Hit the Ground Running

A number of recent court cases are using a new tactic to take on tech platforms, including Snap, Meta, and TikTok. ‘Fast Company’ contributing writer Issie Lapowsky walked us through the complicated legalese behind these cases. Basically, they’re using a novel legal workaround to Section 230 called a ‘product liability claim.’Rather than faulting these platforms for other people’s posts—the kind of claims Section 230 protects them from—these cases accuse the companies of essentially building faulty products, which is an area of law that Section 230 doesn’t cover.Also, we sat down with a group of fitness-industry innovators in a fun roundtable discussion about staying fit and nimble during the peak of the pandemic. As a pioneer in the industry, Tracy Anderson created the Tracy Anderson Method more than 20 years ago, as well as offering DVDs, online videos, and exercise studios. Barry's CEO Joey Gonzalez went from client to instructor to eventually become the company’s top executive, and Y7 Studio founder and CEO Sarah Larson Levey created a unique way to practice yoga by candlelight to the beat of a customized soundtrack. We also asked what the trick is to get motivated to work out. Answer: you need to find your own motivation.For more MIC behind the scenes, check out Yaz at @yazzyg on Instagram and Josh @joshuagchris on TikTok!

The long-simmering fault lines within OpenAI over questions of safety with regard to the deployment of large language models like GPT, the engine behind OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Dall-E services, came to a head on November 17 when the organization’s nonprofit board of directors voted to fire CEO Sam Altman. But then he was reinstated on November 22. It’s been a wild ride, but Fast Company senior writers Ainsley Harris and Mark Sullivan joined us to help break down the confusing back and forth at the generative AI company.For more on the company’s tumultuous activities, check out Ainsley's and Mark's reporting.“We need to make it a little more snackable, a little bit more bite-size.” USAFacts president Poppy MacDonald explained how she helps make government data more accessible, available, and interactive. Founded and funded by former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, the nonpartisan nonprofit ensures government data is available to the general public. But what about operating in a post-truth world? MacDonald explained they don’t get involved in polling or forecasts, and instead they stick with what the facts are as published by the government. They provide the data and then people—whether an individual, business, or elected leader—decide what they want to do about that data. “We’re really hoping for a healthy debate, but we think a healthy debate about how to move our democracy forward starts with facts.”For more MIC behind the scenes, check out Yaz at @yazzyg on Instagram and Josh @joshuagchris on TikTok!

After 118 days, the SAG-AFTRA strike finally came to a close. Fast Company deputy digital editor Morgan Clendaniel breaks down what happened this past summer with the strike, as well as the overall state of unions at the moment. As of airing this episode, the union’s national board approved the new contract with major studios and sent it to membership for ratification.“I’m completely uninterested in building small things.” Emma Grede has started a LOT of businesses. Probably best known for cofounding Good American, Emma is also a founding partner at Skims. For her, when it comes to starting a business, it’s never about who she’s going to partner with but rather what problem are we solving: What are we trying to do, and how do we uniquely align that with the right individual at the time?As she was starting out, Emma worked with some of the biggest brands in the world, including Dior, Chanel, and Calvin Klein. She said that gave her a kind of unique understanding and perspective, but also a clear insight into what she considers one of the best accelerators: fame. “I was very, very early in influencer marketing, and I think that we’ve seen enough celebrities create brands and fail or create brands and not have success like Good American and Skims and Safely to know that it isn’t talent alone [that’s] going to propel a brand.”For more MIC behind-the-scenes, check out Yaz at @yazzyg on Instagram and Josh @joshuagchris on TikTok!

WeWork’s tumultuous ride has come to an end. We chatted with journalist Reeves Wiedeman, author of Billion Dollar Loser: The Epic Rise and Spectacular Fall of Adam Neumann and WeWork, about one of the wildest and most dramatic startup stories in corporate America’s history.“The brand is bruised.” What’s going on at Marvel Studios? ‘Fast Company’ senior staff editor Jeff Beer breaks down the Marvel Cinematic Universe with culture writers Joanna Robinson and David Gonzales. They chat about MCU’s strengths and weakness, and how the company once excelled at storytelling and teaching its audience how to be loyal to the brand. But now, Marvel is watching its goodwill chip away, Robinson said. So what happens when a brand’s logo doesn’t carry the same strength? “They have these pieces—it would be foolish to count them out—but they know they don’t have any free passes left,” she said.For more behind-the-scenes look at the MCU, check out: MCU: The Reign of Marvel StudiosAnd you can find Yaz at @yazzyg on Instagram and Josh @joshuagchris on TikTok!

Companies now have mountains of data to help drive decisions and develop products, but a holistic approach to product development must also prioritize customers’ needs and preferences. In this podcast interview, Stephanie Mehta, CEO of Mansueto Ventures, the parent of Fast Company, sits down with Emily Roberts, Senior Vice President and Head of Enterprise Consumer Product at Capital One to hear how to harness the power of technology and customer feedback loops to innovate products and experiences.

The company’s director of finance explains how her job goes well beyond accounting. Tina Hetzer, director of finance at Pink Lily, is one of the rising financial stars who are helping to bring their businesses to the next level. She built Pink Lily’s finance team from scratch and has helped the company become one of the fastest-growing retailers in the country. In this podcast, part of the SAP-sponsored Growth Agents series, Hetzer discusses the cash-flow challenges unique to fashion retailers and explains how working at a smaller, founder-run company can fuel greater collaboration across the organization.  

Duolingo’s freemium subscription model, beloved brand and strategic investments have allowed it to execute its educational mission and become a cultural touchstone. Matthew Skaruppa, CFO of Duolingo, is one of the rising financial stars who are helping to bring their businesses to the next level. Since he joined the company in 2020, Duolingo has grown its base of monthly active users by more than 80%. Each month, 75 million users hone their language skills on the Duolingo app. In this podcast, part of the SAP-sponsored Growth Agents series, Skaruppa discusses how his analytical background has allowed to him to be a more strategy-oriented CFO. For him, that has meant balancing big aspirations and finite resources, and turning the uncertainties of tomorrow into action today.

Only 10% of Fortune 500 companies have female CEOs, even though women make up 47% of the workforce. And female founders only get 2% of venture capital. When Sophia Amoruso coined the term ‘girlboss’ in her 2014 memoir, #Girlboss, she helped spark a movement for women to step into more leadership roles. But then she and a couple of other girlbosses faced backlash over their management practices, including creating toxic work environments. Compared to some of their problematic male counterparts, though, these women ultimately lost control of the companies they built. Fast Company senior staff writer Liz Segran breaks down why the reign of the girlboss is over and how the next generation of founders shouldn’t feel compelled to follow their playbook.“I have no intention of raising money and blowing up and trying to take over the world,” Bite founder and CEO Lindsay McCormick says. The sustainable toothpaste company’s goal is to stay small, stay true to the customers that they serve, and continue to be able to trailblaze. She said the company aims to show big brands that there is something to be done about caring for the environment. “And if you do it right, people will get on board.”And check out Stephanie Clifford’s coverage of the ongoing SBF trial.

Mitch Reback, CFO of Sweetgreen, is one of the rising corporate financial stars who is helping to take their companies to the next level. When he started, Sweetgreen had 25 stores; today, there are more than 220—and Reback says the company is still in its “infancy.” In this podcast, part of the SAP-sponsored Growth Agents series, Reback takes a deep dive into his role as a growth agent. Capital is the engine that drives growth, and Reback says his job is to make sure the company has adequate capital to grow as well as determining how best to allocate it, including investments in stores, marketing, staff, and technology—or, as he puts it, to push innovation forward in a way that’s capital efficient.

What do Chanel, Heinz 57, and Coors Light all have in common? They’re all brands that have built a connection with their consumers. On today’s episode, we’re looking at our company’s ‘Brands That Matter’ recognition program with ‘Fast Company’ senior staff editor Jeff Beer. Not only is it about building connections, but also developing culturally relevant messaging, making an impact through social causes, and communicating their mission and values clearly. We also chat about peak marketing nostalgia and, specifically, how Kraft Macaroni & Cheese is re-releasing SpongeBob shapes, which seems like a perfect example of a brand keying into what millennials miss about childhood.‘Are you ok with being in the shadows?’ Bobby Kim, aka Bobby Hundreds, talks about how he started his streetwear brand, The Hundreds, 20 years ago. Every year, there’s always a debate about what streetwear is—some people say it’s not cool anymore because of elitism and snobbery within subcultures. To get around this, Hundreds says you need young people discovering it for first time, as well as seasoned veterans weighing in, for a brand to have lore and build a legacy. Most streetwear brands are built to be ephemeral, but Hundreds said what helped his company was sticking to its core values: honesty, communication, and being personable. “People never go out of style.”Check out @bobbyhundreds and The Hundreds’ Substack ‘Monologue’: https://bobbyhundreds.substack.com/p/the-importance-of-diversity-and-representation