Most Innovative Companies Fast Company

With President Biden out of the presidential race and support gathering behind Vice President Kamala Harris to take his place as the Democratic nominee, Silicon Valley’s influence on the candidates is more obvious than ever.Back when Harris ran for California District Attorney, she received donations from tech investors and venture capitalists including Sheryl Sandberg and Reid Hoffman, both of whom have already endorsed her for president. On the Republican side, JD Vance worked for prominent VCs and even started his own, with money from Peter Thiel, Marc Andreessen, and Eric Schmidt. So it’s not surprising that the past couple weeks have brought a flurry of endorsements and massive donations from the biggest names in tech. ‘Fast Company’ contributing writer Issie Lapowsky joins the show to break down what’s influencing tech billionaires in their endorsements, and what that reveals about the industry’s political interests.Also, world-renowned chef René Redzepi, the creative force behind Noma, the three-Michelin-star restaurant in Copenhagen, discusses his new role as host of Apple TV+’s docuseries, ‘Omnivore.’ He also digs into the joys and pains of foraging and his plans to rework his restaurant business after Noma closes at the end of this year.

Last week, Amazon announced it hit a goal of 100% renewable electricity seven years early. But a report from an Amazon employee group argues that this claim is misleading. They say that only a fifth of the company’s data centers in the U.S actually run on clean power. Meanwhile, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and a host of other companies continue their development of AI—yet another huge energy demand. A recent report by Goldman Sachs says utility companies will need to spend nearly 40% more in the next three years to keep up with the demand from cloud service providers. For example, training an AI model like OpenAI’s GPT-3 required just under 1,300 megawatt hours, which is the amount of power used by 130 U.S. homes in a year. ‘Fast Company’ deputy digital editor Morgan Clendaniel discusses how to interpret Amazon’s claims about renewable power, and how much energy we’ll need to power even more data processing. Also, Jeff Beer, ‘Fast Company’ senior staff editor covering advertising and branding, breaks down some of the recent campaigns and marketing from Etsy and Taco Bell, and what to expect from ads during the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Temperatures are hitting all-time highs, with some cities reaching 25 degrees above average. Last week, the Biden Administration announced a proposed rule that would create heat protections for certain workers, including delivery drivers. But with companies like Grubhub and UberEats classifying delivery workers as “independent contractors,” what does that mean for some of the people most vulnerable to extreme heat? ‘Fast Company’ staff writer Jess Bursztynksy gives us the latest on the state of delivery workers’ rights in NYC and beyond. And Dr. Sophia Yen, founder of Pandia Health, talks about changing how people get essential healthcare, using algorithms in telemedicine, and how our political climate impacts women’s healthcare businesses.

Brooklyn-based art collective MSCHF has a long history of expertly harnessing pop culture humor to poke fun at big corporations. Their latest project is a game built on top of Venmo, where players buy in for $10 and participate in hourly votes to eliminate each other, and a daily vote to pick a winner. The first player chosen to win by 100% of the votes will win a prize pot of over $119,000. Fast Company Global Design Editor Mark Wilson breaks down MSCHF's history and how they combine artistic commentary with capitalism. And Pinterest Chief Product Officer Sabrina Ellis discusses AI's possible uses on a platform with such a vast library of images. How can Pinterest continue to be a source of inspiration for users, an avenue for shopping, and expand the diversity of its content? And what insights can AI provide into the things that catch our eye?

In a recent viral LinkedIn post, Cap X Media’s CEO Matthew Baltzell poses in a backwards baseball cap and details his experience firing an employee for the first time. He talks about the process, what he learned, and asks for feedback from readers. One commenter wrote, “This LinkedIn post is a disgrace,” while another said, “You brought pain into someone’s life and then turned it into a ‘gold star for me’ moment. They’re certainly appalled by this on other (less weird) social platforms.”But plenty of comments sympathized with Baltzell over the uncomfortable situation, even praising him for sharing it. In fact, deranged behavior like this is a daily occurrence on LinkedIn, where business influencers operate very differently from influencers on other social media platforms. ‘Fast Company’ contributing writer Joe Berkowitz discusses his own forays into LinkedIn’s world of ‘corporate positivity.’ And Andrew Lacey, founder and CEO of medical technology company Prenuvo, talks about how the full-body MRI scanning that his company is offering might change our perspective on preventative healthcare—if the high cost can be lowered by other systemic reforms in healthcare.

Back in April, President Biden signed a law that would ban TikTok unless its parent company, ByteDance, sells the social media app. The company was given about nine months to a year to find an American buyer. So, today we’re going to dive into the race to buy the social media app . . . specifically looking at one billionaire who’s spearheading a bid: former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt. Fast Company Senior Staff Editor Max Ufberg sat down with McCourt a few weeks ago to discuss his interest in buying TikTok.
And then we chatted with Fast Company Senior Staff Editor Jeff Beer about his trip to Cannes and which brand he thinks will win the Titanium award.
Also, check out Yaz's interview on the "Rapid Response" podcast: https://www.fastcompany.com/91142303/have-we-hit-peak-apple