What's on Your Mind?

The numbers on a new patriotic Pennsylvania license plate were designed to be easy to read, but they’ve actually introduced a new point of confusion. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro announced the “Let Freedom Ring” specialty license plate last summer to promote the commonwealth’s role in America’s founding 250 years ago. The cream-colored plate depicts a dark blue Liberty Bell in the background, along with the previously mentioned slogan and commonwealth’s name in red. None of that is at issue, though: The problem is the style of the zero. The number has a slash through its counter to prevent confusion with the letter O. Now, however, Pennsylvania toll came…

I may have just seen the biggest interface breakthrough in years. Or not. But I think so? Things are moving so fast that it’s hard to tell. Ryo Lu, head of design at the white-hot coding tool Cursor has invited me to their charcoal-hued San Francisco studio. Before anyone says hello, I’m greeted by a pile of footwear in the entry of the no-shoes open office. I suddenly regret my choice to wear my New Balance loafers without socks. The softspoken Lu, donning the creative-approved uniform of flowy wide-legged pants and a button down, weaves me through desks—past half a sports bar’s worth of uptime monitors and a shelf of knicknacks including a New Jeans record …

In 1994, Bernard Tschumi, then Dean of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture in New York, launched an experiment that banned paper and hand drawings, requiring architecture students to use computers instead. Together with the rise of computer-aided programs, Tschumi’s “Paperless Studio” accelerated the profession’s embrace of digital tools and reshaped how architects conceived ideas. Now that AI has entered the picture, you’d be forgiven for thinking the architectural sketch as we know it is dead. Quite the opposite. “We are in a world that is now completely dominated by digital tools, but something strange is happening: The hand sketch is back,” says …

When you visit the Samsung booth this week at the Mobile World Congress 2026—which, as always, is being held at the Fira Gran Via convention center in Barcelona—you can make your way past the array of brand-new devices to find a timeline of old Galaxy S phones mounted to a wall. It’s a neat piece of history, but I’m not sure it had the intended effect. Rather than demonstrating Samsung’s progress over the years, it highlights how the South Korean tech giant—still the No. 2 phone maker in the world, right behind Apple, according to data from Counterpoint—has been treading water at the top of its lineup. This year’s Galaxy S26 Ultra, announced a few days before the …

Inc.com columnist Alison Green answers questions about workplace and management issues—everything from how to deal with a micromanaging boss to how to talk to someone on your team about body odor. A reader asks: Last fall, I left a beloved job and assisted them in hiring two people to replace me. One was an internal hire, the other required an outside interview process. We received over 50 applications, narrowed it down to 13 phone interviews, then seven in-person interviews, and finally made a very satisfying hiring decision. At each step along the way, I sent out polite rejection emails to those who didn’t make the next level. It was very professional, and a…

Job interviews can trip up even the most qualified candidates with verbal landmines. In this article, we discuss specific phrases candidates should avoid using in interviews and more effective alternatives recommended by experts. Discover common phrases that send the wrong message to interviewers, as well as stronger alternatives that demonstrate genuine value, so you can effectively communicate your skills and experience. Lead With Curiosity, Not Critique If you’re interviewing for a tech role, here’s a fast way to tank your chances: Walk in and immediately trash the company’s systems. You know the move. “Honestly, your system is outdated. I’d replace it with some…

We’re only two months in, but 2026 is already shaping up to be the year of agents. The current surge began with Claude Code, which achieved critical mass over the holidays. That led to all kinds of lobster-themed software names (long story), which culminated in OpenClaw, an open-source agent creation and management system. It might also be a stealth marketing campaign for Apple to sell a ton of Mac Minis, but that’s neither here nor there. It’s too early to say what kind of productivity gains the current wave of agents will create, but the push to agents is undeniable. It’s also very exclusive. For all the talk of, “the only coding language you need to know is English…

My team often jokes about the “Vulcan Mind Meld.” They say I need to share a brain with a founder before we can write a check. They aren’t wrong, but the process isn’t science fiction. It’s usually just a walk. Specifically, it’s a walk to the Stanford Dish. The path is a 3.5-mile loop in the foothills above the university. It’s steep, exposed, and offers little place to hide. I don’t take founders here for exercise. I take them here because the controlled environment of a boardroom practically demands rehearsed answers. The trail does not. I don’t prepare a script for these walks. In fact, that’s the point. The pitch is already done; I know the metrics. Now I…

U.S. figure skating champion Alysa Liu captivated audiences during the 2026 Winter Olympics. Now, the young skater is offering some life advice. The 20-year-old won two gold medals in the recent Milan-Cortina games, charmed crowds with her style, cheered on her competitors, and offered her refreshing take on skating for joy, rather than medals. Liu told Today.com she had some nontraditional advice about pushing kids to continue to play sports, even when they want to quit. To put it simply, the Olympian said: “Don’t.” “It does not work,” she explained. “The kid knows himself pretty well, and it’s just never good to force anything.” While Liu’s advice is s…

Every important endeavor in your life needs some kind of North Star to help you determine whether you’re succeeding. Fitness professionals recommend having an overarching goal when planning a workout regime. Similarly, it’s valuable to have strategic aims for your career. Professional goals are important, because they help you evaluate which of a variety of paths available to you is the ideal one to pursue. For example, if your aim is to play a leadership role in a company, then you might choose to get an advanced degree that hones your leadership skills. That time in school might slow your progress in getting promotions in your vertical in the short term, but will en…

When I was in high school in the 1990s, my physics teacher pulled me aside with a question he couldn’t shake: “How do they get every computer in the world to talk to every other computer?” He’d seen how hard it was to agree on basics like electrical outlets or phone dialing standards. Yet suddenly we had this internet thing where a machine in Thunder Bay could talk to one in Tokyo in milliseconds. No central planner. No global treaty. Somehow it just worked. The real answer is less magic and more mindset: a systems principle called Postel’s Law. In plain language: Be strict in what you send; be generous in what you accept. When I talk to you, I should do my…

In too many organizations, design is treated as a downstream function or even a cost center. In the best case, it’s a nice-to-have that is applied to refine or beautify after strategy is set, budgets are approved, and decisions are largely already locked. It could be used to communicate strategic choices made earlier in the innovation or creation process. Perhaps it is leveraged in the sales and business development process. Yet the world’s most forward-looking organizations do the opposite: They start with design. To begin, let’s establish the fact that I do not believe design is about aesthetics or brand polish. Design is a strategic lens—a way of seeing syste…

A Florida man initially began using Google’s Gemini AI platform last August for assistance with typical queries. By early October, the chatbot had driven him to commit suicide, claims a lawsuit filed against the tech giant on Wednesday. The father of Jonathan Gavalas is suing Alphabet, Google’s parent company, for monetary and punitive damages after discovering troubling messages in the chat logs that the 36-year-old exchanged with Gemini 2.5 Pro, Google’s latest AI model at the time. In the span of less than two months, the chatbot took on an outsized role in Gavalas’ life by adding fuel to his already “clear signs of psychosis,” stoking a quasi-romantic relationship…

At the Exceptional Women Alliance, we enable high-level women to mentor each other to achieve personal and professional happiness through sisterhood. As the nonprofit organization’s founder, chair, and CEO, I am honored to interview and share insights from thought leaders who are part of our peer-to-peer mentoring.  This month, I introduce to you Alma Derricks. With broad experience ranging from strategy partner at Deloitte to global sales and marketing leader at Cirque du Soleil, she is the founder of REV, an award-winning strategy consultancy that crafts and launches distinctive campaigns and new ventures for the world’s most coveted brands. For decades, she has he…

Utah-based outdoor retailer Sportsman’s Warehouse may be closing some of its stores in the near future. “As part of the Company’s review of its stores, we have identified about five stores for potential closure due to underperformance and lack of profitability,” Sportsman’s Warehouse wrote in its Fiscal Year 2025 financial results press release. Sportsman’s Warehouse did not respond to Fast Company’s request for comment on which stores it identified at the time of publication. Sportsman’s Warehouse has 148 locations spread across 32 different states. The brand is mostly centered around western states, with 17 stores in California, 14 in Washington, and 13 in U…

Sales has historically been a true proving ground for new technological breakthroughs. CRM systems, predictive analytics, tools that promise better targeting, faster follow-up, and higher close rates have to be proven, or shown to be false in the realm of sales. The next technology to be proven is agentic AI. Agentic AI will create the most profound transformation sales will undergo in this century. Agentic AI systems can act independently, pursue goals, adapt to context, and collaborate with humans through the duration of a sales cycle, no matter how short or elongated. AI alone already saves sales team members over two hours a day in admin tasks, and agentics will …

Zig-zagging around the glass-and-steel perimeter of the UC Berkeley Grimes Engineering Center, 36 thin metal rods could be what it takes to prevent the building’s total destruction. The rods are the central element of a novel seismic-responsive structural system that is designed to help the building snap back to its original shape in the event of a major earthquake. Their trick is an embedded cluster of taut cables made from a highly flexible compound called a shape-memory alloy that’s capable of bending under tension—like the lateral shaking in a California earthquake—and then straightening out. Developed by the architecture firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill …

Roger Bennett is the witty and charismatic co-host of the popular “Men in Blazers” soccer media network. Born in Liverpool, England, he moved to the United States and has since helped popularize the sport in this country through podcasts, television shows, and books, including his best-selling memoir Reborn in the USA. His new book, WE ARE THE WORLD (CUP), is a personal history of what he calls “the world’s greatest sporting event.” In the following excerpt, he chronicles his experience of the 1994 World Cup, the last event held in the U.S prior to this summer’s tournament. 1994 was also the year Bennett moved to the U.S. The 1994 World Cup brought football to the Un…

We live in a time when our expectations for ethical business practices are no longer predictable. Global regulation, along with ideas around standards like ESG, are in flux—and building debate around what the standards should be for leaders and managers. “Some governments are tightening oversight, while others are relaxing enforcement,” write ethics leaders at the World Economic Forum. Companies may focus on strictly following the law, thinking that it doesn’t make sense to go beyond regulatory expectations. But being compliant doesn’t mean you’re being ethical. There are three common signals that your company is headed towards a flawed business practice—decision…

With GLP-1 use on the rise in the U.S., one grocery store chain made a starter kit for first-time customers that could help capture a higher percentage of their food budget at a time when it’s becoming increasingly important. ShopRite’s “Wellness Your Way” branded kits are free for customers filling their first GLP-1 prescription at the East Coast grocer’s in-store pharmacies. They’re one part informational, another part promotional, and they’re designed to look like they’re from a direct-to-consumer subscription healthcare brand, taking advantage of ShopRite’s specific store model. The blue mailer box, which is available while supplies last, opens from a front fl…

There’s a saying: you can’t control the world, but you can control yourself. This perspective is critical when navigating an uncertain economy. I learned this lesson the hard way, right out of college, when taking my first steps into the full-time workforce. The timing was around the 2008 Recession. Despite being lucky to land a job that I loved, the economic instability pushed me to realize I could not depend on a corporate role for my livelihood long-term. So I started exploring freelancing in 2010, when I went on Craigslist and searched for freelance writing roles. That’s how I landed my first client. In 2011, one year after building my portfolio, I earned an …

There’s a lot of money changing hands in the tech world these days. AI companies are racing to secure a steady supply of compute. Chipmakers are placing bets on who they expect to go the distance. And, occasionally, competitors are even investing in one another. OpenAI, on Friday, announced a $110 billion funding round, with $50 billion coming from Amazon and $30 billion from Nvidia, along with other backers. AMD and Meta last week unveiled a partnership that will see the chipmaker deploy 6 gigawatts’ worth of graphics processing units to Meta’s AI data centers, while the social media/AI giant may take up to a 10% stake in AMD. That announcement came just a few months…

Since 2018, the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma has dished out $10,000 to more than 4,000 remote workers for moving there—and according to a new study, generated more than four-times that sum in economic impact. Cities and towns have long offered tax incentives and other perks to employers that bring jobs. In recent years, however, the Tulsa Remote program—which is primarily funded by community-based nonprofit the George Kaiser Family Foundation (GKFF)—has proven that there can be equal or greater value in recruiting mobile workers one at a time. Though $10,000 might sound like a hefty sum, new research suggests each dollar given returns $4.31 to the local economy, includ…