What's on Your Mind?

In 2021, Netflix’s executive vice president of game development Mike Verdu made a big announcement: “Let the Games Begin.” Four years later, Verdu is out—and Netflix’s grand experiment in gaming still feels like a work in progress. Netflix bet big on gaming. They brought in Verdu from Facebook and EA, and then went on a buying spree, acquiring a handful of mobile gaming studios like Boss Fight and Night School. But, by the end of 2022, only about 1% of the Netflix subscribers were actually playing its games. At the time, co-CEO Ted Sarandos said that gaming had “a bunch of positives” even if growth was slow: “These are small numbers, we’re good with that.” (Netflix de…

Purdue Pharma asked a bankruptcy judge late Tuesday to consider the latest version of its plan to settle thousands of lawsuits over the toll of the powerful prescription painkiller OxyContin, a deal that would have members of the Sackler family who own the company pay up to $7 billion. The filing is a milestone in a tumultuous legal saga that has gone on for more than five years. Under the deal the family members — estimated in documents from 2020 and 2021 to be worth about $11 billion — would give up ownership of the company in addition to contributing money over 15 years with the biggest payment up front. Family members resigned from Purdue’s board, stopped receiving…

Since the term “design thinking” took off in 2000, the once boutique industry of design became a household term. Spurred on by the stratospheric growth of Apple after the iPhone launch in 2007, businesses invested untold sums purchasing design companies and building design proficiency in-house. The cherry on top arrived when McKinsey published a report in 2018 cementing the value of design in leading businesses cross-sector. And then? For the last several years, the design industry has quietly lost some of its luster. We’ve published multiple stories examining how the world of business broke up with design, while a generation of design leadership has grappled with the…

Early in their leadership journey, many leaders believe they need to have all the answers and be experts in every aspect of their team’s work. They assume that credibility comes from knowing every detail, every strategy, and every technical nuance. However, the most effective leaders soon realize that leadership isn’t about having all the answers—it’s about knowing enough to ask the right questions, spot key trends, and guide their teams toward success. Rather than micromanaging or dictating processes, strong leaders focus on creating clarity through shared goals and measurable outcomes. By setting clear performance metrics, they establish a common language with their…

Welcome to Pressing Questions, Fast Company’s work-life advice column. Every week, deputy editor Kathleen Davis, host of The New Way We Work podcast, will answer the biggest and most pressing workplace questions. Q: My coworkers are always complaining. What should I do? A: The world is made of all kinds of people, and so it follows that in any workplace you’ll also find a lot of personality types: The narcissist, the interrupter, the martyr, the workplace BFF (if you’re lucky), and the straight up jerk (if you’re unlucky). The office complainer is challenging in their own way. If you have one who is getting on your nerves, here are some ways to handle the situa…

Want more housing market stories from Lance Lambert’s ResiClub in your inbox? Subscribe to the ResiClub newsletter. On Tuesday, Zillow economists published their updated forecast model, projecting that U.S. home prices, as measured by the Zillow Home Value Index, will rise 0.8% between February 2025 and February 2026. That’s another downward revision. Last month, their 12-month forecast projected a 1.1% increase in U.S. home prices, and the month before that, they expected a 2.9% increase. “The rise in [active] listings is fueling softer price growth, as greater supply provides more options and more bargaining power for buyers,” wrote Zillow economists on Tuesday.…

For decades, talk of UAPs—unidentified aerial phenomenon, for the uninitiated—was relegated to conspiracy forums and X-Files reruns. Not anymore. The Age of Disclosure, which premiered to a standing ovation at South by Southwest this month, reframes the conversation with journalistic clarity and a big assist from some of the most powerful people in government going on the record. With critics and audiences alike buzzing over the documentary, director Dan Farah is pushing the UAP conversation out of the shadows and into the mainstream. That momentum is owed in large part to the fact that Farah (who is otherwise best known as a producer on the 2018 adaptation of Ready P…

In an industrial park in North Las Vegas, near an Amazon warehouse and a waste storage facility, a new carbon removal plant is beginning to pull CO2 from the air and store it permanently. Called Project Juniper, it’s the first “integrated” plant of its kind in the U.S., meaning that it handles both carbon capture and storage in one place. (As a bonus, it also generates clean water.) Clairity Tech, the startup behind it, designed the new plant after raising a seed round of funding led by Initialized Capital and Lowercarbon Capital last year. After spending the last few months setting up the facility, it ran its full system for the first time last week. Founder Glen…

Every year, American cars hit a staggering 1 million large animals like deer and elk. In California—a roadkill hot spot—vehicle collisions with animals cost more than $200 million every year. To address the problem, experts have long advocated for wildlife crossings that either span over high-speed freeways or burrow under them to help animals cross over safely. (The world’s largest wildlife crossing is set to open in 2026 in California, where it will help reconnect habitats bisected by the 10-lane 101 Freeway.) Other strategies involve reducing traffic or closing roads altogether at peak animal crossing times. Now, a new solution might be on the horizon, and it is mounte…

As shoppers have turned to cheaper alternatives to beat inflation, retailers from CVS to Target and Walmart have invested heavily in their private-label brands over the past year, wrapping store-branded products in new design-forward packaging. A new report finds that retailers’ efforts have paid off. Private-label goods accounted for one in every four food and nonfood grocery products purchased in the U.S. last year, according to a report from the Private Label Manufacturers Association (PLMA), which also found that sales of private-label products in the U.S. topped $270 billion in 2024, a record. Once purposefully packaged with no frills to convey their low pric…

Online applications usually include an optional field where you can upload a cover letter. Think “optional” means you don’t have to include one? Think again. According to a recent survey of recruiters from the career services platform Zety, 89% expect a cover letter, and 87% say it’s a key factor when deciding whom to interview. “Job applications are super complicated today,” says Jasmine Escalera, Zety’s career expert. “You have to tailor your résumé to the job, and there are often so many moving parts to just submit one application. I understand when job seekers think, Does the cover letter actually add any value? Sometimes it can be equally as important as résumés …

Innovation doesn’t happen in environments bogged down by rigid rules, excessive oversight, or unnecessary bureaucracy. The most transformative ideas actually emerge when employees have the freedom to experiment, take risks, and truly own their work. As a former executive at Oracle and the current CEO of the software company Incorta, I’ve seen firsthand that traditional leadership structures often do more to stifle innovation than foster it. Instead of relying on rigid processes, leaders should focus on creating an environment where employees feel empowered to challenge the status quo. Here are four ways to cultivate that kind of workplace. 1. Hire for Capabil…

In an era where trust is currency and sustainability is a non-negotiable, shoppers are demanding more than just green labels and vague promises. They want proof. Enter digital product passports (DPPs), a game-changing tool that gives consumers instant access to a product’s entire journey, from materials sourcing to sustainability credentials. That means, whether they’re buying a pair of running shoes or the latest smartphone, DPPs are making it easier to for them to shop smarter, cut through greenwashing, and support brands that truly walk the talk. The future of shopping is transparent Consumers often wonder where their clothes were made, how much carbon their…

The climate tech sector is at a crossroads. We have the tools we need to fight climate change, but the real challenge is scaling and deploying them. This is where “climate-curious” outsiders play a crucial role. At Epic Cleantec, a company I cofounded to tackle water scarcity through innovative reuse technology, none of us came from an environmental background. That outside perspective turned out to be a huge advantage. When I began this journey, I didn’t know much about water. I wasn’t a trained environmental or civil engineer, which meant I never even learned about how things were traditionally done. This lack of traditional expertise freed us from being tied down b…

Think back to the shifting tech landscape of 2015. “Uptown Funk” was blaring on digital music outlets, Snapchat filters were laid over every selfie, and hoverboards were all the rage. At the same time, marketing teams were facing an uphill battle to prove ROI as new digital marketing opportunities, like the rise of video content marketing and the shift towards mobile, led to changing tactics, and budgets came under more scrutiny. Now, a decade later, human resources teams are facing similar circumstances. Just like marketing leaders had to establish their digital campaigns’ values, HR pros now need to demonstrate how their tech-forward people programs drive business r…