Most Innovative Companies

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!

We spoke with Jeff Lee, cofounder and CEO of DIBS Beauty about his approach to building brand awareness, partnering with celebrities, and starting a company during the pandemic.“What makes us so unique, I think, is the way we speak with our customer at DIBS; we like to joke that it’s reverse master class. People used to learn about makeup from celebrities, from celebrity makeup artists. . . . We’re just about, take the stick, take the brush, take the powder, put it on—you won’t mess it up. And if you learn something from your friend over there, even better.”Oh, and he also shared his tips on coaching the Miss Universe pageant. “The pageants themselves are actually highly meritocratic in the sense that they test your skills. And I like to say that we give opportunities to people who can hit a ball or punch each other out or jump around at a high-level precision—no matter your race, creed or your background, your economic background for pageants—we’re giving people the opportunity to succeed. We’re democratizing access to fame and opportunities.”

And that's a wrap on 2023. Join our podcast hosts, Kathleen Davis, KC Ifeanyi, Yasmin Gagne and Josh Christensen as they look back on this past year. Happy New Year!

In the United States, nearly three-quarters of adults qualify as overweight or obese, 42% of whom are considered obese. The World Obesity Federation predicts that 51% of the global population will be overweight or obese by 2035.‘Fast Company’ contributing writer Adam Bluestein joined us to break down how Novo Nordisk, the company behind Ozempic and Wegovy, developed and marketed its weight-loss drugs. He also explained why the drugs have become so popular in the U.S., how drug pricing is extremely complicated and . . . how the medications actually work to help people lose weight.Also, we chatted with Trina Spear about how she founded Figs, a DTC healthcare apparel company.

From YouTube to late night to actor to writer, Lilly Singh has always been a storyteller. In that vein, she started a company called Unicorn Island Productions a few years ago. The company has both a production arm and a nonprofit arm, which is Unicorn Island Fund. Singh told us that the company's mandate is simple. It's making stories that look like the real world. That means making stories that highlight underrepresented voices—which, more and more that's becoming South Asian voices—and ensuring that women are at the center of the stories. The company recently released a kids' animated series called The Mindful Adventures of Unicorn Island. The series comprises a quick 10 episodes that teach kids one mindfulness exercise each episode. And they're free on YouTube."And it's so meaningful to me because [. . .] it's kind of like a love letter to younger Lilly, because in my adult life, meditation and mindfulness and mental health are so important. But admittedly, when I was younger, I knew nothing about this. It was never discussed in school or at home. If kids could learn how to meditate and regulate their emotions . . . just know that feeling things is okay and how to deal with that and how to reconcile that, that would be amazing."For more MIC behind the scenes, check out Yaz at @yazzyg on Instagram and Josh @joshuagchris on TikTok!

Shein is a giant fast fashion retailer that's looking into filing an IPO. Fast Company Senior Staff Writer Liz Segran helps break down what that might mean for both the company and the fast fashion industry at large.For more on Shein, check out Liz's articleSerendipitously, Shein’s head of strategic communications Peter Pernot-Day also joined us. He filled us in on how the company's on-demand model is constantly responding to consumers, creating low inventory levels, which leads to virtually no waste. "That means that we can pass on tremendous savings to our customers because we do not have to account for inventory risk in any of the garments we offer. Really, the entire purpose of the site is to give people lots of options to see what they actually want to wear at that present moment and then to produce only what we think they will actually purchase." He also discussed the company's zero tolerance for forced labor, vetting its supply chain and abiding by its environmental standards. "If a large player like us is paying attention to these things, that helps the entire supplier network, the entire supplier ecosystem realize, hey, this is the new way of doing business. This is what it means to participate with a global brand like Shein.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!

Ideo is one of the most famous global design agencies in the world. Founded in 1991, it is celebrated for popularizing the modern corporate mantra of design thinking. It’s also known for a top-tier client list including companies such as Coca-Cola, Disney, and Apple, with estimated annual revenues of more than $100 million. But Ideo has been shedding employees since 2020. This is the second round of layoffs in 2023 alone. Ideo has since confirmed to Fast Company that it’s eliminating 32% of its headcount this year. Fast Company Senior Editor Liz Stinson breaks down the reason for the layoffs and what this means for "design thinking."For more, check out Mark Wilson's piece on Ideo "People thought we were crazy." Somos cofounder and CEO Miguel Leal wanted to bring authentic Mexican food to people's kitchens. "It was time to move the cuisine forward," he said. "Eighty-two percent of Mexican food comes from a restaurant. That is not the same for Italian food. That is not the same for Chinese food. That is very peculiar to Mexican food. And because of the size of the market, it's a $68 billion market. We just thought, what a great opportunity to become the spaghetti and sauce of Mexican food."And speaking of home cooking, Happy Thanksgiving!!For more MIC behind-the-scenes, check out Yaz at @yazzyg on Instagram and Josh @joshuagchris on TikTok!Correction: We said former Ideo CEO Tim Brown was associated with the d.school at Stanford University but he is not.

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!