EDGE 2026 opened with a powerful convergence of technology, leadership, and geopolitics. From gratitude and human connection to AI disruption, from continuous reinvention to global power realities, the session set the tone for the days ahead.

Scott Farquhar, Lucy Guo and James Peng explored how AI is fundamentally reshaping industries and business models. Brian Glaser challenged leaders to move from expert to catalyst, from perfection to courage, and from analyst to storyteller. Admiral James Stavridis delivered a sweeping geopolitical outlook across the Middle East, Ukraine, China, the Arctic and emerging markets.

Together, the plenary underscored a central message: we are not navigating an era of change, but a change of eras.

Key Takeaways
• AI is not incremental improvement, it is structural transformation
• Leadership in uncertainty requires courage, vulnerability and reinvention
• Geopolitical shifts will define capital flows, risk and opportunity for the decade ahead