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.

1 BRANDING • The Great Nicotine Glow Up Vapes blew open the market, leading to a new era of experimentation—and a chance for brands to cash in.

2 FASHION • She’s Bringing Preppy Back J.Crew Group CEO Libby Wadle is figuring out what fits America today.

Qatar Airways takes storytelling a notch higher with its latest AI-powered campaign • THE AIRLINE’S NEW CAMPAIGN MAKES ITS CUSTOMERS THE STARS WITH DYNAMIC PERSONALIZATION

3 FOOD • Weird Meat The strange future of lab-grown protein involves quail, crocodile, and woolly mammoth.

Why the future workplace will feel more like a hotel • CONVENE CEO RYAN SIMONETTI REVEALS WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT TO CORPORATE STRATEGY AND EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

4 TECH • The AI Gadget Debacle Here’s why you shouldn’t expect any mind-blowing AI-powered gifts anytime soon.

5 WORK LIFE • Law Roach, image architect and educator, answers our career questionnaire.

Making life more beautiful • CLARINS PUTS PLANET-FRIENDLY INNOVATION IN ITS POPULAR COSMETICS AND SKINCARE

6 CULTURE WARS • Brands on the Run Why Harley-Davidson, Caterpillar, and other “masculine” brands are caving to anti-DEI crusader Robby Starbuck

Innovating to save lives and fight poverty • HOW CARE PROVIDES HUMANITARIAN AID AROUND THE WORLD

REOOMMENDER • For this year’s gift guide, Fast Company asked business leaders who know the home for space-specific recommendations. Whether you’re shopping for a green thumb or a coffee fiend, these products will upgrade their lives.

LIVING

Powering the future of mobility • TAU MOTORS USES ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY AND AN INNOVATIVE DESIGN MODEL TO IMPROVE ELECTRIC VEHICLE PERFORMANCE

BEDROOM

Doing good by doing right • NATIONWIDE’S ICONIC JINGLE HAS HELPED FORGE POWERFUL CONNECTIONS

KITOHEN

A new model for legal advocacy • HOW THE DIPIETRO LAW FIRM HELPS CLIENTS INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF THE COURTROOM

GARDEN

The brand redefining outdoor living • TIMBERTECH IS HELPING CONSUMERS BUILD ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY DECKS MADE FROM RECYCLED PLASTIC

Building tomorrow's workforce • PURDUE UNIVERSITY’S INNOVATIVE EFFORTS ARE REVVING UP INDIANA’S ECONOMIC GROWTH ENGINE

EYE OF THE BEHOLDER • SEPHORA HAS GROWN SO POWERFUL THAT IT CONTROLS WHICH BRANDS LIVE OR DIE IN THE $30 BILLION HIGH-END COSMETICS INDUSTRY. IN THIS BEAUTY CONTEST, SEPHORA ALWAYS WEARS THE CROWN.

The Future According to Google • Google DeepMind, the tech giant’s internal AI research lab, isn’t just racing to beat OpenAI to market. Under Nobel laureate CEO Demis Hassabis, it’s the “engine room” of the entire company.

Brands That Matter • Our annual look at standout brands encompasses 130 honorees in nine categories, including the inaugural CMOs of the Year. Here’s how 12 of those brands and three top CMOs stake out the intersection of business and culture.

Index

RADICAL VISION • POLICE DEPARTMENTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY ARE EMBRACING AI-ENHANCED SURVEILLANCE IN THE NAME OF STOPPING CRIME. HERE’S HOW ONE SECURITY FIRM IS LEADING THE EFFORT—AND PROFITING OFF OUR FEARS.

ARRESTED DEVELOPMENTS • POLICE DEPARTMENTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY ARE USING FLOCK’S TECH SUITE TO ASSIST THEIR WORK. HERE’S A LOOK AT SOME OF THE DEPLOYMENTS.

CAN WWE PIN THE WORLD? GLOBAL AUDIENCE, WRESTLING COMPLICATED FOUNDER. • AS IT MAKES ITS $5 BILLION NETFLIX DEBUT AND PREPARES FOR A WWE IS S TILL WITH THE TOXIC LEGACY OF ITS

KEY TO THE MELEE • THE EXECUTIVES BEHIND WWE’S DEAL WITH...