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Fast Company is the official media partner of Summit Detroit. At Summit events, unlikely pairings of innovative yet seemingly disconnected people regularly take the stage. In the past, Summit attendees have heard Kendrick Lamar and Quentin Tarantino discuss their creative processes; investor Brad Gerstner do a deep dive into Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi’s background and upbringing; and Al Gore and actor and entrepreneur Jaden Smith unite over their work combating the climate crisis. This signature feature of Summit events will be no different at Summit Detroit this June 5–8. “Summit becomes the conduit for all of these amazing intersections to happen,” says Sum…

A woman paid a witch on Etsy for a love spell. Instead of following through, the witch found the man online and sent him screenshots of the conversation. Now, people are calling it a WIPPA violation. “Guys the Etsy witch told on me,” @andtheg4gis cried in a TikTok posted on Monday. “I said the guy’s name, his birthday and stuff, and she literally DM’d him on Instagram and exposed me.” The video has since been viewed 2.4 million times and spread across other social media platforms. “Imagine getting a “hey girly” text from a witch,” one person commented. Many in the comments are calling for the TikTok user to drop the name of the Etsy seller, just so they know who …

David Droga is stepping down as CEO of Accenture Song, the global consultancy’s creative marketing services unit. In September Droga will transition from his day-to-day leadership into a broader strategic role as vice chair of Accenture. Within only four years, Droga led Song’s growth from $12.5 billion to $19 billion in revenue, all while winning Grand Prix at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity every year, I-COM Data Creativity Awards, Red Dot Design Awards, Webbys, and its first Emmy. Droga came to Accenture back in 2019, after Accenture Interactive acquired his ad agency Droga5. At the time, Droga explained that brand communications had gone far beyond j…

A video game once synonymous with one of the most disastrous launches in history has not only redeemed itself, but will be getting a proper second act. Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt Red announced in an earnings call Wednesday that the company is at work on a follow-up to the futuristic role-playing title, which was released in late 2020 and universally criticized for being unfinished, glitchy and at times unplayable. CD Projekt Red said that the conceptual phase is complete and pre-production has begun on the “next big game set in the Cyberpunk universe,” which it is calling Cyberpunk 2 for now. The company expects the game’s development to take four to five…

According to new research from Whop, a marketplace for digital products, one in three Gen Z consumers now make purchasing decisions based on recommendations from AI-generated influencers. The report gathered survey data from 2,001 Americans 12-to-27 years old and found the trend particularly strong among college-aged consumers. Nearly half of 19-to-21 year olds follow AI influencers, with 47% of young men following these accounts, compared to under 40% of women. While many have argued that AI influencers lack the authenticity needed to sell products, that might not matter—especially to Gen Z. Authenticity vs reach Previous research backs this up. Nearly h…

Meta has spent 15 years shunning the iPad. Now, it seems they’re finally ready to embrace the tablet lovers. WhatsApp users can finally text from the big screen. On Tuesday, Meta announced that the popular messaging app is finally available on iPadOS devices, including expanded features for multitasking. Meanwhile, reports indicate that Meta is finally building Instagram for the iPad as well. It’s a curious time to embrace tablets. While still a high-volume sales item, the iPad is losing its popularity. The device has endured a yearslong backslide in growth, comprising only 6.8% of Apple’s revenue in 2024 compared to the boom of more than 15% in the early 2010s.…

COVID-19 cases are rising again as a new variant begins to circulate in some parts of the world. The World Health Organization said Wednesday the rise in cases is primarily in the eastern Mediterranean, Southeast Asia and western Pacific regions. Airport screening in the United States has detected the new variant in travelers arriving from those regions to destinations in California, Washington state, Virginia and New York. The new variant is called NB.1.8.1. It arrives as the United States’ official stance on COVID-19 vaccination is changing. On Tuesday, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that COVID-19 shots are no longer recommended for healthy chi…

Data analytics firm LexisNexis Risk Solutions said it suffered a data breach that could have affected the names, Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, and contact information of more than 364,000 people. The company said in a filing with Maine’s attorney general that an “unauthorized third party” stole data from a third-party platform used for software development. A spokesperson told TechCrunch, which earlier reported of the breach, that an unknown hacker accessed its GitHub account. The breach dates back to last Christmas, though the company said it only discovered it on April 1. “Upon learning of the issue, we promptly launched an investigation …

e.l.f. Beauty (NYSE:ELF) announced on Wednesday that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire rhode, the beauty brand founded by Hailey Rhode Bieber, alongside its Q4 earnings for the fiscal quarter ending March 2025. (Shares of ELF closed down over 1% Wednesday afternoon, before the news was announced.) “e.l.f. Beauty found a like-minded disruptor in rhode,” said e.l.f. chairman and CEO Tarang Amin. “rhode further diversifies our portfolio with a fast-growing brand that makes the best of prestige accessible.” According to a press release sent to Fast Company, the deal is built on “both brands’ shared focus on disruption and product innovation, setting the …

Every four years, the National Assessment for Educational Progress (NAEP) provides a snapshot of how students across the country are performing in math and English. It doesn’t tell us about individual students; instead, it gives us information about how well our public schools are preparing students. The 2024 results showed that 28% of 8th graders were proficient in mathematics (on grade level), and 30% were proficient in reading. In both, the average scores and proficiency rates are still below 2019 rates. One explanation for this dismal reality? Public schools simply aren’t capable of delivering results for students. But look closely at historical trends in NAEP R…

Over the years, I’ve observed how the approach to housing in the U.S. has shifted. And while affordable housing has faced challenges in how it’s understood and accurately represented, there is increasing awareness of the need for more accessible, safe, and stable housing options for all. It is time to recalibrate our approach to housing—one that not only addresses economic disparities but also fosters community and enhances the quality of life for all residents. Affordable housing is essential for providing a foundation that allows people to contribute meaningfully to their communities. It is one of the reasons my architecture firm recently acquired a firm that speci…

The days are getting longer, sunnier, and warmer in the western hemisphere. Those bright summer days have a bigger impact on the workforce and the physical office than you may think. The obvious ones are longer lunches and fewer people in the office due to vacations. Yet when everybody is in the office, there is one common human habit happening during the summer that is often overlooked. One that undermines employee productivity and increases a building’s carbon emissions. The productivity killer? Sunshine. Not that anybody is against it, but when the sun is at its highest and hottest, sun glare and heat penetrating the glass panes in office buildings prompts employe…

In cities across the U.S., the housing crisis has reached a breaking point. Rents are skyrocketing, homelessness is rising and working-class neighborhoods are threatened by displacement. These challenges might feel unprecedented. But they echo a moment more than half a century ago. In the 1950s and 1960s, housing and urban inequality were at the center of national politics. American cities were grappling with rapid urban decline, segregated and substandard housing, and the fallout of highway construction and urban renewal projects that displaced hundreds of thousands of disproportionately low-income and Black residents. The federal government decided to try to…

As the founder of a high-growth SaaS business, Evan was the quintessential entrepreneur. Ideas and innovation were his strength, and they led to his success in attracting investors and inspiring his early hires. With the infusion of investment capital, the company entered a new stage of growth. To scale successfully, the business needed to standardize operations and develop repeatable processes to reliably deliver services to its customers. But these were not Evan’s strengths. With a near-constant flow of ideas and a desire to resource them, he soon earned a new nickname among his team: “chief distraction officer.” Eventually, investors grew tired of Evan’s lack of f…

Have you heard of “Maycember”? According to social media, it’s a term that describes the hectic nature and mounting expenses families face around May, particularly parents with children, due to the increased cost of everything from graduation gifts to summer camps and family vacations, which combined with inflation (and tariffs), have made May feel extra expensive, just like the winter holiday season. That’s as total spending for college and graduation gifts is expected to reach a record $6.8 billion in 2025, up from $6.1 billion in 2024, according to the National Retail Federation. And U.S. consumer spending was up in May 2024, even as prices remained stable; the per…

Twice a year, New Yorkers and visitors are treated to a phenomenon known as Manhattanhenge, when the setting sun aligns with the Manhattan street grid and sinks below the horizon framed in a canyon of skyscrapers. The event is a favorite of photographers and often brings people out onto sidewalks on spring and summer evenings to watch this unique sunset. The first Manhattanhenge of the year takes place Wednesday at 8:13 p.m., with a slight variation happening again Thursday at 8:12 p.m. It will occur again on July 11 and 12. Some background on the phenomenon: Where does the name Manhattanhenge come from? Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson coined the ter…

Warren Buffett is likely the best-known, most successful investor in the world today. The philanthropist and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway has an estimated net worth of $158 billion and is known as the Oracle of Omaha for his ability to pick long-term investments. He’s also dedicated to sharing his wisdom with everyday investors, including beginners. Here are Buffett’s top three tips: Principle No. 1: Invest Only in What You Understand Buffett has famously advised, “Never invest in a business you cannot understand.” In a letter to Berkshire Hathaway’s shareholders in 1996, Buffett explained the concept of a “circle of competence”: Basically, these are the field…

After months of rigorous searching, you’ve found your ideal executive candidate. They tick every box on paper and seem perfect in interviews. But then reality hits: Your “Cinderella candidate” isn’t prepared for the real-world challenges of the role. Now what? A popular study highlights just how common—and costly—this scenario is. A 2015 research report from Corporate Executive Board found that 50% to 70% of leadership hires fail within 18 months. And that can cost the company one-half to twice the hire’s annual salary, according to a 2019 Gallup report. Given the high levels of remuneration, the financial impact can be even more severe at the executive level. As …

The last two years have been one of the toughest job markets I’ve seen in decades. This isn’t like 2020 or 2021, where after the initial phase of the pandemic receded, jobs quickly reappeared. This one has been slow and unrelenting—market volatility causing uncertainty, and digital transformation of workplaces, and AI taking over jobs faster than you can read the headlines. These days, it feels like you’re sending your resume into the abyss. Sound familiar? I see it every day as a recruiter and career coach: talented job-seekers submitting application after application into what feels like a black hole. Weeks turn into months. The silence is deafening. Each passing da…