only more effec-
AI has revolutionized create a sustainable, advances making But with cuts in tive, it’s also more
the game of chess, inclusive future. energy cheaper and development funding, sustainable.
transforming how we more accessible anyone interested in
play and think. Once Hou is a chess than ever and the making those gains Shah is president
a feared rival, AI is grandmaster digital economy mak- needs to work in of the Rockefeller
now an indispensable ing electricity more new ways. A recent Foundation
43
 WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM

WHATEVER
The sprawl of activity, unmatched by
any modern American President, is the
Trump Doctrine in action: American
power as a lever deployed at will, sub-

TRUMP WANTS
ject to change at his whim, concentrated
not in institutions but in the person of
the President.
Trump’s frenetic diplomacy—if di-
plomacy is even the word—has trans-
In the President’s second turn, formed U.S. foreign policy into a solo
act, casting aside a foreign policy es-
U.S. foreign policy is personal tablishment that one predecessor
BY BRIAN BENNETT AND NIK POPLI
dubbed “the blob.” But one element
of an establishment is stability. Career
diplomats and lawmakers interviewed
for this story describe a narrowing cir-
FOUR WEEKS BEFORE THE BEGINNING most consequential use of U.S. military cle of influence around the Oval Office,
of his second term as President, Don- power in the western hemisphere in with advisers selected for loyalty rather
ald Trump abruptly floated the idea of decades, and a striking demonstration than expertise.
taking back the Panama Canal. It had of Trump’s readiness to act unilater- The results have destabilized the
been a quarter-century since the U.S. ally, without the painstaking coalition- usually staid world of global diplomacy,
formally ceded to Panama ownership of building that once defined American in- where even the smallest changes often
the channel connecting the Atlantic and tervention abroad. require elaborate behind-the-scenes
Pacific oceans. With one social media Breathtaking bluntness defined choreography. As the second Trump era
post, Trump threw a seemingly stable Trump’s foreign policy in his first year dawned, senior U.S. officials openly en-
relationship off-kilter, accusing Pan- back in the White House. In rapid suc- couraged the rise of right-wing move-
ama of overcharging U.S. ships for pas- cession, he bombed militants in Yemen ments in Europe and pushed through
sage and recklessly permitting China and Iranian nuclear facilities, mid- sudden, debilitating cuts to foreign aid
too much influence in the canal’s wifed a fragile cease-fire in Gaza, forced that triggered warnings of devastation
operations. European leaders to increase their de- and preventable deaths in the develop-
Looking back, it was an early sign of fense spending, extracted commer- ing world. “We need a strong defense,
how America’s relationship with the rest cial and strategic pledges from China, but we also need diplomacy, a strong
of the world was about to be shaken to and threatened tariffs against almost and organized State Department, and
its core. Trump’s maximalist threat sent every major U.S. trading partner. He development,” says Senator Chris
his foreign policy advisers scrambling. also committed billions to bail out an Van Hollen, a Democrat who sits on the
Within days of his Inauguration, mili- Argentine President, freed a former Foreign Relations Committee. “And the
tary planners started work on options Honduran President convicted of drug Trump Administration has essentially
for taking the canal by force, according trafficking, and approved strikes that crossed out two of those in diplomacy
to a former Trump Administration of- killed more than 95 people on alleged and development.”
ficial. “We’re going to take it back, or drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific, Analysts note that Trump’s chaotic
something very powerful is going to raising accusations of war crimes. process produces potentially ephemeral
happen,” Trump warned. Ultimately, no outcomes. In Gaza, the cease-fire halted
military operation was necessary. Pana- the worst of the fighting but left the dis-
ma’s President José Raúl Mulino quickly armament of Hamas unresolved and
and quietly agreed to a number of con- the question of full Israeli withdrawal
cessions, including re-examining Chi- open-ended. In Ukraine, Trump’s push
nese investment in the country.
But 800 miles east, Trump’s threats
‘HE LIKES TO for peace has been roundly criticized as
strengthening Russia’s hand. And some
of force were not merely a negotiat-
ing tactic. Nearly a year later, follow-
APPROACH THE more modest “peace deals” touted by
Trump have been panned as premature
ing months of escalating pressure on
Nicolás Maduro’s regime, Trump in WORLD STAGE or overhyped.
But while Trump’s unpredictability
early January authorized a daring mili-
tary operation to capture the Venezu- AS A PUNITIVE can be a liability, it is also his leverage.
World leaders fear his wrath and adjust
elan strongman, a move Trump cast their behavior to avoid provoking him.
as both a blow against drug traffick-
ing and a grab for Venezuela’s huge oil
ACTOR.’ The approach may not be fostering the
most durable alliances, but many con-
reserves. The operation marked the —JAVIER CORRALES cede it has yielded movement where
44 TIME January 26, 2026
 △
previous Administrations faced stasis. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP era of American foreign policy: that
OUTSIDE THE WHITE HOUSE ON
“The most consistent through line DEC. 13, 2025
world leaders were increasingly treat-
is Trump’s belief that the United States ing the management of Trump’s emo-
has underused its power globally,” says tions as a strategic priority. European
historian Hal Brands, who views the Machado got on the phone with leaders publicly flatter him; some pri-
Administration’s first year as a mix Trump that same day and told the vately compete to do so. The NATO
of foreign policy failures and wins. President she was dedicating the prize Secretary-General referred to Trump
“The areas where Trump has succeeded to him. But the gesture wasn’t enough. as “daddy.” A Swiss delegation pre-
on his own terms are pretty numerous. Trump felt slighted by the Nobel sented Trump with a gold bar. Qatar
The question is: Are those successes ac- Committee—and by Machado for ac- gifted him a $400 million plane, rais-
tually good for the U.S. position over the cepting the prize. Trump later dis- ing massive ethical red flags. Dozens of
long term?” missed Machado publicly, claiming Presidents and Prime Ministers traveled
the Venezuelan people don’t “respect” to Washington last year to demonstrate
When the Venezuelan opposition her enough to see her as their leader. how seriously they take Trump’s sup-
leader María Corina Machado won the Machado became the latest in a line of port. A White House official says Trump
Nobel Peace Prize, she had a problem. high-profile figures who struggled to hosted more than 40 foreign heads of
Trump had openly campaigned for the navigate Trump’s Nobel obsession. For government at the White House in
honor since returning to the Oval Of- months, the leaders of Israel, Pakistan, 2025, more than double the number
fice. His Administration had also be- Cambodia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Malta, Joe Biden did in his first year in office.
come a major supporter of her effort to and the Democratic Republic of Congo Where supporters see proof of
oust Maduro and restore democracy in had all told Trump he deserved the Trump exercising U.S. might, world
TOM BRENNER— GE T T Y IMAGES

the country. Trump’s allies were already Nobel, with several making a big show leaders increasingly see something else:
grumbling that the Nobel Committee of formally nominating him—in truth a President whose personal irritation is
had bypassed him. Machado needed to a rhetorical exercise, as there is no for- a geopolitical variable.
do some “damage control,” says a long- mal nomination process. “He likes to approach the world stage
time Venezuelan democracy advocate in The public displays underlined as a punitive actor,” says Javier Cor-
frequent touch with her. one of the central shifts in this new rales, a political-science professor at
45
 WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM

Amherst College. “He’s going to treat moved forward with a bipartisan Joe Biden repeatedly vowed as Presi-
you badly until you show up with a re- defense bill reaffirming long-standing dent to defend Taiwan against a Chinese
markable offering.” commitments to NATO and other al- invasion. While Trump has been more
Exhibit A for this line of argument: lies, the Administration’s document re- circumspect, his Administration has
Trump’s use of tariffs as a kind of dip- cast those same commitments as condi- said it is working to maintain military
lomatic hammer. After vowing to hike tional: Europe would receive continued “overmatch” with China. But there’s
tariffs on virtually every trading part- U.S. security backing only if it increased also an economic contest at work.
ner, he spent much of the year rejig- defense spending, accelerated contribu- Speaking in Singapore in May, Defense
gering taxes on imports across a range tions to American weapons programs, Secretary Pete Hegseth warned coun-
of goods and countries. Trump has de- and aligned trade policy with the U.S. tries against increasing economic ties
ployed tariff threats to shape the behav- Allies that spent decades anchoring with China, which he said would deepen
ior of India, Pakistan, Canada, Europe, their security to the U.S. felt as if they the People’s Republic’s “malign influ-
and the U.K. were being put on probation. ence” and make defense cooperation
He’s also wielded the threat of mili- The response in Europe was “ex- with the U.S. harder. “Our goal is to pre-
tary escalation, and of withholding sup- tremely strong and extremely emo- vent war, to make the costs too high and
port, to jolt negotiations in Mexico, the tional,” says Amanda Sloat, who was se- peace the only option—and we will do
Middle East and elsewhere. His White nior director for Europe at the National this with a strong shield of deterrence,
House has demanded rare earth min- Security Council during the Biden Ad- forged together with you,” Hegseth said.
eral access from Ukraine in exchange ministration. “There’s been a real sense The Administration’s National Secu-
for U.S. assistance. He has told advisers of incredulity about the way the Amer- rity Strategy reflects that shift. It treats
that backing for European defense will ican President—the leader of a coun- China primarily as an economic rival
increasingly require material commit- try that has for decades been Europe’s rather than an ideological one, empha-
ments to American arms manufacturers. closest and strongest ally—has launched sizing commerce, supply chains, and
These moves reflect a world- these broadside attacks on them.” market access over values or gover-
view in which American power is Republican Congressman Don Bacon nance. Taiwan is singled out—described
transactional—not a public good but an of Nebraska says Trump’s foreign pol- less as a democratic partner than as a
asset to be traded. Anna Kelly, the White icy lacks “a moral compass” and echoes strategic fulcrum whose geography,
House deputy press secretary, says for- where the GOP was nearly a century shipping lanes, and semiconductor pro-
eign policy decisions come down to en- ago, when many Republicans argued duction carry enormous economic and
suring that the benefit to the U.S. is clear against entanglement in Europe even as military weight.
and tangible. “All of these decisions are fascist powers expanded. “If you read Many Trump Administration offi-
through the lens of ‘America first’ and the 1930s views of many Republicans,” cials say outmaneuvering China has
have direct impacts on the welfare of the says Bacon, “it’s like they were in a time been their top priority all along. The
American people,” she says. machine and jumped forward 90 years.” threat to take back the Panama Canal
Yet his foreign affairs efforts are pushed that country closer into the
not sitting well with his MAGA base. TRUMP WILL SPEND 2026 staring down U.S.’s sphere. The $20 billion bail-
Once devoted lawmakers like former an ominous deadline. U.S. intelligence out to Argentina’s libertarian Presi-
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene analysts are convinced China’s leader dent Javier Milei headed off Buenos
now complain that Trump cares more Xi Jinping has ordered the People’s Lib- Aires from seeking needed capital
about burnishing his legacy overseas eration Army to build the military forces from China. His efforts in Venezuela
than bringing costs down at home. it needs to invade Taiwan by 2027. are intended to force out Chinese in-
“I think the President is stuck be- vestments in that country’s oil sector.
tween these two impulses,” says Jon But some pro-Trump strategists ques-
Hoffman, a Middle East expert at the tion the Administration’s focus. While
Cato Institute. “One is to not get in- Trump kept in place Biden’s subma-
volved in quagmires and yet at the rine deal with Australia, preserving
same time to maintain American pri-
macy. So which is it? His Adminis-
‘ALL OF THESE a key pillar of U.S. deterrence in the
Indo-Pacific, his approach to China has
tration is staffed with people on both
sides of this.”
DECISIONS otherwise been more transactional.
“We are locked in great-power com-
That tension was on full display in
the National Security Strategy the Ad- ARE THROUGH petition with China,” says Katherine
Thompson, who was a deputy senior ad-
ministration released in December. The
33-page document included a lengthy THE LENS OF viser in the Pentagon early in Trump’s
second term. “Unfortunately, we are 10
broadside against Europe, describ- months in and we have gotten incred-
ing the Continent as at risk of “civili-
zational erasure” and becoming “ma-
“AMERICA FIRST.”’ ibly distracted.”
In June, NATO allies agreed to
jority non-European.” While Congress —ANNA KELLY increase their annual defense-spending
46 TIME January 26, 2026
 △
target to 5% of GDP by 2035, acquiesc- CHARTS SHOW NEW TARIFF RATES year two—a lasting Gaza peace, an end
BY COUNTRY AT THE WHITE HOUSE
ing on an issue Trump had been harping ON APRIL 2, 2025
to the Ukraine war, concessions from
on for years. It was a success that Trump China on trade and minerals. He also
sees as proof his deal-oriented style can vows to hold Venezuela firmly inside
bear fruit. It also potentially frees up the American ambiguity in Europe signals the U.S. sphere of influence—an update
U.S. to relocate more resources to the opportunity in Asia. “If I was Presi- of the 19th century Monroe Doctrine
Indo-Pacific region. dent,” says Bacon, “I would be ensur- he’s dubbed the “Donroe Doctrine.” If
Trump’s bravado works best when ing Taiwan had the weapons they need he achieves even a fraction of this, the
he sets a clear goal and follows through, to deter right now, because day one of world will look different. Certainly the
says Thompson. She compared his deal- the war is too late.” coming 12 months will test whether his
ings with Panama and Houthi mili- At home, Trump’s approval rating roughshod approach to international af-
tants in Yemen—where such clarity slid in December to 36%. His unpopu- fairs yields sustainable wins—or simply
led to accomplishments—with situa- larity puts a limit on how much political incubates deeper global instability.
tions like Venezuela. “That’s where the capital he can spend on international “If we end up with a scenario where
America First and Trump’s mantra of goals. But Trump insists his globe- U.S. alliance relationships are still intact,
foreign policy begins to fall short,” she spanning diplomacy is domestic pol- but everybody is paying much more and
says. “Where we don’t have clear presi- icy. He sees himself extracting invest- investing much more in defense—that’s
dential intent, with clear left and right ment promises from the Gulf to build not the worst outcome in the world,”
boundaries defined.” up manufacturing and tech develop- says Brands. But that assessment comes
Bacon says allies in the Pacific are ment in the U.S. He wants to open Ven- with a warning. Trump’s bravado risks
watching Trump’s decisions elsewhere ezuela’s vast oil reserves to U.S. energy undermining trust in the very alliances
and drawing their own conclusions. production. He made more European that have sustained American power. If
ALE X WONG — GE T T Y IMAGES

“They see statements on Ukraine and defense investment part of the price allies start to believe “the U.S. just fun-
NATO, they probably wonder, what for support of Ukraine. damentally won’t be there when a se-
does this mean for them,” he says, As his first year back in the White curity crisis comes,” Brands says, “then
suggesting that Beijing may be asking House comes to a close, Trump says we’re looking at a much bigger and more
a more pointed question: whether he wants a string of historic deals in disruptive geopolitical reordering.” □
47
 WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM

CHECKING
HIS POWER
In the year ahead, Trump will
face iff y courts, disappointed
voters, and a messy world
BY IAN BREMMER

IN 2025, DONALD TRUMP RETURNED TO GLOBAL CENTER

stage with big plans. In year one of his second term, he
expanded the formal and informal powers of the presi-
dency in ways that challenge the American political sys-
tem itself. In 2026, he looks set to up the ante at home.
But the disruption he has created abroad is set for a sharp
turn this year, as Trump discovers the limits of his (and
American) power.
No one should ever use the word revolution lightly. He has secured executive impunity from the rulings of an
It implies a fundamental change in the way a nation is independent but no longer coequal judiciary.
governed—an effort to overthrow what exists and replace And yet, U.S. institutions may check the President’s
it with something new. The motives driving a revolution power in 2026. The Pentagon’s purges of some high-level
might be ideological, clashing ethnic or tribal identities, military officers have made headlines, but there’s no ev-
competition for wealth, or a combination of all these. But idence they have undermined the military’s core opera-
whatever the force that draws the battle lines, a true rev- tional integrity. Multiple courts have ruled against the
olution always depends on the ability and willingness of President’s expansion of powers, and they may do so
powerful actors to seize an opportunity created by a be- again when the Supreme Court rules on his use of emer-
lief across society that the existing system is broken, and gency powers to impose sweeping tariffs. U.S. governors
therefore illegitimate. Trump has done exactly that. and mayors still govern independently of Washington. Re-
His revolution is not an economic one. Yes, he has im- cent election setbacks for Republicans in several states
posed the highest tariffs since the 1930s, moved to un- have gotten the President’s attention. In short, the fate of
dermine the independence of the Federal Reserve, and Trump’s political revolution remains uncertain.
dabbled in an American form of Chinese-style state
capitalism—for example, by acquiring for the federal gov- THE EVOLUTION IN 2026 of his influence abroad is easier
ernment golden shares in U.S. Steel, a stake in technology to predict. The President’s second term began with a push
giant Intel, and a percentage of sales by chipmakers Nvidia to transform America’s role in the world by unilaterally up-
and AMD. But these policies are tactical changes. They ending the existing global trade and security order, halting
don’t transform how the U.S. economy functions. foreign aid, and ending Washington’s promotion of democ-
Political revolution is another matter, and there is one racy abroad. The goal remains to restructure international
under way in the U.S.: In 2025, the President consoli- relations into a hub-and-spoke model of U.S.-centric bi-
dated executive authority by pushing the boundaries of lateral relations that profit America. The message to other
the law. He usurped powers traditionally left to Congress, governments was plain: Get on board or else.
the courts, and the states. He launched a sweeping purge But many of Trump’s efforts have provoked unex-
of America’s professional bureaucracy and replaced career pected outcomes. In particular, he expected that an ef-
civil servants with political appointees personally loyal to fective boycott of Chinese goods would force an eco-
the President. He weaponized the “power ministries”—the nomically weaker Beijing to accept trade terms more
FBI, the Justice Department, the IRS, and many regula- favorable to the U.S. Instead, China placed restrictions on
tory agencies—against his domestic political adversaries. rare earth minerals, which are essential ingredients for

48 TIME January 26, 2026

 ◁
PRESIDENT TRUMP AND CHINA’S
XI JINPING IN BUSAN, SOUTH KOREA,
ON OCT. 30

Guatemala, with other countries also positioned to ben-

efit. These pressures on Trump will intensify if retailers
raise prices to cover higher import costs. It’s another rea-
son we can expect Trump to be significantly less aggressive
on trade terms in 2026 as fears grow of a possible Demo-
cratic victory in the November midterms.
Another limit on the President’s power: much to his
continuing consternation, Trump will also discover in
2026 that none of his threats and promises against Ukraine
or Russia will end their war. His strategy for most of 2025
was to present Russia’s Vladimir Putin with carrots and to
threaten Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky with sticks. This
early approach forced European leaders to take greater
diplomatic and economic leadership on Ukraine’s defense,
and the result has been more European defense spending,
more financial support for Ukraine, and a growing appetite
for the seizure of hundreds of billions of dollars in Russian
assets frozen in Europe. This new reality has boosted Eu-
rope’s ability to keep Ukraine in the fight in 2026 no matter
what path Trump chooses next. Putin sees no advantage
in making a deal, and Trump will lack the leverage to force
him to compromise in 2026. Zelensky doesn’t have the do-
mestic backing necessary for a deal that cedes territory.
In the Middle East, Trump’s signature success has been
securing a lasting Gaza cease-fire—despite intransigence
from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu—and
a vast array of digital-age consumer and military technol- Hamas’ release of the remaining Israeli hostages. Arab
ogies. That move forced Trump to back down and offer allies had quickly vetoed Trump’s stated plan in Febru-
concessions in the form of Chinese access to American- ary to rebuild Gaza as the “Riviera of the Middle East”
made semiconductors and other technologies—a move and its proposed displacement of Palestinians. As a re-
that Trump, and President Biden before him, have been sult, Trump has learned that lasting peace will demand
determined to restrict. a multilateral approach, one that gives Gulf Arabs new
In the process, this confrontation revealed that the negotiating leverage with the White House.
U.S. still needs help from its allies. In 2026, Trump will
engage Xi Jinping to try to stabilize the U.S.-China rela- IN SHORT, 2025 marked the peak of unilateral Trump on
tionship, but he also wants to pursue a longer-term de- the global stage. In 2026, his foreign policy tactics will
coupling strategy that requires consistent coordination need greater buy-in from other governments to achieve his
of investment and policy with traditional U.S. partners, election-year goals. There is downside risk here, to be sure.
including the development of alternative rare earth sup- As the President becomes frustrated with constraints on
plies. In months to come, that means that other countries— his power, he could lash out in areas that trigger more in-
from Japan, South Korea, and Australia to Brazil and stability than he bargained for—against Nicolás Maduro’s
Saudi Arabia—will have a newfound bargain- Venezuela, for example. The chaos that
ing power in trade talks with Washington. might follow possible regime change there
Then there’s the stubbornly high cost of could send new waves of refugees flowing
living. Trump secured the most extraordi- across the region’s borders.
nary political comeback in American history No, Trump’s inability to maintain a uni-
in 2024 in part because a majority of vot-
ers believed he’d manage the economy and
2025 lateralist foreign policy won’t force him
to become a liberal internationalist, talk-
rein in inflation. But polls now show those
voters’ expectations have been dashed, and
MARKED ing up the indispensability of America and
its alliances, cutting a new U.S.-Mexico-
ANDRE W HARNIK— GE T T Y IMAGES

consumer sentiment continues to darken.

That, in turn, will limit his foreign policy THE PEAK OF Canada trade deal, taking leadership on
the postcarbon energy transition, or paying
options—and other governments know it.
The Administration has already been forced UNILATERAL back dues to the U.N. But this will be the
year the bubble bursts on the President’s
to back down on tariffs on food imports from
Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, El Salvador, and TRUMP vision of a Trump-dictated global trade and
security order. □

49
MONEY
WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM

TALKS
The economic
outlook for the
year ahead—on
trade, markets,
affordability,
sustainability,
and more

This issue includes

reporting by Harry Booth,
Leslie Dickstein, and
Nikita Ostrovsky

50 TimE/WiNTER
ILLUSTR 2026
ATIONS BY CHRIS GASH FOR TIME
TRUMP’S TARIFF
TROUBLE
The delayed fallout of
U.S. trade policy
B Y R O B E R T L AW R E N C E

On the campaign trail, president dOnald

Trump made lofty claims about the benefits of
raising tariffs. They will reshore American man-
ufacturing jobs and encourage domestic spend-
ing, he promised. “Tariffs are the greatest thing
ever invented,” he declared. Virtually no experts
agreed, projecting that Trump’s tariffs would raise
inflation, cut wages, impose an additional drag on
U.S. manufacturers, and weaken the stock mar-
ket. Many economists issued warnings about a
recession at home and the decline of globaliza-
tion abroad.
Yet almost a year on, the global economy has
not tanked, raising the question: Was Trump right?
In my view, it’s not that tariffs are not damaging
but rather, their effects are being stretched over a
longer period of time. Negative consequences are
currently being offset by low levels of retaliation
and high levels of AI investment.
Although the U.S. is the world’s largest econ-
omy, it is responsible for just 13% of global
goods imports and just 9% of exports. The re-
sult: Trump’s targets around the world have been
able to shrug off turbulent American trade pol-
icy. Plus, the backlash many economists feared
never fully came to fruition. Astoundingly, with
the exception of China and its retaliatory use of
rare earth metals, no countries have very suc-
cessfully fought back against American tariffs.
Trump has been remarkably fortunate in stem-
ming immediate pushback. This likely has more
to do with America’s strategic importance for the
E.U., through NATO, and in providing national
security to Japan and South Korea under its
“nuclear umbrella.” But Trump ultimately forced
numerous countries to accept headline tariffs
of around 15%.
There is a myriad of evidence of American
economic stagnation and declines in American
manufacturing. Employers have cut jobs and are
reluctant both to hire and to invest domestically—
especially in sectors that are vulnerable to tariffs.
These weaknesses are the results of Trump’s eco-
nomic policies, but regardless, AI optimism has
51
 WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM

THE GLOBAL
AFFORDABILITY
SQUEEZE
Around the world, people
are not happy about
higher costs.
BY NEALE MAHONEY AND
A D A M S H AW

in The U.S., home priceS have ShoT

up about 45% since 2020, more than
twice the typical rate of appreciation.
In the U.K., household energy bills are
52% higher than their prepandemic
level. And in countries such as Nigeria,
Pakistan, and Haiti, food prices have
doubled over the same period. Call it
the global affordability squeeze: peo-
ple around the world are facing the
impact of high prices, and they’re not
happy about it.
This concern shows up clearly in
polling data. In the U.S., cost-of-living
issues consistently rank highest among
so far carried the stock market and This transformation of globalization problems facing the country, ahead of
data-center construction has bol- leaves trade fragmented with more issues like crime and immigration. The
stered investments. regional clubs being formed as op- pattern is similar in Europe, where ris-
Trump’s isolationist policies have posed to a comprehensive and multi- ing prices and the cost of living eclipse
not ended globalization. But the na- lateral system. concerns about defense and security.
ture of globalization is changing. Trump’s tariffs and extractions High prices have also been a flash point
Countries are now looking for mar- of tribute investments are breeding in the developing world, helping fuel
kets other than the U.S. And strate- resentment toward the U.S. and will protests from Indonesia to Peru—and
gically, they are looking for other weaken its strategic impact as other even contributing to the collapse of the
alliances. We have shifted from countries replace its markets and its governments of Nepal and Madagascar.
a unipolar system under Ameri- leadership—but the protracted na- The sources of strain differ across re-
can guidance to a fragmented sys- ture of these adjustments also means gions. In advanced economies, housing
tem in which the U.S. no longer that the negative economic and po- costs are the main driver of unafford-
plays a leadership role. Who will as- litical consequences have been less ability, while in much of the developing
sume that leadership role is yet to immediately apparent. The Pres- world, food prices are the biggest pres-
be seen. China’s economy is grow- ident’s tariff policies have intro- sure. In the U.S., health care expenses
ing and threatens to overtake the duced termites into the woodwork often rival housing as the top burden. In
U.S. in the AI race. And long loyal, of global trade: not easily seen, but Europe, energy prices remain high after
but now spurned, American trad- likely to make any structure crumble the post-Ukraine surge. And across rap-
ing partners such as Canada and the over time. idly growing cities in Asia and Africa,
E.U. have strengthened their rela- transportation costs squeeze middle-
tionships with each other and fos- Lawrence is a professor at the class families as urbanization outpaces
tered their own internal markets. Harvard Kennedy School the build-out of roads and public transit.
52 Time January 26, 2026
However, the high salience of cost-of- projects that could have expanded elec- and enhancing competition takes
living issues puzzles some economists. tricity supply. Trump also signed a bud- years—and voters feel the affordabil-
Global inflation has fallen sharply from get bill that is predicted to more than ity pinch today.
its 2022–2023 peak. In many countries, double average health-insurance premi- Demand-side support helps in sec-
wages are now rising faster than prices. ums for 22 million Americans. Repub- tors such as health care and childcare.
Yet polling and protests make it clear licans then saw major setbacks in 2025 But for goods whose supply is less
that a sense of being squeezed by high elections. Now the White House is back- elastic—such as housing and energy—
prices has barely budged. So why are tracking by rolling back some tariffs. putting more money in consumers’
we still in the grips of a global afford- Taking proactive steps to tackle af- pockets risks pushing prices even
ability squeeze? There are several ex- fordability is hard but necessary. The higher. Price controls are gaining pop-
planations for the disconnect between most effective way to lower prices is to ularity, as witnessed by Mamdani’s cam-
improving purchasing power and on- expand supply—build more housing, paign promise to freeze the rent and the
going angst about costs. Inflation may add new energy capacity, and modern- U.K. government’s announced freeze of
have raised the salience of affordabil- ize infrastructure. Robust competition rail fares. These methods can provide
ity in a way that persists: once you see policy, including antitrust enforce- some short-term relief when they are
high prices, it’s hard to unsee them. ment, can also put downward pres- targeted and temporary, but risk sup-
Consumers might notice the high ab- sure on prices. But expanding supply pressing the very investment needed
solute price levels while to expand supply if they
disregarding correspond- become broader and
ing wage gains. Research persistent.
shows that to many work- The danger is that,
ers, a raise feels earned, facing limited options to
while a higher price directly tackle cost-of-
feels imposed. In addi- living concerns, politi-
tion, today’s media en- cians may reach for dem-
vironment might am- agoguery instead. Around
plify nonrepresentative the world, leaders have
price spikes—like high deflected responsibility
beef and egg prices— by blaming immigrants,
reinforcing the percep- corporate executives, or
tion that “everything is political rivals, straining
getting more expensive” already fragile social fab-
even when overall infla- rics and deepening politi-
tion is down. cal polarization.
The political fallout The future of afford-
of cost-of-living issues ability is uncertain. A
shows no signs of stop- global slowdown could
ping. In 2024, incum- replace high prices with
bent parties were often unemployment as vot-
dismissed by voters frus- ers’ top concern. Absent
trated with high prices. In such a slowdown, af-
2025, Zohran Mamdani’s fordability pressures will
rise from relative obscu- persist, weighing on in-
rity to win the New York cumbents and tempting
City mayoral race was leaders toward scape-
predicated on a platform goating. The harder—and
largely focused on cost-of-living issues. more hopeful—path is the slow work of
Heading into 2026, incumbents should expanding supply, enhancing competi-
be on high alert: unless they address
voters’ concerns, many will find them-
THE POLITICAL tion, and carefully designing demand-
side support that won’t backfire. One
selves shown the door.
So what can leaders do about afford-
FALLOUT OF COST- way or another, look for affordability
to dominate the economic and politi-
ability? First, they must do no harm.
In the U.S., President Donald Trump OF-LIVING ISSUES cal conversations as we head into 2026.

ramped up tariffs despite warnings

and then evidence of their inflation- SHOWS NO SIGNS Mahoney is the director of the Stanford
Institute for Economic Policy Research;
ary effects. His Administration has
also slowed or blocked wind and solar OF STOPPING Shaw is an adviser at the Stanford
Institute for Economic Policy Research
53
 WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM

Q&A

DAVID SOLOMON
more constructive things that are going on in the
economy at the moment.

There’s been a lot of talk about whether we’re

The Goldman Sachs CEO on the in an AI bubble. How are you thinking about
that? I’m incredibly bullish about the technology
economy, jobs, and bubbles and [its] impact as it gets deployed and how it can
B Y AY E S H A J AV E D create productivity gains in business and large and
small enterprise. If you step back and you say, over
the next five to 10 years, how is this going to affect
the economy, it’s hugely constructive, and the pro-
What are your expectations for the economy ductivity gains are going to be enormous. In the
in the year ahead? There are a handful of struc- short term, people are quite forward on capital for-
tural tailwinds that we’ve experienced for a por- mation and valuations, and they’re assuming a level
tion of 2025 that set [us] up into 2026. First, the of growth and uptake. And it may not go at the pace
U.S. is running a pretty aggressive fiscal play, and people expect. That can change valuations and cre-
the big bill that was passed during the summer has ate market volatility.
a bunch of fiscally stimulative actions that take ef- When you have markets assuming the growth
fect in 2026. Second, the ramp-up in capital spend- and investment that we’re seeing here, there’ll be
ing around AI infrastructure is continuing at a pace periods of recalibration. And when there’s recali-
that’s having a real impact on GDP growth. In 2025 bration, you can see resetting relative valuations
it accounted for over a percent of GDP. The four and drawdowns. But that’s not a bubble. I’d also
largest hyperscalers spent up to $400 billion and say that the pace of change is really quick, and, par-
that’s going to continue in 2026, and that creates a ticularly as this technology gets embedded in en-
good tailwind. terprise and affects jobs and hiring patterns, that’s
This Administration is certainly trying to swing going to be something we have to manage.
the pendulum around regulatory activity, around
business. We have been in an interest-rate-cutting Will AI implementation result in shrinking
cycle. You can hear in the Administration’s narra- workforces? This has to be seen through a lens of
tive, there’s a bit of a pivot to a focus on affordabil- time. Do I think that we’re going to have a struc-
ity as they head into the midterm elections. You’re turally different full employment level in the U.S.
seeing that in some backing off on some of the tariff 10 years from now than we do now? No. But in the
policies, and in some fiscal support, like the farm transition, because of the pace of change, could
aid [package]. there be periods of time where we have higher struc-
In Europe, you have slower trend growth, and tural unemployment in certain businesses or in cer-
you’ve got an enormous regulatory burden from the tain types of job functions? Yes, but we have a very
E.U. And while China is certainly very active, and nimble, very, very diverse economy. [In the U.S.], our
you see this enormous manufacturing surplus [and] ability to have labor move to different places and to
lots of government subsidization, the consumer create new industries and new jobs continues ... Our
economy and the overall economic activity there economy is big [and] resilient. People gravitate
are still soft, even though marke
markets are off their bot- to other
er places where there are opportunities.
toms. When you put that all tog together, it’s relatively Workforce
kforce and work patterns shift.
constructive.
If you
ou were advising a high schooler about
How are you navigating head headwinds like trade what
at to study at college, what would you
tensions and geopolitical instability?
inst When say?
y? Not everybody should do the same
there’s uncertainty in the world,
world from a geo- thing.
g. But with all we’re doing with AI and
political perspective, it creates more risk. It AI infrastructure,
frastructure, I think being an electrical
certainly gives people a little bit
bi more engineer,
ineer, being an electrician, being able to
pause. But when you look at technol-
tec get
et involved in data centers and that infra-
ogy, innovation, growth, and what’s
w structure, seems super exciting. The im-
going on broadly in the economy,
econom portant thing is to figure out what you’re
the economy is kind of parking interested in and figure out where you
that on the side. Market par- see opportunities, and then you’ve got
ticipants worry about those to go work hard and try to advance your-
things. But they’re not letting self and continue to learn and continue
them overshadow a lot of the to find ways to contribute.
54 TIME January 26, 2026
 In 2021, we spearheaded an effort
with the backing of around 100 lead-
ing businesses, which helped to accel-
erate the implementation of Extended
Producer Responsibility (EPR) policy
development around the world. These
schemes hold producers responsible for
mitigating the negative impacts of their
products and packaging.
Minerals could be next. The clean-
energy transition and digitalization of
the global economy is boosting demand
for minerals like lithium, cobalt, nickel,
copper, and rare earth elements. Supply
is tightening amid trade tensions and
geopolitical uncertainty.
Electric-vehicle (EV) batteries pro-
vide just one example of how disruption
creates an opportunity to build new mar-

DISRUPT OUR
action and collective advocacy. Change kets. The first generation of EV batteries
starts in key industries, ripe for disrup- are reaching the end of their usefulness
tion, where circular solutions can have for driving. They still have substantial—

ECONOMY
the biggest impact. That means creat- and valuable—capacity for stationary
ing the conditions to scale up at local energy storage, from supporting build-
levels, including developing infrastruc- ing energy systems to balancing electric-
ture and redesigning fiscal policies to ity grids. The volume of retiring batter-
let circular business models compete ies is now growing significant enough
The planet needs us to with traditional ones, then applying to support commercial second-life
take drastic action the lessons learned in other strategic markets, rather than just pilot projects.
local contexts. The policy and investment choices
BY DAME ELLEN MACARTHUR made now will shape global material
AND JONQUIL HACKENBERG Within key industries, we pro- flows for decades. Governments are re-
pose a three-pronged approach for busi- alizing that smarter product and service
nesses and NGOs: First, set a joint direc- design, innovative business models, and
Our 19th century ecOnOmic mOdel tion. Build alignment all along the value large-scale recycling are key to secure,
is running on borrowed time. Finite re- chain to identify and target barriers to- resilient supply chains. It isn’t idealism;
sources are used to make things that we gether. Second, collaborate to launch it’s strategy.
soon discard. Even if some are recycled, joint ventures, share infrastructure, or Without bold action, investment in
it’s a wasteful, polluting system that’s too co-develop new materials, products, and innovation and infrastructure, and pol-
fragile for today’s world. services, reducing risk and cutting costs. icies that create the incentives needed
Resale sites and companies building Lastly, change policy. Collectively ad- for new business models to truly com-
circular business models into their op- vocate for the regulations and incentives pete with old ones, we risk locking in
erations are making strides. And there that force widespread action, transform- more waste, emissions, and economic
are steps toward a global plastics treaty ing markets along the way. inefficiencies.
to address how plastic is made and used, It’s happening in plastics. Over the Now is not the time to retreat. It’s time
not just how it’s recycled. past decade or so, the world has grasped to refocus and lean into opportunities
The circular economy is a strategic the scale of the plastic pollution crisis. for disruption. To overcome systemic
counterattack against cascading global We can’t simply recycle our way out of barriers like insufficient infrastructure
threats. Some 55% of large businesses it. The entire plastics system needed to or a fragmented government-policy
have circular-economy commitments change. In 2018, the Ellen MacArthur landscape, we need business and gov-
or strategies, and more than 75 coun- Foundation and the U.N. Environment ernment leaders, along with NGOs, to
tries are actively developing circular- Programme launched the Global Com- form a unified offensive, to collaborate
economy road maps. mitment, which unified businesses, gov- like never before toward shared so-
SOLOMON: SE TH WENIG — AP

Yet global challenges are still out- ernments, NGOs, and investors toward lutions. The way forward is together.
pacing the solutions, and we face the an ambitious vision of system transfor-
question of how to achieve economic mation. The framework pioneered a new MacArthur is a record-breaking solo
change to address the issue. era of transparency and demonstrated sailor; Hackenberg is CEO of the Ellen
We believe it’s with collaborative the power of collective advocacy. MacArthur Foundation
55
 WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM

Q&A What sort of policies are you counseling to ad-

KRISTALINA
dress the risks of AI? For advanced economies, con-
centrate primarily on penetration and on regulation
and ethics. Make sure that innovation is a source of

GEORGIEVA
productivity growth across all sectors of the econ-
omy, and make sure that you have some meaningful
regulation and ethical foundation to reduce the risk
of this divergence in societies.
The IMF managing director on How do you use AI? I personally took, twice, train-
the future of trade and AI ing on how to use productivity-enhancing tools,
starting with Copilot, and then we have a couple of
BY JUSTIN WORLAND fund-specific AI assistants. We urge people to be
creative and to introduce things that are AI-based
productivity-enhancing tools.
You’ve said recently that “uncertainty is the
new normal.” What do you mean by that? We It occurs to me that you’re almost running a live
are experiencing the simultaneous impact of mul- economics experiment. Are you seeing productiv-
tiple transformative forces: geopolitics, technol- ity gains that match your investment? So far, yes.
ogy, demography, climate. They all are accelerat- We are a data institution. The reason we are so pre-
ing the transformation of the world economy—the disposed for AI is because we have so much data.
way we live, the way we work, the way we interact
with each other. And the impact of this transfor- Inflationary pressures are still a concern, and
mation is more fog within which we operate, more there’s no real consensus on the best path for-
uncertainty. ward. How should central banks approach the
next year? Central banks are facing pressure, par-
With regard to trade, you have noted that trade ticularly here in the U.S., to keep rates aligned
continues to be “an engine of growth” even amid with political interests. What are the risks? The
all of this year’s disruption. Do you think that good news is that inflation globally is trending down-
we’re out of the woods? No. This is a story that is wards. Central banks have been an incredible source
still to be written. We have left one equilibrium of confidence in a world of uncertainty. Central-bank
that we knew, one in which trade was guided by independence is absolutely paramount especially in
globally acceptable rules, and we are moving this fast-changing world. We also recognize that cen-
towards possibly a new equilibrium. But we tral banks’ independence doesn’t mean no account-
are not there yet. ability. They have to continue to lean forward on
how they can demonstrate that they’re accountable
In 2024, around the time of Davos, you to people, that they have a rigorous process of assess-
wrote a piece titled “AI will transform the ing their models, their decisionmaking process.
economy. Let’s make sure it benefits hu-
manity” that largely focused on the labor- You’re going to China soon. The Chinese
market implications of AI. What’s the economy is critical to the global growth
verdict? We definitely see benefits for picture. What does a durable growth
humanity with many of the AI applica- model for China look like amid all of
tions penetrating the economy and the the challenges? It’s like a fork in the
way we work. From agriculture to health road—whether they continue with their
to education to transport, we see that AI growth model that has served them well
G E O R G I E VA : S H O K O TA K AYA S U — B L O O M B E R G /G E T T Y I M A G E S

is generating benefits. It is adding a boost for 40 years, which is export-oriented

to productivity. The reason we have slow with significant support coming from in-
economic growth is mostly because pro- dustrial policy from the Chinese govern-
ductivity growth has been so underwhelm- ment, or they would recognize that they
ing, except for the U.S., and this is where are now so big that they need to shift to a
AI is the most potent force of transforma- more consumption-based model. If China
tion. We also see that we remain under- doesn’t change this model, and contin-
prepared for the impact of AI on the ues to push cheap goods to the rest of the
labor market. It is like a tsunami hitting world, they inevitably would become a
the labor market, especially in advanced major source of trade tensions themselves.
economies, where we assess 60% of jobs And then countries may be tempted to put
to be impacted. tariffs on Chinese goods.
56 TIME January 26, 2026
 WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM

AFRICA’S MINERAL
MAKEOVER
Soaring demand for resources is
reshaping Africa’s ambitions—
and place in the global order
BY CHARLIE CAMPBELL /LUSAKA, ZAMBIA

The journey from Tawny earTh To copper wire

begins with an explosion. Or 2,697 explosions, to be precise.
At the 1,100-acre main pit of Kansanshi copper mine in north-
ern Zambia, a lattice of six-inch blast holes punctuates the
ribboned moonscape. At 3 p.m., the ground erupts in an ech-
elon pattern, sending plumes of dust skyward.
Cue the arrival of the world’s largest electric dump trucks,
which haul away the rubble to be ground to a fine powder.
The ore is then concentrated via chemical flotation and fi-
nally transformed into 99.5% pure copper anode on site in
Africa’s biggest smelter, where the liquid metal emerges amid
an emerald glow. “The green color shows it’s pure copper,”
says Edmund Mokolo, a smelter engineer for First Quantum
Minerals (FQM), which runs Kansanshi.
Zambia is already Africa’s second largest producer of cop-
per, which accounts for around 70% of its export earnings.
As with many of its neighbors, its history and culture have
been shaped by minerals. Copper’s historic importance is
spotlighted by an orange stripe on the Zambian flag—the
world’s only national banner to reference the mineral. The
landlocked nation of 22 million has highly ambitious plans
to quadruple copper output to 3 million tons annually by
2031, electrifying the global economy while juicing its own.
About $10 billion of private capital is being invested into
mine expansion, including $1.25 billion by FQM for its new
S3 processing plant in Kansanshi.
But Africa’s current moment isn’t just about copper. It’s
about whether the continent can shed historic dependencies
to turn its mineral wealth into prosperity, without repeating
mistakes of the past. One way is to leverage the U.S.-China ri-
valry, and the global clamor for the minerals essential to both
the green transition and the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Zambia’s potential is undisputed. Slightly larger than
Texas, the country is 60% arable, though only 14% of its land-
PHOTOGR A PH COURTESY OF FQM

mass is cultivated. Its English-speaking popu-

lation has an enviable median age of 18. (The ▷
U.S. and China are over double that.) With AERIAL VIEW
eight countries on its borders, Zambia is per- OF KANSANSHI
COPPER MINE
fectly placed to serve as a regional economic IN NORTHERN
hub for a quarter of a billion people. ZAMBIA

58 Time January 26, 2026

 WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM

△
It is a country that has never been ZAMBIAN PRESIDENT HAKAINDE Say No To CorrupTioN. In 2017, as
HICHILEMA PICTURED ON
at war with itself or its neighbors and, JUNE 23, 2023
opposition leader, he was imprisoned
notwithstanding flirtations with au- for four months and tortured before
thoritarianism, has been broadly demo- being released amid an international
cratic for over three decades. Then there There are ambitious plans for block- outcry. “There were some excesses here
are mineral resources that are the envy chain technology to unlock the value and there,” he shrugs. “The last govern-
of the developed world. Yet Zambia re- of gold, copper, and diamond reserves ment was a little bit heavy-handed.”
mains both the sixth poorest and sixth while leaving them in the ground. Hichilema’s desire to play down his
most inequitable nation on the planet. “We should stop crying and blam- past tribulations and play up Zambian
Power shortages are endemic. In 1996, ing other people,” Zambian President stability is understandable. In partic-
46% of Zambian people were living in Hakainde Hichilema tells TIME on ular, he wants last January’s disman-
poverty. Today, it’s 63%. the veranda of his palatial home on the tling of USAID, which had allocated
Squandered promise is a refrain outskirts of Lusaka. “We should take $12.7 billion to the sub-Saharan region,
across Africa, galvanizing calls in Wash- charge of our destiny.” accounting for 0.6% of GDP, to entrench
ington to prioritize trade over aid as a new paradigm of self-sufficiency. It’s
the best means of uplifting its people. After 15 yeArs in opposition, and five a decidedly silver-lining perspective on
There’s plenty to be excited about. By unsuccessful presidential bids, Hichil- a shock treatment that was widely con-
the year 2050, over 25% of the world’s ema finally secured power in 2021 after demned at the time. Various studies sug-
population is expected to hail from the winning fans in Western capitals by gest the aid cuts could push 5.7 million
continent, including a third of those painting himself as a principled cham- more Africans into extreme poverty
ages 15 to 24. Africa’s combined GDP pion of democratic values. The shine has within a year, while 2 million to 4 million
was $2.6 trillion in 2020 but is pro- come off since, with Western diplomats people were likely to die annually as a
jected to reach $29 trillion by 2050. muttering bitterly about graft and back- result. Zambia was receiving around
Africa boasts a middle class exceeding sliding democracy, even as enormous $600 million annually toward health
350 million people as well as three of the billboards adorned with Hichilema’s care, food security, governance, and
world’s 20 fastest-growing tech hubs, stern visage loom over Lusaka’s acacia- security—of which some $70 million
including Nigeria’s Lagos in first place. lined streets exhorting citizens to was cut. At first, food imports had to be
60 Time January 26, 2026
 urgently distributed to Zambia’s poorest Corruption remains rife. But the hope which helps establish capital markets
to plug the gap. “We had to work hard is that the decline of foreign aid cre- across Africa. “But on average it’s less
to make sure that nobody died of hun- ates a rallying call that compels African perilous than you might think.”
ger,” says Hichilema. Still, he calls the countries to forge their own paths, freed
cuts a “long overdue” wake-up call. from the rules donors attached to aid. DESPITE EFFORTS TO DIVERSIFY Af-
After inheriting an economy that Studies show ready access to aid cash rica’s economy, near-term prosperity re-
contracted 2.8% in 2020, Hichilema is also gnaws at professionalism and fos- lies on more efficiently exploiting natu-
now aiming for 6% growth next year. ters corruption. Every year, an estimated ral resources. Africa is home to 30% of
In 2022, he made primary and second- $88.6 billion—some 3.7% of Africa’s the world’s minerals but nine of its 10
ary education free for all citizens and GDP—leaves the continent for overseas poorest nations. Unfortunately, until
has since added 10,000 teachers to the bank accounts, according to U.N. data. In now mineral wealth has been more
30,000 already on the national books. 2021, $5 billion reportedly vanished from likely to correlate to instability than
At Mushitala Primary School in Zam- Zambia’s coffers alone, about 20% of GDP. prosperity, as spotlighted by the on-
bia’s northern town of Solwezi, atten- Owing to perceived venality and in- going civil war in Sudan, where ac-
dance has soared from 1,700 boisterous stability, many African countries pay cess to gold fields is a key driver. “The
schoolkids in azure blue uniforms when four times as much interest on their debt continent has always been very rich
universal education was introduced to as do high-income nations despite often under the ground,” says Moses Michael
over 2,800 today. “We have 47 teachers having lower debt-to-GDP ratios. An av- Engadu, secretary-general of the Africa
today instead of 30 before,” says head erage African government spends 18% Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG), an
teacher Doreen Shimishi. of all state revenue on interest alone, intergovernmental body that aims to
In August, Hichilema inked an agree- compared with 3% for E.U. nations. ensure the continent benefits from its
ment with Indian pharmaceutical firm Since coming into office, Hichilema vast mineral wealth. “But that wealth is
Akums to start producing 700 types of has restructured 94% of Zambia’s debt, not being transformed above.”
generic drugs at a special economic zone but laments the high price of capital as a Geopolitics may help unlock this po-
outside the capital. He also unveiled “trap” and “death sentence” for Africa. tential. For decades, most of the copper
a policy to irrigate 1.2 million acres of Money that goes to servicing debt could leaving Africa was bound for China,
farmland to allow two maize crops each fund health care, education, and other whose 58 smelters underscore its stran-
year. Despite one of the worst droughts public goods, he says. “The risk premi- glehold over processing. (The U.S. has
in decades last year, Zambia just en- ums attributable to Africa are overly in- two.) But with the Trump Administra-
joyed its highest agricultural yield since flated. This is now a moral issue.” tion adding copper to its list of critical
independence in 1964. “So we’ll be food Indeed, a September report by the minerals in November, extricating sup-
secure,” says Hichilema. “We should Global Emerging Markets Risk Data- ply chains from Washington’s super-
continue being a food basket for not base found that while sub-Saharan power rival is now a national-security
just ourselves but the region.” Africa recorded the highest rate of de- priority. In recent months, the U.S. has
Despite Africa hosting 20 of the 25 fault on private loans from 1994 to 2024 signed seven bilateral critical-minerals
most climate-vulnerable countries, at 6.05%, it also had the highest rate of agreements with countries around the
in other ways the fight against global recovering funds (78%). “Africa is not globe. Zambia hopes to take advantage
warming plays to the continent’s advan- without risk,” says Mark Napier, CEO of great-power tensions to refine more
tage. The continent’s young population, of Financial Services Deepening Africa, minerals locally and retain more value-
natural resources, and abundance of un- add. On Dec. 11, Caleb Orr, the U.S.
tapped renewable energy make it essen- Assistant Secretary of State for Eco-
tial to climate goals. Africa hosts 60% of nomic, Energy, and Business Affairs,
the planet’s uncultivated arable land yet visited Kansanshi and met with Hichil-
only 16% of the global carbon-credits
market. Zambia sits on the southern ‘AFRICA IS NOT ema to discuss accessing critical miner-
als. “Data centers and the AI boom rely

WITHOUT RISK.
fringe of the Congo Basin, the world’s on copper,” Orr tells TIME. “And so our
second largest rain forest, which every own economy has immense interest in
year removes $55 billion in carbon from securing the copper supply chain.”
the atmosphere. “Anyone serious about
decarbonizing major chunks of the
BUT ... IT’S LESS Kansanshi is Africa’s largest copper
mine and pivotal to Zambia’s develop-
global economy will invest where the
energy, the people, and the raw mate-
PERILOUS THAN ment goals. As the world clamors to
electrify and embrace transformative
rials are,” says James Mwangi, founder
and CEO of Africa Climate Ventures. YOU MIGHT technology like AI, soaring demand for
copper is poised to outstrip supply, with
IANNISG/RE A /REDUX

Still, many challenges persist. Africa

faces limited access to international THINK.’ the world facing a 30% copper deficit by
2035, according to the International En-
markets, unfair trading conditions, and —MARK NAPIER, ergy Agency, which has warned scaling
only 6% of global capital allocation. FSD AFRICA CEO copper production will require more
61
 WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM

investment than any other transition owned businesses, with the aim to seed took seven years and spent $85 million
mineral. “We want our copper ... to do domestic manufacturing for lubricants, to achieve the necessary accreditation
to us what oil and gas has done to the explosives, PPE, foodstuffs, and more. and that money hasn’t been recouped.
Middle East,” says Hichilema. “That’s Over time, the core provision will be in- While carbon credits are different
our aspiration.” creased to 40%, says Hichilema, with from aid, they still rely on a capricious
Historically, the generosity of West- the mines themselves encouraged to West keeping its side of the bargain.
ern nations put aid recipients in a bind, work with nascent suppliers to build In 2022, Gabon pursued an ambitious
making governments accountable to do- capacity and ensure quality, as well as strategy to leverage its vast rain forests
nors rather than constituents, who are provide capital via prepayment and loan to issue 187 million REDD+ carbon
spared the hardship of paying taxes but guarantees. “We still have to teach our credits. Pricing guidelines at the time
are less likely to hold public officials to people to do business,” says Hichilema. suggest they should have reaped up to
account. Meanwhile, the sovereignty of Another hope is that “tokenization” $2 billion. However, Gabon only man-
their resources is diluted. “Now, African can boost investor confidence by ensur- aged to sell $17 million worth to Norway.
governments have recognized that they ing transparency. In theory, anything Critics say the economic and social cost
have more autonomy and must use it to can be tokenized. Once an asset has of Gabon’s conservation efforts contrib-
become more self-reliant and to achieve been quantified and assigned a value, uted to President Ali Bongo’s removal in
genuine financial sovereignty,” says it can be sold on open markets much a coup d’état the following year.
Marcus Courage, founder and CEO of like shares. Blockchain technology can Lee White, a conservationist who
Africa Practice, a business consultancy. then follow that asset via every stage of served as Gabon’s Environment Min-
Guinea, the world’s top bauxite processing. “It solves problems related ister until Bongo’s ouster, says that
exporter, has begun mandating that to fraud, transparency, provenance,” $2 billion could have drastically altered
foreign mining companies invest in says Chris Wong, CEO of LifeSite, the national mood if spent on educa-
local alumina refineries. Ghana’s first whose TokenX platform is being used tion, health care, and forestry manage-
commercial gold refinery opened in by the AMSG to develop a standardized ment. Carbon markets are “a risky thing
August 2024, while a ban on foreign Africa Mineral Token. for a country to gamble on,” says White.
traders to combat smuggling helped Carbon credits offer another poten- “Should we put our limited financial re-
gold exports to rise 75% year-on-year. tial revenue stream. The Luangwa Com- sources into creating forest carbon cred-
Malawi banned all raw-mineral exports munity Forests Project east of Lusaka is its if we aren’t confident that we will ac-
in late 2025; Gabon is set to stop export- the continent’s largest REDD+ project tually get paid for it?”
ing raw manganese by 2029. “For a long by size and the largest in the world by
time, Africa has been operating on po- quantified social impact, part of a U.N.- WHEN IT COMES to seeking economic
tential,” says Engadu. “It’s time to trans- backed framework that pays communi- opportunities, Hichilema makes no
form that promise into action.” ties to protect forests rather than clear bones about looking both East and
Zambia has eyes on doing more them. It’s run by Lusaka-based Bio- West. He held talks with Chinese Pres-
with mining than collecting royalties. Carbon Partners (BCP), which sells car- ident Xi Jinping in Beijing in both 2023
FQM is already its top taxpayer, con- bon credits to private industries includ- and 2024, with bilateral ties upgraded
tributing $650 million to state coffers ing oil and gas and luxury goods, as well to a “comprehensive strategic coopera-
in 2024, not including an additional as individuals. BCP manages a total of tive partnership.” On Nov. 17, U.S. Sec-
$2 billion in wages, supplier contracts, 16.5 million acres of forest in Zambia, retary of State Marco Rubio discussed
and community outreach. The Canada- where over 70% of the workforce is re- “shared economic goals” by phone with
headquartered firm, which started life in cruited from communities served, and is Hichilema. Two days later, Chinese Pre-
Zambia as a copper-tailings reprocessor currently undertaking additional proj- mier Li Qiang came to Lusaka.
but has since expanded across five conti- ects in neighboring Mozambique. Still, The superpowers’ courting of Zambia
nents, has also trained 7,000 local farm- CEO Nicholas Mudaly cautions that BCP can verge on pantomime. In September,
ers, supports 35 schools and 23 health fa- China inked a $1.4 billion deal to rehabil-
cilities, and runs a range of community itate the historic Tanzania-Zambia Rail-
activities. “We very much understand way, which was first built with Chinese
that we’re in a community,” says FQM help and serves as a vital link for Zam-
CEO Tristan Pascall. “We need to be
there with people to provide something
‘WE STILL bia’s copper exports to the Indian Ocean
port of Dar es Salaam. In response, the
that impacts their lives beneficially.”
Hichilema wants to codify that lar- HAVE TO TEACH U.S. Embassy in Zambia tetchily posted
on social media that two years after its
gesse into policy. From Jan. 1, 2026,
new local-sourcing legislation compels OUR PEOPLE TO 1976 opening Washington had to pro-
vide locomotives for the “prematurely
Zambian mines to purchase 20% of core
DO BUSINESS.’
decrepit railway,” as well as an additional
goods—materials used in the actual $45 million toward maintenance in the
mining process—and 100% of second- —PRESIDENT HAKAINDE 1980s owing to “poor quality and cut-
ary goods and services from Zambian- HICHILEMA ting of corners in project delivery.”
62 TIME January 26, 2026
 △
Not that the U.S. has been a model of MOLTEN COPPER POURS FROM to make sure that there’s no repeat.”
consistency. In May, its ambassador an- FIRST QUANTUM MINERALS’
SMELTE R IN NORTHERN ZAMBIA
Still, an independent audit into the
nounced the U.S. was cutting $50 mil- disaster was dismissed by Lusaka, rais-
lion of medications and medical sup- ing fears of a whitewash. (The fact that
plies because of “systematic theft of security,” he says. “This government Zambia is burdened with more than
these products” and “minimal respon- does not support . . . conflict, settling $4 billion in Chinese debt, some of
sive action by the government.” But just matters in the streets, agitating popu- which had to be restructured after de-
six months later, Washington unveiled a lations, disrupting the flow of ordinary faulting on foreign repayments in 2020,
$1.5 billion grant over five years to build life and conduct of business.” has not gone unnoticed.) In Novem-
capacity in Zambia’s health care sector. But the concern is that Zambia’s le- ber, Hichilema was forced to abandon
The reversal appeared a ploy to coun- verage in the global marketplace will be a speech in northern Zambia after the
ter China, whose no-strings, look-the- squandered without true accountabil- audience pelted him with stones.
other-way approach to mineral-rich na- ity. In February, a tailings dam collapsed The prospect of any nation getting
tions can both produce results and leave at a copper mine operated by a Chinese a free pass is galling for Zambians, for
a stain. In Zambia, for all his progres- state-owned enterprise in northern whom autonomy also means being able
sive and pro-business rhetoric, Hichil- Zambia, releasing some 13 million gal. of to hold foreign companies to account.
ema has been accused of implementing highly toxic and acidic waste—including It’s also a potential self-inflicted wound
oppressive measures, like a draconian heavy metals like arsenic, mercury, and for attracting the new investment nec-
cybersecurity law, while opposition fig- lead—into the Kafue River, Zambia’s essary for Zambia to thrive. “If we’re
ures have been targeted with a flurry of longest waterway and a major drinking- going to grow in Zambia, it needs to be
charges such as sedition, defamation, water source. The spill killed fish, de- on the basis of strong institutions, low
unlawful assembly, hate speech, and es- stroyed crops, and rendered the water levels of corruption, and a democratic
pionage. In August, Hichilema will seek undrinkable. Experts say a full cleanup process,” says FQM’s Pascall.
re-election and has backed a contro- could take longer than a decade—and Rather than begging for a seat at
versial constitutional amendment that nobody is sure who is going to foot the the West’s table, Africa now has every
TIMOTHY K AMBIDIMA — FQM

would allow him to stack parliament bill. “We’re not happy about the spill- power clamoring for an invite to its own.
with presidential appointees. Hichilema age,” says Hichilema. “That is why But while the new paradigm of self-
insists that his government respects the we’re working closely with Sino Met- sufficiency means future successes will
rule of law and denies undermining als, working with the Chinese govern- be purely African—failures must share
democracy. “We want stability, peace, ment, because they own the company, that same label. □
63
 WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM

WHY AREN’T WE USING

and produce a legally compliant protection-order
request that is reviewed by a lawyer. We’re develop-
ing a similar tool for journalists’ bail applications.

AI TO ADVANCE JUSTICE?
Giving overlooked victims access
Yet as we harness aI for justice, we must also
confront its dangers. The use of AI in courts is
growing fast—and not always safely. AI is triaging
cases, drafting pleadings, assessing witness cred-
ibility through facial-expression analysis, and even
to lawyers and courts generating avatars of murder victims that address
defendants in court. AI tools are being rolled out
B Y A M A L C L O O N E Y A N D P H I L I P PA W E B B
across Chinese courts. Argentina’s official AI drafts
rulings and predicts case outcomes with 96% ac-
in malawi, 1 in 3 women is a vicTim of violence. curacy in under 20 seconds. The U.K. is using al-
Almost 1 in 10 girls is forced into marriage before turn- gorithms to assess reoffending risk for bail and
ing 15. But fewer than 800 lawyers serve the population of parole decisions. And courts across the world are
22 million. What chance does a girl in a rural village have of grappling with deepfakes and manipulated evi-
finding legal help—let alone affording it? dence. Through our AI Justice Atlas, we are track-
This is the justice gap: the chasm between those who ing the use of AI in courtrooms around the world
need the law’s protection and those who can actually access and how it is being regulated. We are building the
it. According to the World Justice Project, only about 10% of Fair Trial Adviser—a retrieval-augmented AI sys-
people reach a lawyer when they tem grounded in our
need one. Yet across the world, textbook, The Right
grave offenses are going unpun- to a Fair Trial in Inter-
ished. Cybercriminals attack hos- national Law—to en-
pitals, elections, and infrastruc- able judges and law-
ture with impunity. Journalists yers to access reliable
are imprisoned at record rates standards in real time.
under defamation, “fake news,” We’ll offer training to
and terrorism laws. In much of over 10,000 judges
the world, women’s rights exist from 160 countries on
only on paper. So the people who the safe use of AI and
need justice most cannot get it. propose new global
But what if AI could change rules to ensure trials
that? We have co-founded the Ox- are fair in the AI era.
ford Institute of Technology and Finally, we are
Justice (OITJ)—a partnership be- working to ensure
tween the University of Oxford’s that the law can
Blavatnik School of Government meet the threat of
and the Clooney Foundation for △ cyberattacks. More
M A L A W I : Z A F E R G O D E R — A N A D O L U/G E T T Y I M A G E S; D E M O N S T R AT O R S : A F P/G E T T Y I M A G E S
Justice—because we believe it can, in many ways. WOMEN GATHER AT A than 130 countries have suffered cyber-
NEIGHBORHOOD SQUARE
With Microsoft’s AI for Good Lab and the Women IN LILONGWE, MALAWI,
disruptions, with most state-sponsored at-
Lawyers Association of Malawi, we’re developing a first- ON JUNE 8 tacks emanating from North Korea, China,
of-its-kind AI-powered legal assistant to help women Russia, and Iran. And AI is supercharging
and girls understand their rights and connect to legal repre- their speed, scale, and sophistication. Legal path-
sentation, in their local language on devices they already use. ways for accountability remain weak. We are ex-
Our Journalists’ Legal Assistant, built with the Committee to amining how international law must evolve, from
Protect Journalists, quickly connects detained or threatened proposals for a “digital Geneva Convention” to
journalists to pro bono (free of charge) support. Our closed- new standards of evidence to prove who is re-
dataset tools are built on verified legal information, and the sponsible for such crimes.
lawyers they recommend are vetted. Soon we will add voice- A functioning justice system is the bedrock of
to-text and geolocation features to pinpoint lawyers close our most basic freedoms. We have an opportunity
to home—and replicate these tools across Africa and Asia. to shape how AI transforms it, and a duty to do so
Even when help exists, it’s often too slow. Our Pro Bono As- responsibly. The fears around AI are extreme. But
sistant accelerates core legal work like preparing protection or- so are the possibilities—if we can get it right.
ders, one of the most effective remedies for abused women and
children. Instead of struggling through dense forms, survivors Clooney and Webb are professors at the University of
can use the tool to recount what happened in their own words Oxford and co-founders of the OITJ
64 Time January 26, 2026
 ◁
DEMONSTRATORS AT THE MARCH ON
WASHINGTON ON AUG. 28, 1963

report. But we cannot expect to close these gaps

without providing the tools to create sustainable
wealth-building pathways. King understood that
the dream of equality would remain deferred un-
less it was underwritten by equitable systems. We
cannot grow what we do not fund.

Today, we are in the midst of a seismic wave

of innovation and wealth creation enabled by AI.
During prior waves, like the Industrial Revolu-
tion, Black Americans and other minority groups
were left behind—or used as production inputs.
We must approach the AI era differently, en-
suring that communities that lack access to re-
sources are able to fully participate as founders,
funders, and owners in this next epoch of human
development. Leaders across sectors must look

THE DREAM
in the mirror and ask: “Am I just celebrating the
dream, or helping fulfill it?”
We must ensure historically Black colleges and

DEMANDS MORE
universities (HBCUs) have the capacity to train
students to be leaders in AI innovation and adop-
tion. This requires addressing the unconsciona-
ble reality that as recently as 2021, 82% of HBCUs
Have AI answer Dr. King’s call existed in broadband deserts. The work of groups
like Student Freedom Initiative provides proof that
for economic justice progress is possible, and the World Economic Fo-
rum’s EDISON Alliance, which digitally engaged
B Y R O B E R T F. S M I T H more than a billion people, has laid the ground-
work for much more. But broadband alone won’t
In 1963, on the steps of the LIncoLn MeMorIaL In be sufficient. HBCUs and their students must be
Washington, D.C., Martin Luther King Jr. proclaimed, resourced to provide AI education.
“We’ve come to our nation’s capital to cash a check . . . a In addition, underserved communities must
check which has come back marked ‘insufficient funds.’” have access to the compute, or processing power,
While many remember King’s dream for civil rights, he was required to use AI tools at scale, and to the capi-
also focused on addressing economic inequities, spotlighted tal needed to support this revolution. Community
by the name of the event that day: the March on Washington Development Finance Institutions (CDFIs), which
for Jobs and Freedom. serve as capillaries in the U.S.’s mainstream finan-
Just two weeks before he was assassinated, King sharp- cial system, often lack the oxygen that is cash and
ened that focus: “What does it profit a man to be able to eat tech—but the Southern Communities Initiative, for
at an integrated lunch counter,” he asked, “if he doesn’t earn which I am a board member, has made real progress
enough money to buy a hamburger and a cup of coffee?” in upgrading the technological capacity of CDFIs.
But despite progress in civil rights, the economic ledger We must also ensure that underserved communi-
has barely moved in the past six decades. Data from the 2022 ties have more on-ramps into the economy, at all
Survey of Consumer Finances showed the median wealth levels, from internships to corporate boards.
of white households is over six times that of Black house- More than any prior generation, we have real
holds. And, in 2024, African Americans received just 0.4% data on what’s needed and what works. King once
of venture-capital funding to start new businesses. King’s said, “Justice too long delayed is justice denied.”
insight that African Americans live “on a lonely island of In 1963, he issued a collection notice. It is time for
poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity” all of us to work together to make good on what
remains true in the U.S., decades later, just as it does for mar- is owed.
ginalized communities in many other countries.
The good news is that bridging the racial wealth gap would Smith is the founder, chairman, and CEO of Vista
lift the entire economy—by $1.5 trillion—while strengthen- Equity Partners, and author of Lead Boldly: Seven
ing the country’s competitiveness, per a 2019 McKinsey Principles From Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
65
 WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM

Q&A In October, Qualcomm announced its first data-

CRISTIANO AMON
center-grade AI chips, designed for inference,
or running AI models rather than training them.
Why expand into a market where Nvidia currently
dominates? Nvidia is the $5 trillion company, and
Qualcomm’s CEO on it’s been the company driving all of this. So why not
enter this space? If we get a small share of this space,
gladiators, where AI will live, it’s a multibillion-dollar opportunity for Qualcomm.
and taking on Nvidia Now AI is being deployed, you need clusters dedi-
cated to inference. You don’t have the same barrier
BY HARRY BOOTH/LISBON to entry that exists on training with CUDA [Nvidia’s
Compute Unified Device Architecture]. We have
to develop silicon [for mobile] that lives in a con-
You became CEO amid the pandemic and global strained environment. If we can show up with a data-
chip shortages. How does that experience posi- center architecture for inference that has higher den-
tion you to navigate this new period of intense sity, lower power—that’s competitive. And the entire
competition? I’ve been at Qualcomm for 30 years. world is looking for a competitive alternative.
We just believe in ourselves, and we just push for-
ward. Everybody was “What do you guys know Challengers like Cerebras and Axelera say incum-
about automotive?” Or “Why are you going into bents are hamstrung by legacy graphics process-
PC? You don’t understand anything about comput- ing unit (GPU) architectures, which weren’t de-
ers.” Now, I hear the same thing. “What do you know signed for AI. Does entering data centers at this
about data centers?” I tell my team, “We are in the stage give Qualcomm an advantage by allowing
gladiator business.” If you’re a gladiator, you go to you to bypass that legacy and design from first
the Colosseum, there are three outcomes: you win, principles? Yes. We have a GPU. Our Adreno GPU
you lose, you both lose. [If] you win, the only thing is the No. 1 GPU on mobile today. We could have just
you accomplish is you get to go to the Colosseum one used the GPU for AI. We believe the reason we have
more time. Success today means nothing. You have an NPU, a neural processor unit, which is based on
to constantly reinvent yourself. a different architecture—a digital signal processor’s
architecture—is because for inference, it is the most
Will AI devices displace the smartphone’s efficient compute platform focused on density and
primacy? Phones are not going anywhere, the same power consumption. There are merits to every archi-
way laptops didn’t go anywhere. The fundamental tecture, but we believe that our NPU is very uniquely
difference is today, the entire ecosystem is around positioned. Statistically
ically speaking, companies coming
the phone. In future, the agent will be at the cen- from the edge havee had more success moving up the
ter. It won’t matter where you contact it from— chain than the other
er way around.
phone or glasses. [A Qualcomm chip powers
pow
Meta’s AI glasses.] Everyone’s asking, g, “Are we in an AI bubble?”
Is this something you think about? If we go back
You believe many personal AI use casescas will to 1999, rightt before the dot-com meltdown,
run on-device, or at the “edge,” rather
rathe if you think
nk about how people imagined
C O U R T E S Y C R I S T I A N O A M O N ; P R E D I C T I O N S : I L L U S T R AT I O N B Y J A M E S F R Y E R F O R T I M E
than in data centers. Why? And how is i how big the internet would be, I’ll tell
Qualcomm competing? Whoever has you in 2025, that the internet today is
presence on the edge is going to win. way bigger than people thought in
The edge is where the humans are. 1999.
99. However, it took 25 years to get
When I have glasses that I’m wearing there.
here. Whatever people believe AI
all the time, the amount of informa- iss going to be, it’s probably bigger.
tion [gathered] is going to be so much How long it’s going to take to get
bigger, that whoever is present at the there, I don’t know. Everybody’s
edge is actually going to have a bet- playing to win. In 1999, who
ter model over time. That we come predicted Google Search would
from mobile positions us very well. be the search engine of choice?
This is the moment we’ve been wait- There will be competition, and
ing for. Those things are not going to there
ere are going to be winners [and]
be useful if you don’t have the models losers.s. You can argue AI may be over-
running locally and actually have the la- hyped d in some areas right now, prob-
tency that people would expect, and on ably underhyped
nderhyped in the long term, but
top of it, you get the privacy. I cannot predict the time.
66 TIME January 26, 2026
 5 PREDICTIONS FOR AI IN 2026
The technology is poised for integration into everyday experience
B Y H A R R Y B O O T H A N D T H A R I N P I L L AY

LAST YEAR, AI COMPANIES STRUCK makes purchases within the site. In 4. MORE POLITICAL ATTENTION
multibillion-dollar deals to build out September, OpenAI started allowing AI will “play a larger, more palpable
AI infrastructure. In 2026, as this new users to buy from U.S. Etsy sellers role on the world stage” this year,
computing power starts coming on- within ChatGPT. AI-facilitated shop- says Dean Ball, primary drafter of
line, experts say we’ll begin to see ping could reshape consumer behav- America’s AI Action Plan. Ball, who
whether that investment pays off. ior as e-commerce did before it, of- has since left the White House, pre-
fering companies like OpenAI a new dicts that AI could be a top-five issue
1. ADVANCING SCIENCE revenue stream in the process. in the midterm elections—amid
In November, California startup Ed- concern about issues like data cen-
ison Scientific said its system, Kos- 3. COMPANIONS GO MAINSTREAM ters increasing electricity prices and
mos, which combs existing scien- As the year progresses, it will be- mental-health harms.
tific literature for new insights, has come better understood “that peo- Alex Bores, a New York State
not only replicated human discov- ple develop real and meaningful assembly member working on AI
eries but also turned up new legislation, expects the tech-
ones—like evidence that aging nology will remain a bipartisan
brain cells in Alzheimer’s may issue. The tech is evolving
tag themselves with signals tell- faster than political parties
ing the brain’s cleanup system to can create consensus, and peo-
dispose of them. The Trump Ad- ple already feel its impacts in
ministration’s Genesis Mission, their communities, he says.
a Manhattan Project–style ini- Bores believes that 2026 will
tiative, also aims to use AI to ad- be a pivotal year for U.S. AI
vance science. But what counts as governance, as lobbyists angle
an autonomous discovery may be to prevent regulation, even as
contested. We may be far from a the systems and the companies
discovery that “we can very con- building them both become
fidently say a human would not more powerful.
have done that,” says Edward
Parker, a physical scientist at 5. POWERING CYBERATTACKS
think tank Rand Corp. He ex- In November, Anthropic re-
pects a “messy middle ground” in ported that Chinese state-
which AI assists human research- sponsored hackers had used
ers more than it discovers on its own. relationships with these technolo- its AI to conduct “the first docu-
gies,” predicts Kate Darling, author of mented case of a large-scale cyber-
2. AI SHOPS FOR YOU The New Breed: How to Think About attack executed without substan-
This year could see many shop- Robots. Robust research shows peo- tial human intervention,” targeting
pers skip not only physical stores ple treat machines as if they’re alive, tech companies, financial institu-
but also websites to buy directly in- even when they know they’re not. As tions, chemical-manufacturing com-
side chatbots. Forecasters on the on- adoption increases, “that’s going to ex- panies, and government agencies. It
line prediction platform Metaculus plode,” she says. Dmytro Klochko, CEO may not be the last. Adam Meyers,
put a 95% chance on a major com- of AI-companion company Replika, ex- senior VP of counter adversary for
pany running an AI shopping agent pects people will use one AI for produc- CrowdStrike, expects “an explosion”
that completes over 100,000 trans- tivity and another for emotional con- in AI being used to find and exploit
actions by the end of 2026. “They’ll nection. Companions are distinct from previously unknown software vul-
clear that very, very quickly,” says models like ChatGPT, he says, because nerabilities. Meyers believes AI
Tyler Cowen, an economist at George they’re designed to proactively engage will become an “Iron Man suit” for
Mason University. The groundwork people. “What we care about is peo- cybersecurity, supercharging the
has already been laid. Last April, ple getting happier,” he says. “Whether capabilities of both attackers and
Amazon began testing an agent that or not it’s good, it’s happening.” defenders. □
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Time Off

BELLE OF
THE BALL
BY KAT MOON

Yerin Ha steps into

the storied world of
Bridgerton as its new
leading lady

INSIDE

THE WORLD OF MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN FIND A KOREAN MASTER TACKLES

WESTEROS EXPANDS RELEASE IN PUNK ROCK LATE-STAGE CAPITALISM

PHOTOGR APH BY LIAM DANIEL 69

TIME OFF OPENER

Y
erin Ha didn’T know if sHe’d geT a reply
on Instagram. After landing the role of Sophie
Baek in Bridgerton’s fourth season and becoming
the series’ frst Korean lead—and second Asian
lead, after Simone Ashley played Kate Sharma in Season 2—
she considered sending a message to Ashley. “I’m quite in-
troverted, so I was like, she’s not going to know who I am,”
Ha recalls. To her surprise, Ashley messaged her frst. “She
said, ‘I’m here for you if you need,’” Ha recalls.
As the romantic interest of Benedict (Luke Thompson),
the second eldest of the Bridgerton siblings, Ha joins a
small group of women who have played the leads in Net-
flix’s record-shattering Regency-era series based on Julia
Quinn’s novels—a position that brings with it high levels of
public scrutiny. But she and Ashley share the unique expe-
rience of having the race of their characters changed in the
adaptation, in keeping with Shonda Rhimes’ production
company’s commitment to diverse storytelling. Bridgerton
Season 2 reimagined Kate—who has pale skin and the sur-
name Sheffield in The Viscount Who Loved Me—as Indian.
And the upcoming season, which premieres in two parts on
Jan. 29 and Feb. 26, introduces a Korean Sophie to play a
character originally called Sophie Beckett.
Sophie’s arc is set to remain faithful to the original story.
She meets Benedict at a masquerade ball she’s sneaked
into, and he’s instantly enamored. Sophie has no plans to △
reveal who she is behind the mask, however: she is both a Ha gives romance genre. “When you don’t have
lowly maid and the illegitimate daughter of an earl. Regency-era much exposure, sometimes you feel
Ha never thought she’d get top billing when she sent her charm as like your dreams are limited,” Ha says.
audition tape. It’s roughly two months before her season’s Sophie Baek The actor remembers the Korean
premiere, and we’re sitting in a lounge at a Manhattan hotel video store she frequented in Sydney
as she looks back. “When my agent told me it was for Bridg- when she was young. Her dad would
erton, I thought it was a supporting role,” says the Sydney- rent Korean dramas, and the two
based actor, 27. “Then I realized, oh no, this is for the lead. watched them as she learned the lan-
They’re going to cast an East Asian woman for the lead.” guage. Ha’s face lights up as she talks
about two favorites. “Secret Garden
The Bridgerton Team was intent on exactly that. “We with Hyun Bin. Iconic,” she beams,
are always looking to expand the show’s representation of referencing the 2010 rom-com about
its audience,” says Jess Brownell, who has served as show- a CEO falling in love with a stunt-
runner since Season 3. “We take stock of the world as we woman. She also loved Boys Over Flow-
have it.” Though she and the casting team didn’t watch Ha’s ers, the 2009 series in which an heir
tape until late in the process, it was instantly clear they falls for a dry cleaner’s daughter. Both
had found their Sophie. “In order to balance out Benedict, are Cinderella stories like Bridger-
who has seen and done everything, we needed a character ton’s fourth season. “A lot of K-dramas
who had a bit of an old soul,” Brownell explains. But it was deal with class—the rich mom doesn’t
also paramount that she have a playful spirit. “Even though approve of the lower-class girl,” Ha
Yerin is in her 20s, you believe she’s lived a lot of life. Her says. These shows were in mind as she
internal world feels very rich,” says Brownell. She also de- began flming Sophie’s story.
scribes Ha as reminiscent of “a modern-day Lucille Ball,” But K-dramas were the excep-
with a natural humor and physicality. tion. Growing up in a mostly white
It took Ha longer to wrap her mind around the role. suburb, Ha rarely saw faces like hers,
“I never saw myself as a leading lady for a romantic show,” around her and in media. “When
she says. She attributes this sense of impostor syndrome I realized I wanted to be an actress, I
largely to the lack of female, Asian romantic leads she saw didn’t think I could do it in Australia.
in Hollywood growing up—“unless it’s Mulan, where it’s [I thought] I had to go to Korea,”
all Asian people.” While flms and series that center Asian she says. Ha isn’t the frst member
characters have become more plentiful—from Shogun to of her family to be a performer. Her
Beef to Everything Everywhere All at Once—few are in the grandma, Son Sook, is a seasoned
70 Time January 26, 2026
 Finding Ha was only the first step not deserving.” She’s learning to ac-
in telling Benedict and Sophie’s love cept that her impostor syndrome may
story. Once Brownell knew the show’s never fully go away. “I think that’s a
next lead was going to be East Asian, very Asian thing: ‘You need to do bet-
her team collaborated with the non- ter, work twice as hard,’” she shares.
profit CAPE (Coalition of Asian Pacif- Her parents were supportive, “but
ics in Entertainment) on an authentic when you’re living in an Asian family
portrayal. CAPE offered a primer on in a Western country, to be seen, to be
stereotypes of East Asian women to heard, takes sometimes twice as much
avoid. “We wanted to be mindful of energy [as it does for] other people.”
not oversexualizing the character or
making the character overly submis- Ha Has Felt particularly inspired
sive,” Brownell says. by Sophie’s self-assuredness. De-
Bridgerton has been praised for spite being viewed as inferior within
intimate scenes filmed with the fe- the show’s mannered universe, she’s
male gaze in mind. “But the intimacy not afraid to ask for more. “[Sophie]
stems from a place of pure connec- knows her worth,” Ha says. “She
tion between two people,” Ha adds. doesn’t say yes to everything just be-
“It’s about being seen on the inside, cause it’s going to make her life eas-
and then the passion can explode in- ier.” Ha’s mentality used to be “I’m
side out, rather than outside in.” The lucky to be in the room. Now, “I’m
creators purposefully chose not to learning how to stand my ground.”
overindex on Sophie’s Korean iden- That self-assuredness was particu-
tity. While they were thoughtful to ac- larly necessary in Bridgerton’s promi-
curately present her ethnicity, it’s not nent intimacy scenes. “With an Asian
central to the story. “What’s so beau- background, it’s really harsh—we con-
actor in Korea, and her grandpa tiful about [our version of] Benedict stantly talk about getting skinnier,”
Kim Seong-ok also acted. So, at 15, and Sophie’s story is that we don’t re- Ha says, acknowledging that thinness
Ha moved to Korea and spent three ally dive into, ‘Oh, you’re Korean,’” she is idealized in Western beauty stan-
years at a rigorous performing-arts says. “He just sees Sophie as Sophie.” dards too. Playing Sophie prompted
school. This was a distinction from Ash- her to consider what being comfort-
During her senior year, Ha began ley’s season. “With the Sharmas, it able in her own skin looks like. “There
to reconsider whether she needed to made sense to include ceremonies and is no such thing as perfection,” Ha
stay in Korea to find work. In Holly- clothing that reference Kate’s heri- says. “Growing up, just thinking, I
wood, she observed, “It didn’t feel tage because she grew up in India,” don’t have eyebrows, or my eyelashes
like [Asian actors] were just playing Brownell says. But Sophie is different. are straight—you see things that so
the convenience-store manager or a “We know her parents and probably many other people do not,” she says.
prostitute.” Her route there led back her grandparents and herself grew up “It’s really a shift in mindset of ‘This is
to Sydney, and the National Insti- in England. We found small ways to what I have been given in this lifetime.
tute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), whose represent her Korean heritage. But I How am I going to accept it?’”
alumni include Cate Blanchett, Baz think this character, in many ways, The music is getting louder in
Luhrmann, and Sarah Snook. would identify as British.” the lounge we’re chatting in, but Ha
Ha says Sophie’s wit and humor continues in a gentle tone. Though
Her instincts about Hollywood jumped off the page when she first she’s about to be thrust into the larg-
proved correct, because she quickly read the series’ third novel, An Offer est spotlight of her career, she speaks
landed a role as part of the main From a Gentleman. But she was also with the ease of someone who’s navi-
O P E N I N G PA G E : N E T F L I X ; T H E S E PA G E S : L I A M D A N I E L— N E T F L I X

cast of Halo, the Paramount+ series moved by Sophie’s trauma. “I’m so gated fame for decades. And while this
based on the military sci-fi video heartbroken for her,” Ha says. “But role has encouraged Ha to embrace
game. “I’m aware that it is a rare situ- also I can relate—feeling less than and her present self, it also has her imag-
ation,” Ha says of the speed at which ining greater things for her future.
she booked that gig. She later ap- While Sophie has a pragmatic ap-
peared in Dune: Prophecy, HBO’s pre- proach to life, she’s complemented by
quel series. “I always knew I didn’t ‘When you don’t Benedict, a dreamy idealist. Before,
want Australia to be my end goal. I have much exposure, Ha says, “I was too grounded in real-
was aiming for Hollywood because sometimes your ity of what was in the past.” But she’s
they’re a bit ahead of the game in done relegating herself to supporting
terms of the stories they tell,” she dreams are limited.’ roles only. “I realized maybe I hadn’t
says, “and who they cast.” YERIN HA dreamt big enough.” □
71
TIME OFF REVIEWS

TELEVISION

Dark Knight of the

Thrones franchise
BY JUDY BERMAN

A Knight of the Seven KingdomS is noT like oTher

Game of Thrones shows. Or, at least, it’s not so much like
them that you have to take it seriously. Less than five min-
utes into the premiere, the HBO series conspicuously ad-
justs the expectations of anyone who might be confused.
Sword in hand, our strapping hero, Ser Duncan the Tall
(Irish actor Peter Clafey, lately seen in Bad Sisters), decides
to enter a tournament. As he lifts his face heavenward, we
hear Thrones’ solemn, churning theme song, the same one
that now plays at the top of House of the Dragon episodes.
Suddenly, the music stops. Cut to a closeup of the knight’s
face as he audibly defecates. In case we still haven’t gotten
the message that earthy hilarity awaits, the shot widens to
reveal his naked butt and what’s coming out of it.
So, yes, Seven Kingdoms explores a more playful side of
Westeros. Based on George R.R. Martin’s Tales of Dunk and
Egg novellas—which sound like they should chronicle a
national cofee chain’s breakfast oferings but actually fol-
low Duncan, a.k.a. Dunk, and his pipsqueak squire, Egg—
its first season runs just six episodes of around 35 minutes
apiece. (It has already been renewed for a second, as part of △
HBO’s promise to give us new Thrones content every year A newly who introduces himself as Egg (a
through 2028.) Instead of juggling multiple storylines, a knighted Dunk precocious Dexter Sol Ansell), a fit-
sprawling map, and dozens of characters, most of them no- (Claffey) seeks ting name seeing as he is bald. Egg is
bles warring for control of a continent, it confines its atten- his fortune everything Dunk is not: tiny, clever,
tion to two humble leads in a meadow. The lowered stakes bold. He wants to be Dunk’s squire,
do make for a lighter watch, except toward the end of the but Dunk has doubts that mainly
season, which is heavy on murk and gore. But the show’s stem from his own insecurities; flash-
anemic plot and spotty attempts at humor also raise ques- backs imply that he still feels like the
tions about the health of the franchise. Is this really the scared teen in need of Arlan’s tute-
most compelling, or even the most entertaining, story left lage. He and Egg negotiate their odd-
to mine from Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire canon? couple alliance as Dunk attempts to
prove his mettle in the games and find
Created by the author and showrunner Ira Parker, a some way forward without Arlan. It’s
House of the Dragon veteran, Seven Kingdoms takes place a all pretty twee, until the Targaryens,
century before the events of the original Game of Thrones with their notoriously equal distribu-
series. Though the Targaryens still rule Westeros, the tow- tion of valor and madness, ride in to
headed dynasty is sufering through a dragon drought that ratchet up the drama.
won’t end until Daenerys comes into the picture, genera-
tions in the future. This is all well above the figurative pay Kingdoms there’s nothing inherently
grade of Dunk, a simple, hulking youth who grew up squir- seems wrong with putting common people at
ing for Ser Arlan of Pennytree (Danny Webb). A chroni- the center of a story set in a universe
cally intoxicated but good-hearted master, Arlan has just to exist that viewers have mostly seen, in pre-
died. But first, he knighted Dunk. Like his surrogate father, mostly vious incarnations, through the eyes
Dunk is a hedge knight—that is, an itinerant, often penni- to tide of its ruling class. The angle certainly
less and disrespected swashbuckler for hire, rather than worked for the revolutionary-minded
a well-compensated, ornately armored, widely venerated us over Disney+ series Andor, which might be
defender of a noble lord. As one scornful character puts it: between the best thing the Star Wars franchise
“There are as many hedge knights as there are hedges.” has produced in five decades of pop-
Traveling to Ashford Meadow for the tourney with the Dragon culture prominence. And Seven King-
three horses he inherited in tow, Dunk meets a stable boy seasons doms does meet the high technical
72 Time January 26, 2026
 standards of the Thrones brand—
immersive, bloody combat, dim TELEVISION
lighting, and all. Claffey exudes just
enough charisma to make us root for
Menopausal women in revolt
Dunk without undermining the char-
In the early 1990s, young women gives us the chance to perceive
acter’s unpolished oafishness; he and raised on second-wave feminism but them as quaint, which would be a
Ansell can be very sweet together. marginalized within the punk scene form of objectification. When the
But unlike Andor, which used its revolted. Dubbed riot grrrls, bands series opens, Beth (Joanna Scan-
relatively obscure protagonist to like Bikini Kill and Bratmobile aimed lan), a divorced teacher who feels
showcase regular citizens’ resistance wrathful lyrics and gallows humor at a abandoned by her adult son, is about
to the tyranny that’s so integral to culture of misogyny as it manifested to hang herself. Then the phone
the Star Wars mythology, Seven King- in their own lives, from condescending rings. “Do you wanna be in me rock
doms seems to exist mostly to tide male musicians to abusive fathers. band?” asks her pal Jess (Lorraine
us over between Dragon seasons. It Now, those artists are in their 50s. Ashbourne). The act they assemble
tries hard, especially in early epi- And while sexism persists, it touches includes Holly (Tamsin Greig), a cop
sodes, to be funny. Sadly, its idea of older women in different ways. about to retire; the junior officer (Taj
humor is, for example, a running joke Riot Women, a revelatory British Atwal) she tries to protect from sexual
about Dunk’s eternal gratitude to- series from Happy Valley creator harassment; and Holly’s midwife sis-
ward Arlan for beating him only when Sally Wainwright that premiered in ter (Amelia Bullmore). Left to care for
he deserved it. Elsewhere, bodily ex- the U.S. via BritBox on Jan. 14, casts declining parents and blamed by their
cretions of various sorts stand in for an empathetic eye on these under- kids for the sins of awful exes, they
punch lines. Crudeness is in no way acknowledged struggles: loneliness, vent in original punk anthems.
invisibility, menopause stigma, The band finds its literal voice
new to the pseudo-medieval Thrones
caretaking fatigue. That might make when Beth hears Kitty—a feral
landscape, but it worked better as a it sound like a downer. In fact, this six- lush, played with heart and edge
counterweight to the high rhetoric episode drama about women pushing by Rosalie Craig—belting Hole at
of would-be sovereigns. (You could 60 who form a band to compete in a a karaoke bar. Wainwright and the
even argue that Martin’s high-low mix local talent show—and accidentally great cast bring depth to every
echoed that of Shakespeare and Chau- change their lives in the process—is female character. (The men can
cer.) Here, that balance of tones is totally gripping. Raucous, insight- be flat in their socially sanctioned
somewhat restored in the second half ful, and darkly witty, it’s a portrait self-absorption, which might be the
of the season, after a revelation that of belated liberation that is sure to point.) Yet Riot Women hits its high-
high-
establishes Dunk and Egg’s relevance invigorate viewers at any stage of life. est notes in the friendship between
to Westeros lore—and in doing so kind Another writer might’ve reduced Kitty and Beth, two very different
of undermines the show’s initial com- the Riot Women to caricatures of but inextricably linked people whose
mitment to bringing the Thrones saga small-town English naughtiness à la bond could save them from the self-
A K N I G H T O F T H E S E V E N K I N G D O M S : S T E F F A N H I L L— H B O ; R I O T W O M E N : H E L E N W I L L I A M S — D R A M A R E P U B L I C LT D.

down to earth. The Full Monty. But Wainwright never destructive urges they share. —J.B.
The show also falls prey to a few
unfortunate streaming-era trends,
from a penultimate flashback episode
that delays the payoff of a cliffhanger
by filling in backstory of question-
able utility, to a scantness of plot that
makes the whole short season feel like
an overgrown prologue. A franchise
that once set the standard for prestige
television is now, in an apparent ef-
fort to keep Thrones fans subscribed
to HBO Max indefinitely, perpetuating
some of the category’s moldiest cli-
chés. Instead of the best Martin’s bib-
liography has to offer, it seems we are
now getting whatever is the most con-
venient to adapt. Seven Kingdoms may
be too benign to hate, but in its debut
season, it is also too meager to love.
Kitty (Craig, center) rocks out with her claws out
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms pre-
mieres Jan. 18 on HBO and HBO Max
73
TIME OFF REVIEWS

MOVIES

A Korean master
dampens the power
of a corporate thriller
BY STEPHANIE ZACHAREK

There’s no beTTer Time for an adapTaTion

of Donald E. Westlake’s unsparing 1997 novel
The Ax, which treats downsizing as a form of
dehumanization. The bad news is that No Other
Choice, the Ax adaptation Korean master Park
Chan-wook has long wanted to make, isn’t the
picture Westlake’s cold shiv of a novel deserves.
As fne a flmmaker as Park is—his 2003 Oldboy
is a chilly, operatic masterpiece—No Other
Choice is too dully observed and too slapsticky to
hit its mark. It’s a missed opportunity dressed up
with profcient flmmaking.
Park takes Westlake’s premise—a laid-off
paper-mill executive methodically and with in- △
creasing detachment kills off rival candidates for Too much Bummo (Lee Sung-min), a down-on-his-luck en-
a job he feels he deserves—and twists and tweaks mischief, not gineer who spends his days getting sozzled. He’ll
it so the focus is more on the symphony of mis- enough poetry: fgure out how to do away with Sun-chul too.
haps that allow the movie’s protagonist, Lee Lee in No Other
Byung-hun’s Man-su, to get away with one crime Choice Man-su’s first atteMpt at murder goes
after another. It’s summertime as the movie comically—too comically—awry; the second is
opens, and Man-su stands at the grill in the yard chillingly efficient. But the aggressive wacki-
of his elegant, modern house, cooking up some ness of that frst killing, which involves an errant
expensive eels that have been sent by the paper snakebite and a frustrated, angry woman with a
mill to which he’s been loyal for 25 years. He’s gun (Yeom Hye-ran), sets the movie spinning on
surrounded by his wife Mi-ri (Son Ye-jin); his a wobbly axis from which it never recovers. Lee—
children, teenage son Si-one (Woo Seung Kim) perhaps best known for Squid Game, though he
and younger daughter Ri-one (So Yul Choi); also appeared in Park’s 2000 hit Joint Security
and two charming, fluffy golden dogs, to whom Area—is solid in the movie’s early scenes, as a
Ri-one, neurodivergent and a gifted cellist, is man unmoored by circumstances. He attends a
particularly attached. Man-su has everything he counseling session packed with other unemploy-
ever wanted in life. ables, all reckoning with feelings of emascula-
But soon he’ll learn that the eels are really a tion. This is what capitalist greed—not to men-
sick consolation prize: his company is terminat- tion the proliferation of AI—can do to a person.
ing him. He’s left to job-hunt and fnds that his Yet that’s barely the focus of No Other Choice;
age and level of experience count against him. the movie’s convoluted plot only detracts from
Ever practical, Mi-ri makes deep cuts to the the story’s crushing emotional potential. The
household expenses. She’s sent the dogs off to picture has a crisp, elegant look, and Park has
live elsewhere, and she proposes selling the fam- some fun with clever camera angles and visually
ily house, which is the very one in which Man-su No Other sophisticated dissolves. But where’s the poetry?
grew up: it had been sold out from under him If you’re familiar with Park’s work—including his
previously, and he’d worked hard to buy it back. Choice is graceful 2023 neo-noir Decision to Leave—you’ll
Then Man-su fnally gets an interview with a too dully know that he’s capable of more, particularly at
company he’d like to work for. It goes badly, and observed this juncture, where fake intelligence threat-
he’s later humiliated by the former subordinate, ens the very meaning of dignifed human work.
Park Hee-soon’s arrogant Sun-chul, who would and too With The Ax, Westlake saw this erosion com-
have been his boss. He hatches a scheme. He’ll slapsticky ing, but No Other Choice reflects on it not with a
eliminate the two chief candidates for the job, cry of anguish or even a dry shot of grim humor.
gentle, earnest Sijo (Cha Seung-won), who’s to hit its Instead, all we get is an overcalculated, mischie-
mark
NEON

marking time working as a shoe salesman, and vous wink. It’s not nearly enough. □
74 Time January 26, 2026
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 10 QUESTIONS

Chloe Kim The American double Olympic gold medalist

on why she’s going for a third in Italy, what she got out
of therapy, and some new additions in her life

What is the state of Chloe Kim now happier than ever? There was
these days? I have no complaints. just a lot that I was holding on to. So
I’m happier than ever. Do you feel it was nice to kind of let it out. You
kind of have to go back to the root
Why are you happier than ever? more aches of all the things. The reason why I
There’s been a lot of fun new addi-
tions into my life. I got a horse a cou-
now than you wanted to go to therapy initially was
because I didn’t necessarily like the
ple years ago. I just got a pet snake. did at your person I was becoming. I didn’t like
My dog is so spirited, even though
she’s 9. So I just feel like everyone in
first Games, the way I started treating people, the
way I viewed some of my relation-
my life is doing well. So I have noth- in 2018? ships. I just felt a little ashamed of
ing to worry about. who I’d become. That’s such a terri-
ble feeling, especially when I should
What kind of horse is it? He’s an feel like I’m on top of the world.
Arabian. He’s a chestnut. He’s just
such a cutie patootie. I rode him You’ve accomplished so much in
quite a bit when I first got him, but I I feel pain now. When I
your sport. What keeps you com-
got a pretty young horse, so he was a was 17, I would take the ing back? There’s so much more I
bit unpredictable. So when I got a bit most disgusting fall and want to do. Last season, I landed a
closer to this season, I decided to not be totally fine and just double cork for the first time in com-
ride him as much. So nothing stupid do it again. But now it’s petition. That was a trick that I never
happens. “Oh man, I don’t think my thought I’d be able to do. I thought
shoulder was at a good I had completely maxed out. Turns
And the snake? Her name is Jelly angle for it to hit that way. out I didn’t. I keep surprising myself.
Bean. She’s a ball python. I never And my ribs are sore.” I feel
thought I’d get a snake. But I felt lit- like I got hit by a truck. In late November, you and your
tle Jelly Bean, and I was like, “Oh my boyfriend, Cleveland Browns de-
gosh, I feel this connection with this fensive end Myles Garrett, shared
snake.” Which is like the craziest a kiss in front of the cameras be-
thing ever. fore a game, confirming the re-
lationship. Had you planned on
After winning your second straight going public that day? Or did it
halfpipe snowboarding gold medal just sort of happen? I did not know
at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, you that that was going to happen. I
took a season off to tend to your think it was a really sweet thing.
mental health. What was difficult No one’s mad about it. Which is a
for you about that time? Beijing good start. I don’t think we were try-
was just challenging in itself. It was ing super hard to keep it private.
during COVID. It wasn’t like the But it wasn’t something we wanted
most ideal circumstances. Family to blast publicly. Now that it’s out,
couldn’t be there. Friends couldn’t it’s whatever. Nothing is going to
be there. I spiraled into another de- change. We’re very happy. We’re just
pression. We are so focused on this going to keep supporting each other.
one thing for such an extended pe-
riod of time. When it’s over, it’s very Any new tricks we can expect from
D AV I D R A M O S — G E T T Y I M A G E S

strange. you at the Milano Cortina Olym-

pics? I do have a couple new tricks
You have mentioned previously up my sleeve that I won’t be shar-
that you did intensive therapy ing. That’s never going to change. So
after Beijing. How did that help you’ll have to tune in to see them.
you get to a place where you’re —SEAN GREGORY
76 TIME January 26, 2026
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