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While smartwatches have spent the last decade fighting for our attention with buzzing notifications and glowing screens, a quieter revolution has been moving down to our fingers. Yes, the smart ring market has matured from a niche experimental category into a legitimate hardware battleground where the stakes involve more than just step counts. For anyone looking to track their health without (or while) strapping a small computer to their arm, the landscape is now crowded with options that balance high-end aesthetics with serious sensor arrays. Here are some to check out. Oura Ring 4 ($349 + $6/month) The Oura Ring 4 remains the undisputed heavyweight ch…

The ability to stay connected through technology plays a pivotal role in our everyday lives, but in some areas of our lives we are only beginning to realize the life-saving potential of smart technology. This is particularly true in the world of fire and carbon monoxide (CO) safety, where timing can be the difference between life and death. We know that having working smoke alarms in the home can double the likelihood of safely escaping a house fire. Due to modern synthetic materials and open floor plans, fires today are burning hotter and faster. In an emergency, every second counts. Smart technology that provides real-time notifications and remote monitoring cap…

It’s a little past 10 a.m. and the heat is already blazing on the outskirts of the Western Indian city of Ahmedabad. Sapnaben Chunara, a 30-year-old mother of three, has just finished her morning chores. She seeks respite from the heat in the shade of a neem tree, a species that can withstand high temperatures and drought. Chunara spends most of the day outdoors in Vanzara Vas, a low-income neighborhood of about 800 families, because her tin-roofed house is even hotter. Indoor temperatures can be even higher, especially when outside they climb above 40 degrees Celsius (104 F). That was once rare but now happens regularly. And this year, high heat started three…

Shares in Super Micro Computer, Inc. (Nasdaq: SMCI) are down around 4% in premarket trading this morning as of the time of this writing after surging over 17% yesterday on optimism about the company’s Q2 2025 earnings, which will be announced after the close of market today. But while investors are no doubt interested in learning how the storage and server solutions company performed in its most recent quarter, they are also eagerly awaiting news from the company on the filing status of its much-delayed Form 10-K with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Unless that form is filed within the next two weeks, Super Micro Computer (aka Supermicro) is at ris…

Shares of Super Micro Computer, Inc. (Nasdaq: SMCI) surged 12% Wednesday in early morning premarket trading after it forecast strong revenue gains for 2026 and updated investors on plans to remain on the Nasdaq exchange. SMCI was up over 3% in afternoon trading. On Tuesday, the AI server maker said it now “believes it will make” the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) February 25 deadline to submit its delayed 10-K filings, thereby avoiding delisting from the Nasdaq. It also expects to file its 10-Q quarterly report ending in September by that date. Super Micro president and CEO Charles Liang projected revenue of $40 billion for fiscal 2026, lowering e…

Another day, another announcement of restaurant closures in the casual-dining space. Earlier this week, FAT Brands filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. As part of that process, the restaurant company is seeking to reject leases for a number of shuttered company-owned restaurants, including locations for Johnny Rockets, Smokey Bones, and Yalla Mediterranean, court filings show. FAT Brands owns 18 restaurant chains in total, including Fatburger, Round Table Pizza, Great American Cookies, and more. Most of its more than 2,200 locations worldwide are franchised. FAT Brands said in its bankruptcy filing that owns roughly 150 locations directly. “Our dynamic…

Smokey Bones Bar & Fire Grill, the once-popular barbecue casual-dining restaurant chain, has reportedly abruptly closed all of its remaining locations. The closures suggest a bleak fate for the nearly 30-year-old BBQ brand and come just months after both its direct owner, Twin Hospitality Group, and that company’s parent, FAT Brands, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Here’s what you need to know. What’s happened? Numerous local media outlets across the country have reported that their Smokey Bones restaurants abruptly and permanently closed yesterday, April 28. Those reports include ones from Indiana’s WANE 15, Pennsylvania’s TribLive, and Rhode Island’…

The J.M. Smucker Co. says it doesn’t have a problem with other companies selling their own prepackaged, crustless sandwiches like its own popular Smucker’s Uncrustables. They just have to get their own design. Uncrustables is on its way to becoming a $1 billion brand, so of course there will be knockoffs, but according to Smucker, a recent Trader Joe’s version of Crustless Peanut Butter & Strawberry Jam Sandwiches is a bit too blatant. The company is using the design of the Trader Joe’s product and packaging to prove its point in a new lawsuit. Smucker accused the grocery store chain of “an obvious attempt to trade off of the fame and recognition” of Uncrustab…

Changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) begin today in Florida. Program recipients can no longer use their SNAP benefits to purchase soda, energy drinks, candy, and prepared desserts. This is part of a broader effort by the The President administration to give states more control over the public assistance program. Through a federal waiver process, states can now submit a waiver proposal to limit which foods and drinks qualify for SNAP purchases. Twenty-two states have already applied for waivers and received federal approval. Here’s what you need to know. Florida becomes the 10th state to implement such restrictions An estimated…

On Wednesday, April 15, Snap CEO Evan Spiegel announced in a letter to employees that the company would lay off about 1,000 people, including 16% of its full-time employees. “We believe that rapid advancements in artificial intelligence enable our teams to reduce repetitive work, increase velocity, and better support our community, partners, and advertisers,” Spiegel said in the letter. That message could have been pulled from a number of tech CEOs recent bold statements that AI will replace employees. Spiegel joins the ranks of CEOs like Block’s Jack Dorsey who have been unabashed in citing AI in their decisions to lay off their staff. In his February letter …

Bitmoji is going back to 2D. Snapchat announced Monday that a new Bitmoji style inspired by the classic 2D look will be an option for Snapchat+ subscribers in the coming days. The revamped style for the app’s popular avatars is called Comic Bitmoji. Bitmoji’s 3D redesign in 2023 allowed Snapchat to launch new body types and deliver faster on top fashion requests, from low-rise jeans to saris, says Swetha Dhamodharan, a senior product director at Snapchat. But there’s been growing calls to bring back the old 2D comic style. One online petition to bring back the style has racked up nearly 100,000 signatures. “I think that there’s just a little bit of nostal…

Snapchat rankled some of its most loyal (and heavy) users when it announced last week it will begin charging for storage plans for Memories, its version of a digital archive for Snaps and stories. Even though the Santa Monica, California-based social media company promised that “nothing will change” for the vast majority of Snapchatters, who have less than 5 gigabytes (GB) of Memories, it will begin rolling out paid storage plans, at a yet undisclosed date. The company told TechCrunch that plans will range from $1.99 per month to $15.99 per month for storage plans, depending on the amount of data of Memories. The company indicated you could have thousands of Snaps…

Snapchat rankled some of its most loyal (and heavy) users when it announced last week it will begin charging for storage plans for Memories, its version of a digital archive for Snaps and stories. Even though the Santa Monica, California-based social media company promised that “nothing will change” for the vast majority of Snapchatters who have less than 5 gigabytes (GB) of Memories, it has yet to disclose when it will begin rolling out the paid storage plans. The company told TechCrunch that plans will range from $1.99 per month to $15.99 per month for storage plans, depending on the amount of data of Memories. At stake is the size of your Memories, and the comp…

Platforms from Amazon to YouTube—and, of course, the headline-dominating Spotify Wrapped—have spent much of December rolling out year-end recaps that show users how they engaged with the platforms’ services throughout 2025. Today, one of the last anticipated recaps of the year makes its debut: Snapchat Recap 2025. Here’s what you need to know. What is Snapchat Recap 2025? Snapchat Recap is Snapchat’s annual year-in-review feature for users of the Snapchat app. Users are able to see a special year-end Story that showcases how they spent their time Snapchating throughout 2025. Snapchat owner Snap Inc. says the 2025 recap features insights and highlights on …

First came the burning of the Library of Alexandria. Then came the news Snapchat is constructing a paywall around Memories. The company announced last week that it’s capping users free Memories storage at 5GB. Those who have spent the better part of a decade cultivating massive personal archives on the app will now be forced to either export those Memories or sign up for one of Snapchat’s new Memories Storage plans in order to preserve them. The promise of free unlimited storage has been a big part of Snapchat’s identity. For many, it has long served as something of a time capsule, where users could store and revisit old Snaps long after they expired from the ap…

Move aside, Google Maps: Snapchat’s Snap Map has hit a major milestone with 400 million monthly active users. Launched in 2017, Snap Map began as a GPS-based feature that allowed users to see their friends’ real-time locations. Those who opted in could view a live map showing not just where their friends were, but also what was happening nearby—and share their own location as well. Since then, Snapchat has significantly expanded its map features. Last year, Snap Map introduced “Footsteps,” a tool that helps users visualize how much of the world they’ve explored. For instance, the app might report that you’ve covered 75% of your local area. The feature is reminisce…

Snapple might be gearing up for a long-awaited comeback by taking a page out of its ‘90s playbook. On February 18, Snapple’s parent company, Keurig Dr Pepper, announced that the beloved tea brand is unveiling a refreshed visual identity designed to “return the Snapple brand to icon-status.” The new look, which will roll out beginning this March, includes new graphics, a logo inspired by the brand’s ‘90s look, and an updated bottle design that hearkens back to its original glass packaging. At the same time, Keurig Dr Pepper told Fast Company that it’s reinvesting in marketing efforts for Snapple, including through an ongoing campaign focused on the drink’s hometown of …

The 50th anniversary celebration of “Saturday Night Live” is so big, it’s not even on Saturday. Airing Sunday and spanning three hours, the, yes, live “SNL 50: The Anniversary Celebration” will assemble a dream team of stars who have helped the show become an enduring pop culture force, including alumni like Tina Fey and Eddie Murphy, notable hosts like Dave Chappelle and Steve Martin and at least four of the surviving original cast members: Chevy Chase, Garrett Morris, Jane Curtin and Laraine Newman. The show will also pack in musical guests, with Paul McCartney, Sabrina Carpenter, Bad Bunny and Miley Cyrus among those scheduled to appear, as well. The special is…

AI coding agents are suddenly everywhere, the latest thing Silicon Valley cannot stop talking about. From venture-backed startups to splashy big tech keynotes, the promise sounds the same: just describe what you want, and the AI will build it for you. It is a seductive idea, especially in a world where software projects are notorious for moving slowly. But inside large companies, that vision is already starting to unravel. What looks impressive in a demo often falls apart in the real world. As soon as AI-generated code runs into actual enterprise data, the problems show up. Schemas clash, governance breaks down, and a supposed breakthrough can quickly turn into a liab…

It’s been a wild few years for Snowflake, from a record-breaking IPO to a plummeting stock price to a data-breach scandal. Sridhar Ramaswamy took over in the heat of the turmoil and helped steady the ship, in part by betting big on AI. Ramaswamy shares lessons from the company’s turnaround including insights behind high profile partnerships with OpenAI and Anthropic, how Snowflake embraced China’s Deepseek early, and why Ramaswamy calls Snowflake the most consequential AI-data company in the world. This is an abridged transcript of an interview from Rapid Response, hosted by the former editor-in-chief of Fast Company Bob Safian. From the team behind the Masters of Sca…

So long, nine-to-five. There’s a new work schedule that’s taking over. The grueling “996” schedule—which stands for 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week—is gaining momentum across the U.S., especially in certain industries. If a 72-hour work week sounds all-consuming, that’s precisely the point. The 996 schedule—which became popularized in China, eventually leading to protests and even claims that it led to a handful of worker deaths—is meant to foster a eat-sleep-work lifestyle. Keith Spencer, a career expert at FlexJobs, told Fast Company that the trend is most commonly being seen across AI startups that “are embracing this approach to accelerate growth and remain comp…