The day after Britain voted to leave the EU, Barack Obama dropped by Stanford University in California to talk to tech entrepreneurs from 170 countries attending the Global Entrepreneurship Summit.

Describing his audience as the “glue” holding our societies together, the US president said they embodied “all the optimism and the hope and the opportunity” of the interconnected world. “You are going to be what helps this process of global integration work in a way that is good for everyone and not just some,” he said.

This happy-clappy version of globalisation suggests that our future is outward-looking, inclusive, and interconnected. But that vision clearly does not resonate with all, as Mr Obama acknowledged. Globalisation also inflames fears about the erosion of identity, nationality and economic security — as became all too evident during Britain’s referendum campaign.