Fast Company

Fast Company takes you inside the minds of the most progressive business leaders. Meet the real innovators of our age and see the latest in design, sustainability, marketing, and social responsibility.

Here Today, Gone Sooner Than Ever

Innovation from the lab to the world • PURDUE UNIVERSITY IS HELPING ITS RESEARCHERS BRING TRANSFORMATIVE DISCOVERIES TO MARKET

1 RETAIL • The (Near) Death of DTC Under pressure to turn a profit, once-hot brands are going into zombie mode: still functioning, but hollowed out.

Reporting that improves people's lives • CONSUMER REPORTS BUILDS ON ITS LONGSTANDING REPUTATION OF HELPING CONSUMERS MAKE BETTER DECISIONS

Collaboration for a cure • FOR ALSAC AND ST. JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL, BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS YIELDS BIG RESULTS

Blazing a trail in the entertainment industry • STARZ MAKES BUSINESS DECISIONS THAT PROMOTE DIVERSITY BOTH ON AND OFF SCREEN

2 HOLLYWOOD • Beyond Words Cord Jefferson on the agony and the ecstasy of being a writer in Hollywood in 2023

A legacy of investing in its members • GOLDEN 1 CREDIT UNION OFFERS RESOURCES AND HOPE TO DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES

3 MUSIC • Record Heat What the vinyl renaissance says about delivering true value (and not just in the music business)

A commitment to conservation • SAN DIEGO ZOO WILDLIFE ALLIANCE'S MULTIPRONGED APPROACH IS HAVING GLOBAL IMPACT

4 WORK LIFE • Tirana Hassan, Human Rights Watch executive director, career questionnaire.

Local solutions to global challenges • HOW BUSINESS FOR GOOD IS ADDRESSING ENTREPRENEURIAL INEQUITY—AND CREATING LASTING CHANGES IN LOCAL COMMUNITIES

5 AGRICULTURE • Once Upon a Time in the Midwest How Land O'Lakes is sowing the future of the agriculture industry

FACE FORWARD • SELENA GOMEZ'S fast-growing COSMETICS COMPANY, Rare Beauty, is helping AN ENTIRE generation feel good in its skin.

BRANDS THAT MATTER • FAST COMPANY'S 2023 BRANDS THAT MATTER LIST SHOWCASES MORE THAN 100 COMPANIES STAYING RELEVANT BY REDEFINING HOW BUSINESS MEETS CULTURE. HERE'S HOW THEY'RE USING THEIR RELATIONSHIPS WITH FANS AND CUSTOMERS TO FORGE A BETTER FUTURE.

CULTURAL FORCES

MIND AND BODY

STATE OF PLAY

BUILDING THE FUTURE

MAKING REAL IMPACT

INDEX • BRANDS THAT MATTER RECOGNIZES COMpanies that build a connection with their audiences by being culturally relevant, making an impact, and communicating their mission and values clearly. This year's 165 honorees—68 General Excellence winners and 97 honorees among 30 categories—demonstrate brands at their best.

DESIGN

Corporate Design U. • Design, arguably, has always been art for commerce, but Savannah College of Art and Design has accentuated the relationship between design education and corporate America. Its success has inspired both Stanford and the University of Texas to emulate the model of integrating companies as education partners. Here's how they stack up.

Pinterest Wants to Be Your Happy Place • Bill Ready took over as CEO of the image-based platform just over a year ago. With the rest of social media in flux, will his tack to kindness secure success?

Shop Talk • Pinterest's long, weird journey to becoming the shoppingcatalog app of its founder's dreams

FROM THE GROUND UP • JOHN FOLEY, PELOTON'S HIGH-FLYING COFOUNDER AND FOR MERCEO, IS PULLING BACK THE CURTAINS ON HIS COMEBACK ACT: A CUSTOM-RUG STARTUP.

SECOND ACTS • FOUNDERS AND CEOS WHO'VE MADE INTRIGUING PIVOTS AFTER LEAVING THEIR HIGH-PROFILE COMPANIES

DISRUPTERS • NOW YOU CAN TRACK THE PERFORMANCE OF FAST COMPANY'S MOST INNOVATIVE COMPANIES’ PUBLICLY TRADED HONOREES, TAKEN FROM THE DEFINITIVE LIST OF...