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Three teenagers in Tennessee sued Elon Musk’s xAI this week, claiming the company’s image-generation tools were used to morph real photos of them into explicitly sexual images. The high school students, who are seeking to proceed under pseudonyms, filed the lawsuit in California, where xAI — Musk’s artificial intelligence company — has its headquarters. They are seeking class-action status in order to represent what the lawsuit says are thousands of victims like themselves who either are minors or were minors when sexually explicit images of them were created. According to the lawsuit, Jane Doe 1 was alerted anonymously in December that someone was distributing sexually…

“I don’t know why I’m procrastinating on this.” I hear this constantly from people who are clearly motivated, clearly capable, but stuck on one important project. It’s been on their list for weeks. They see it every day. They know it’s important. And yet, week after week goes by with no progress. Their prescribed fix? Wake up earlier. Be more disciplined. Push through. That almost never works, because the diagnosis is wrong. What’s actually happening isn’t procrastination at all. It’s cognitive overload. And treating it like procrastination is why so many smart, driven people stay stuck. In cognitive overload, your brain goes on defense When you’re …

The world of public relations has always been about making a splash. And in an age of more and more media clutter, breakthrough ideas have never been more important. To create that can’t-miss-it buzz, this year’s most innovative PR firms paired an A-list Hollywood actor with an A-list Hollywood director, staged a surprise pop-event in a major urban transportation hub, enlisted some of the biggest stars from the booming world of women’s sports, and employed some creative grammar to stir up social media chatter. Giant Spoon created a campaign for the emerging electric vehicle brand Lucid that was essentially a short action film, directed by James Mangold (Ford v Ferrari…

If you’re one of the legion of iPhone fans who can’t wait for the next major software update and all the new features it will bring, there’s some good news. Apple has revealed when you’ll be able to get a look at the iPhone’s next operating system, iOS 27—and you won’t have to wait much longer. Here’s what you need to know. Apple announces the dates for WWDC26 Apple has revealed when it will hold its next Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). The conference, affectionately referred to as “dub-dub” by Apple employees, is one of Apple’s two major events throughout the year, and one of the tech industry’s most important. WWDC is an annual week-long event where A…

Beyond the not insignificant work of designing buildings, it can often seem that architects are also tasked with solving some of the biggest problems in the world. From reducing the environmental impact of buildings to increasing access to affordable spaces to fighting climate change to rebuilding what climate change has damaged, the architect’s work can verge on the infinite. For the architecture companies honored in Fast Company’s 2026 Most Innovative Companies awards, this mission creep is part of the appeal. All 10 honorees on this year’s architecture list have made societal challenges and systems-scale shortcomings into side projects of their more straightforward…

There’s a restaurant in New York City called Rosa Mexicana that positions itself as a fresh take on Mexican cuisine. It’s upscale, well curated, and delicious. However, my favorite part about the dining experience is when you order guacamole, the wait-staff wheels out a little cart, draped in the traditional Mexican cloth, a vibrant sarape, and staked with fresh ingredients—avocados, lime, onion, salt, all the things. And as they arrive at your table, they make the guacamole right there in front of you. It’s quite the show, and it makes the entire dining experience better. What the restaurant has realized is what some of the best organizations know to be true: when th…

When global trade buckles, Ryan Petersen is the person executives call. The founder and CEO of Flexport offers a real-time account of the Strait of Hormuz crisis—what he’s seeing on the ground, on the water, and across the supply chains straining under the pressure. As ripple effects of the crisis are being felt in different ways in different parts of the world, Petersen provides both a micro and macro view that business leaders need to hear. 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 Scale podcast, Rapid Response features candid conversations…

“I’m only gonna be releasing music on LinkedIn from now on,” Grimes posted on X in February 2025. A year on, and true to her word, a profile for Claire Boucher (her real name) appeared on the networking platform this week. What’s unclear is if it’s actually the Canadian techno artist, who shares three children with Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk, and if she’ll actually be using it to release her music exclusively. In her profile, she lists her professions as CEO of the Los Angeles company Media Empire and an artist at Nazgul Recording LLC, the record publishing company she established in September 2014. The profile features many of Grimes’s professional…

With the high career costs associated with motherhood, and in a challenging economy, more young women are choosing to put work ahead of love and family. According to a recent survey of 1,000 American working mothers by online resume builder Zety, 76% have been explicitly advised to delay having children until they’re more established in their careers, and 57% postponed motherhood for that reason. “I hate that advice, because we should be living in a world where no matter what you’re doing outside of work, you should be able to achieve your career goals,” says Zety career expert Jasmine Escalera. “Yes, it is sound advice, but it’s advice people feel they need to g…

The automotive industry is driving toward an electric future, and one Montreal-based company is determined to tow the recreational vehicle market along with it. Taiga Motors has spent the last decade building out production capacity to deliver fully electric snowmobiles and Jet Ski-like personal watercraft that they believe can go toe-to-toe with gas-powered alternatives. As with electric cars, the ride is designed to feel smoother, faster, and whisper-quiet, filling an unaddressed niche in the motor sports vehicle category. “If you’re on the water, all you hear is the wind and the waves. And if you’re on the snow, you hardly hear anything—just that track spinni…

Below, coauthors Blythe Harris and Mallory May share five key insights from their new book, Daily Creative: The 5-Minute Habit to Rewire Your Brain. Harris is an artist and entrepreneur, and for many years was the cofounder and chief creative officer of Stella & Dot. Today, she runs Daily Creative with her partner, May, where they focus on creativity as a daily wellness practice—not an artistic achievement. What’s the big idea? Creativity is a natural human capacity that grows stronger with use. When we treat creativity as a small daily practice rather than a high-stakes performance, it becomes a powerful tool for well-being, flexibility, and feeling more a…

For many job seekers, it might seem like there’s never been a harder time to find a job. Hiring for white-collar jobs has been especially weak, part of what economists call a “low-hire, low-fire” job market in which businesses are largely holding onto their workers while hiring remains sluggish, making it difficult for younger workers to land permanent work. Technology is also shaking up the hiring process. Automated systems enable job seekers to easily apply to more jobs, but those same systems also makes it even tougher to get noticed. According to data from hiring platform Greenhouse, the average recruiter has 3.5 times more job applications to sift through tha…

Most people don’t actually want to give up their phone. They just want it to stop tugging at them like a needy toddler. There’s a difference. One suggests extremism and poor reception. The other is far more sensible: learning how to live with technology without letting it quietly take charge of your attention, mood, and nervous system while pretending it’s being helpful. Because for most of us, the problem isn’t “addiction” in the dramatic sense. No one’s pawning the sofa for screen time. It’s accumulation. A thousand tiny habits layered together until checking becomes automatic and being offline feels faintly unsettling, like you’ve forgotten something important …

The Senate early Friday morning approved Homeland Security funds to pay Transportation Security Administration agents and most other agencies, but not the immigration enforcement operations at the heart of the budget impasse that has jammed airports, disrupted travel and imposed financial hardship on workers. The deal, which the Senate approved unanimously without a roll call, next goes to the House, which is expected to consider it Friday. “We can get at least a lot of the government opened up again and then we’ll go from there,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. “Obviously, we’ll still have some work ahead of us.” With pressure mounting to resolve the 42…

Jeopardy! may have been born on cable television, but it’s determined not to live and die there. The trivia game show’s first iteration premiered on daytime television more than 60 years ago in 1964. Its modern syndicated version launched in 1984, and 41 seasons later, it’s still going strong, garnering 7.5 million viewers for its latest season premiere and maintaining its title as the most-watched syndication series on television. Though Jeopardy! made it through the cultural transition to streaming largely unscathed, its producers are still finding ways to innovate on its format and bring the show to new platforms. That includes the newly announced Jeopardy! You…

No language on earth has ever produced the expression “as enjoyable as filing your taxes.” This annual chore is the pits. It’s slow, frustrating work that requires organization, math skills, and the ability to decipher meaning from the U.S. tax code. People will jump on pretty much any solution that makes filing quicker, easier, and less painful–including giving AI a crack at it. Recent survey research from Qlik found that nearly 11% of taxpayers have used or plan to use a consumer AI system (such as ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, or Gemini) to help them prepare their 2025 tax returns. But how trustworthy are these AI systems when it comes to something as sensitive as your…

Call it chic or call it cringe: Clothing that bears the name of a city near or far has become a closet staple for many consumers in recent years. Once mostly reserved for impulse purchases from kitschy tourist shops while traveling, now clothing with the name of far-off places is just as likely to be purchased at home. Consider the iconic “I love New York” tee, a favored souvenir for nearly 50 years. Gone are the days when you would need to brave the Times Square crowds to get one. You can buy a similar-looking version from Walmart for less than $10 or an embroidered crewneck version for $380 from Lingua Franca. Clothing makers and consumers alike are seeming…

The promise of AI was always that it would handle certain kinds of work so we could focus on others. It was going to free our time, reduce friction, and let us concentrate on what requires human judgment and creativity. That promise assumed we would divide the labor wisely. That we would hand off the operational drag—the scheduling, formatting, and summarizing that eats the day before we’ve had a chance to think. We would keep the cognitive friction—the hard work of wrestling with ambiguity, forming a point of view, and figuring out the right approach. The work where your value is actually made. Instead we handed over the thinking first. Because cognitive friction…

The gas station convenience chain Buc-ee’s is known for selling a slew of logo-ed merch to its devoted brand fans. And increasingly, it’s also known for aggressive trademark enforcement, suing competitors, apparel brands, and small businesses over logos, mascots, and even names it argues are too close to its signature smiling beaver. Most recently, Buc-ee’s, which has locations across the South, has gone after Ohio chain Mickey’s for its mascot logo, a cartoon moose, a move greeted with some skepticism. After all, as one skeptical commentator noted: “A beaver is not a moose.” Fair enough. But as the Texas-based chain grows, such lawsuits—often focused on cartoon anima…

Toxic bosses are not only a “people issue.” They are a balance-sheet issue, a culture issue, and a reputational issue. And if you are a CEO, founder, or a leader trying to build something lasting, you cannot afford to treat them as background noise. Here’s the truth: a single toxic boss can kill psychological safety, drain creativity, spike turnover, and teach your next generation of leaders that fear is an acceptable management tool. I’ve spent 25 years in organizational psychology, watching this pattern repeat across industries, including tech and other high-growth environments. I’ve also conducted interviews and surveys across North America to dig deep into the…

At last, after seven months of public beta testing, Turntable is available today in the latest release of Adobe Illustrator. Presented at the 2024 edition of the Adobe Max conference as a sneak preview, the tool uses generative AI to transform any 2D vector illustration into a 3D object that you can turn around its vertical axis, as if it were on a clay modeling turntable. When it came out, its magicks left every Illustrator user cheering. If you have ever used Illustrator to craft a vector illustration—from a logo design to an animation character—it’s understandable why people were so excited. “The idea for Turntable originated from a consistent theme we heard direct…

Gen Z founders may not have spent as much time in the workplace when they started their companies as some older founders. But in some ways, that gives them unique insight that can be valuable for leaders. For Katie Diasti and Anam Lakhani, a disconnect from the work they were doing as interns has helped to shape their leadership style. Specifically, those experiences inspired them to ensure that all of their team members feel a sense of both ownership and impact for the work they’re doing. “I remember interning and creating a whole deck and making a whole presentation, but never being allowed to be in the room that the presentation was in,” recalled Diasti, found…

There is a particular kind of leadership failure that occurs when a leader transitions into a new high stakes role. It’s tricky at first, because it doesn’t look like failure. No one is being fired. The leader feels productive, even indispensable. But below the surface, something has quietly broken. Talented people are no longer making decisions on their own. The team, once confident and self-directed, has learned to wait. An escalation culture is forming, and it is more common, and more costly, than most organizations acknowledge. The damage accumulates in layers. Disengaged employees cost the global economy an estimated $8.8 trillion in lost productivity annually, a…

It’s 8:45am on a rainy weekday morning in Paris, and I’m standing in what used to be a traffic lane in a busy neighborhood near the city’s largest train stations. Less than a block away, cars are streaming by in the rush hour commute. But here, workers have torn up the pavement and replaced it with a newly-planted park with trees, a protected bike lane, and a wide gravel path for pedestrians. Where cars once drove, someone is walking his dog. It’s one of hundreds of streets in Paris that have been redesigned over the past decade as the city radically transformed to reduce pollution and make neighborhoods more livable. In front of elementary schools, around 300 streets…

Across the top floors of an Amazon warehouse in Garner, North Carolina, about 10 miles south of Raleigh, the robots are already crowding out human workers. A sprawling robotic system in the middle of one floor specializes in stowing items, which involves picking up a pack of paper towels or a Stanley tumbler and making space for it in a storage bin—a complex task for a robot. The humans who work among them are left to mill about the perimeter of the floor. Few human workers are welcome on another floor populated by robots, aside from the technicians who maintain them. At this warehouse, known as RDU1, the workers have grown accustomed to robots buzzing around th…