Just to say thinking of you

Explore the full 2023 list of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies , 540 organizations that are reshaping industries and culture. We’ve selected the firms making the biggest impact across 54 categories, including advertising , architecture , design , and more. Nature has typically been the first place that beauty companies turn to for solutions to aging and skin imperfections. Now there’s a new source—biotech—and it takes its inspiration from the pharmaceutical industry. The move toward lab-generated ingredients that promise to improve on what scientists would find in nature dovetails with society’s larger embrace of personalized medicine, including cell and gene therapy, says Sarah Broyd, a partner at Durham, North Carolina–based Clarkston Consulting who specializes in consumer healthcare and pharmaceuticals. “Even the mRNA technology used in some of the COVID vaccines has contributed to a greater general understanding of how biotechnology works, which has … [Read more...] about The 10 most innovative companies in beauty of 2023

One of the ways that gig companies have been able for years to define their workers as independent contractors is by exploiting the allure of individualism. The contractor has their freedom, the thinking goes, so why would they exchange that for a full-time job with benefits? “These words have gained a strange kind of prestige from downwardly mobile, college-educated tech workers,” said John Patrick Leary, the author of Keywords: The New Language of Capitalism . It was part of what Reddit’s founder, Alexis Ohanian, has called “hustle porn,” cheerleading multiple jobs and their backbreaking exertions, giving a cheerful spin to the full 30% of Americans who do something else for pay in addition to their full-time jobs, according to an NPR/Marist survey. Hustling and nimbleness and the like implied, however, that there is a slinky joy in picking up gear at a studio and dropping it off across town or selling CBD oil part time. Once called drably “another job,” these … [Read more...] about The lie of the hustle

Loom is No. 45 on Fast Company’s list of the World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies of 2023 . Explore the full list of companies that are reshaping industries and culture. Video communication has become de rigueur since the pandemic, but rather than just moving a meeting from a conference room to a screen, Loom does something different. It takes the short-form video phenomenon and turns it into an effective way for businesses to pitch clients, explain how a product works, or share information internally. Think of it like TikTok for enterprises. By allowing customers to create short videos (up to five minutes long) that can be watched anytime and shared as needed, the eight-year-old company helps its 18 million users across 350,000 businesses eschew time-sucking scheduled video meetings, both internally and externally. Those clients—which include Netflix, HubSpot, and P&G’s Tide brand—have been using it a lot. As of December, more than 215 million “looms” had been … [Read more...] about How Loom became TikTok for enterprises

Valve is No. 37 on Fast Company’s list of the World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies of 2023 . Explore the full list of companies that are reshaping industries and culture. Valve’s Steam Deck is more than just a beefed-up Nintendo Switch alternative. It’s also a counterpoint to the closed platforms that have come to define modern consumer electronics, and a way to upend traditional consoles by making PC gaming more accessible. The handheld costs more than a Switch at $399, but it’s better-equipped to play the latest games at higher quality, and it draws on Valve’s wildly popular PC storefront to offer a vast game selection. Even so, Valve doesn’t limit users to the Steam catalog. Through a built-in Linux-based desktop mode, the Steam Deck supports installing all kinds of other applications, from web browsers and classic emulators to such rival game marketplaces as the Epic Games Store. Users can also tweak the system’s theme, sounds, and boot-up animations, and they … [Read more...] about Valve’s Steam Deck is letting gamers hold the future of open platforms in their hands

As a Black woman in an industry—wellness—that’s overwhelmingly white, I know what it’s like to be in classes or scrolling social media accounts that weren’t created with me in mind. Genuine care requires us to clarify where we’re focusing our attention, which allows us to have realistic expectations about impact and accountability. I know that there are ways I can better advocate for myself, and I also know that I live within societal and cultural ecosystems designed not to hear me as a Black woman. Self-care helps us cope with our present external realities, but it won’t always directly change them. As BIPOC leaders, we face unique challenges. Here are some ways to care for yourself amidst those challenges. Ditch the perfectionism The more marginalized identities you have, the more you’ll likely grapple with perfectionism, because we’re socialized to believe that the norm, and those who lead it, look and operate differently than us. For many of us who are … [Read more...] about Self-care isn’t enough. 3 ways BIPOC leaders can combat burnout

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Despite ongoing silent runs on the Regional and Community Banks, it appears that both Fed Chair Powell and Treasury Secretary Yellen view the events of the recent past (SVB VB , Signature Bank, First Republic, Credit Suisse, and now Deutsche Bank) as one-off events and not symptomatic of stress in the world’s financial system. The dictionary defines “obtuse” as “annoyingly insensitive or slow to understand.” We can’t think of anything more precise! The chart at the top shows the continued decline in the value of S&P’s Regional Banking ETF through the close of business on Friday (March 24 th ). On Wednesday, the Fed raised interest rates 25 basis points despite liquidity issues in the banking system and the apparent loss of confidence in that system by a significant portion of the public. During his press conference, Powell acknowledged some FOMC concerns over banking issues, said that they had considered a "pause,” … [Read more...] about Obtuse: The Fed & Treasury View Of Banking Issues

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin More than David Benavidez’s power and more than Caleb Plant’s intelligence and technical boxing ability, their 168-pound PPV showdown on Saturday is all about the two personalities going into the ring. And how much these two guys purportedly despise each other. Benavidez vs. Plant is one of the most anticipated fights of the year, and partially, it’s because there seems to be true hatred between the two. Here’s everything you need to know about David Benavidez vs. Caleb Plant, including the odds, their records and a prediction on who will win. Benavidez is one of the best super middleweights around. So is Plant. But that’s not really what this fight is about. No, it’s a grudge match with a nasty leadup, and both fighters have tossed personal barbs at each other. Benavidez has called Plant “fake.” Plant has simmered because Benavidez’s father has mentioned Plant’s late daughter. Plant has ripped Benavidez for his past cocaine … [Read more...] about David Benavidez Vs. Caleb Plant: Odds, Records, Prediction

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin It’s been nearly two years since Jose Ramirez was at the top of the 140-pound weight division, holding two junior welterweight world titles and fighting for the undisputed championship. Since losing to Josh Taylor and falling out of the championship picture, though, Ramirez has been a relatively forgotten fixture at junior welterweight. On Saturday, against former titlist Richard Commey, Ramirez looks to make fans remember why he was once one of the best at 140 pounds. Here’s everything you need to know about Jose Ramirez vs. Richard Commey, including the odds, their records and a prediction on who will win. Before he faced Taylor, Ramirez was one of the elite in the division, especially when he knocked out Maurice Hooker in 2019 to unify two of the titles. Though his performances can be a little inconsistent, his skills and his aggression have served him well. But he’s 30 years old now, and he’s only fought 12 rounds in the … [Read more...] about Jose Ramirez Vs. Richard Commey: Odds, Records, Prediction

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin When you think of beauty pageants, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Probably not academia, social responsibility or sustainable finance. Dr Ana Nacvalovaite, Research fellow at Kellogg College, University of Oxford, says otherwise. Aside from being a distinguished academic and renowned expert within her field of work, Ana is also Mrs Great Britain, and will soon be competing in the semi-finals for “Mrs Globe”. At first it may seem like a contradiction, but for Ana, the world of pageants and academia intersect in several ways. “Beauty pageants have given me a platform to promote social and environmental issues that are important to me, such as gender equality, human rights, and sustainability. It has given me a stage to speak” she tells me. “As an academic, I'm passionate about promoting social responsibility and sustainability and all aspects of society. So, my involvement in the beauty pageant has given … [Read more...] about Beauty Pageants And Academia – The Perfect Contradiction?

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Shadow and Bone season 2 spent a week on top of Netflix’s Top 10 charts , but it’s not a series that either had a pre-renewal ahead of season 2 for season 3, nor a lightning fast follow-up renewal. So no official news yet, but that’s not unusual when most of the time, it’s something like 4-6 weeks before Netflix issues a ruling one way or another. But in terms of what we know? A few things. First, the showrunner has said that not just season 3, but also a Six of Crows spin-off he’s writing depends on season 2’s performance. I do think that season 2 probably performed well enough to warrant a season 3, even by Netflix’s tough standards, as it would be pretty dumb to kill off yet another fantasy series before it has a chance to finish its main source material, and there’s only one more book in the central trilogy to go. Season 2 was also well-received by fans and critics, not that Netflix seems to care about that all that … [Read more...] about Everything We Know About ‘Shadow And Bone’ Season 3 On Netflix