What's on Your Mind?

Violent tornado outbreaks, like the storms that tore through parts of St. Louis and London, Kentucky, on May 16, have made 2025 seem like an especially active, deadly and destructive year for tornadoes. The U.S. has had more reported tornadoes than normal—more than 960 as of May 22, according to the National Weather Service’s preliminary count. That’s well above the national average of around 660 tornadoes reported by that point over the past 15 years, and it’s similar to 2024—the second-most-active year over that same period. NOAA National Storm Prediction CenterI’m an atmospheric scientist who studies natural hazards. What stands out about 2025 so far isn’t just the num…

Streetwear used to be about rebellion, community, and self-expression but now it’s walking down luxury runways with $2,000 price tags. Fast Company hit the streets of New York at the iconic Jeff Staple store launch to ask real streetwear fans: Is streetwear still streetwear? Is the culture still alive? Or has luxury killed the vibe? View the full article

Ordinarily, we think of procrastination as something to avoid or correct, but in reality, it can have some legitimate benefits. From giving us time to reflect and collect new information to creating urgency for the work, procrastination comes with some surprising advantages. We’re wise to consider how we can perform our best. With so much to do and so little time, reconsidering our efficiency is smart. Our most ingrained habits may not actually be the best strategies for our success. Rethinking procrastination may be one of the most unexpected ways to reset our work habits, and one of the most effective. Rethinking why we procrastinate If you procrastinate, you…

In an era where artificial intelligence is rapidly redefining creative industries, branding stands at a pivotal crossroads. Tools like Midjourney and DALL-E are often portrayed as threats to traditional visual branding, but their true value may lie elsewhere—not in replacing human creativity, but in expanding the sensory dimensions of brand expression. At the bread and butter, a global brand consultancy, we believe branding should never be superficial. It should touch. Move. Resonate. That’s why we built our practice around “Betterment Branding”—a philosophy that connects long-term brand growth to emotional, sensory, and social resonance. Today, the intersection of A…

Growing up in rural Northern California and later serving in the military, stationed in Mississippi, I experienced firsthand the stark disparities in access to quality goods. Even finding fresh, local produce often meant bypassing the grocery store for a farm stand because the desired options simply weren’t stocked. In many communities I lived in and visited, the available choices were severely limited, creating a significant market gap that persists today. This isn’t just a social issue I observed; it’s a massive missed revenue opportunity for retailers who are overly focused on saturated urban markets while overlooking the immense potential waiting in rural and Middle A…

When most people think about innovation, they imagine sprints, whiteboards, late nights, and the relentless pace of deadlines. What’s often missing from this image are genuine acts of kindness and empathy—but perhaps they should be at the center.  As the leader of FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), a global youth STEM education community, I’ve seen firsthand the power of Gracious Professionalism. This ethos is about more than producing quality work: It’s about valuing others—teammates, competitors, and the broader community—and showing respect at every turn. Gracious Professionalism empowers everyone, regardless of role or tenure, to l…

In 2006, as the modern sustainability movement gained momentum, I launched The Lazy Environmentalist on Sirius Satellite Radio. The show’s premise was simple: Millions of people wanted to reduce their environmental impact, but not if it meant sacrifice or inconvenience. So we sought stories and solutions that elevated sustainability’s appeal. That’s how I found Plasma Boy. Plasma Boy Two decades ago, Portland, Oregon, had a thriving drag racing scene. A city known for its progressive, artsy vibe was also home to legions of racing fans obsessed with speed. John Wayland, aka Plasma Boy, was one of them. His racing vehicle was a souped-up yet diminut…

As the global migrant crisis continues to dominate our airwaves, Welcome.US has triggered a dramatic impact on U.S. immigration, resettling 800,000 refugees across all 50 states. The organization’s cofounder and CEO, Nazanin Ash, shares how her team developed an effective and efficient model, unlocking a nonpartisan community of 2 million volunteers, supported by corporate partnerships with the likes of Meta, Google, and Uber. 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 with today’s to…

As the global migrant crisis continues to dominate our airwaves, Welcome.US has triggered a dramatic impact on U.S. immigration, resettling 800,000 refugees across all 50 states. The organization’s co-founder and CEO, Nazanin Ash, shares how her team developed an effective and efficient model, unlocking a nonpartisan community of 2 million volunteers, supported by corporate partnerships with the likes of Meta, Google, and Uber. 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 with today’s t…

The list of Rite Aid drugstores marked for closure continues to grow at a furious pace after the ill-fated pharmacy chain filed for bankruptcy a second time. In a court filing last week, the company said it would move to close 151 additional locations in 10 states, its largest batch of closures since the Chapter 11 process began three weeks ago. Three earlier filings had disclosed a combined 210 closures, as Fast Company previously reported. That means the list of stores that are expected to shutter on an accelerated timeline is now over 360—more than a quarter of Rite Aid’s fleet of 1,277 locations. Fast Company reached out to Rite Aid for more information …

This week, the U.S. Tennis Association (USTA) announced that it’s putting the revenue from selling U.S. Open tickets and $23 signature Honey Deuce cocktails toward a new cause: Completing an $800 million renovation of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center (NTC), the sports complex that hosts the annual tennis championship. The renovation represents the single largest investment in U.S. Open history, according to a press release published by the USTA. It will encompass a full transformation of the Arthur Ashe Stadium, where championship games are played, as well as a luxe new player performance center on the NTC’s campus. The work will be spearheaded by the …

The world’s sources of critical minerals are increasingly concentrated in just a few countries, most notably China, leaving the global economy vulnerable to supply cutoffs that could disrupt industry and hit consumers with higher prices, a report said Wednesday. The Paris-based International Energy Agency’s report looked at the availability of minerals and metals that may be small in quantity — but large in impact when it comes to shifting the economy away from fossil fuels toward electricity and renewable energy. It found that for copper, lithium, cobalt, graphite and rare earth elements, the average market share of the three top producing countries rose to 86% in 2024…

Congress may stop California from implementing its first-in-the nation rule banning the sale of new gas powered cars by 2035. A Senate vote expected as soon as this week could end the nation’s most aggressive effort to transition toward electric vehicles as President Donald The President’s administration doubles down on fossil fuels. California makes up roughly 11% of the U.S. car market, giving it significant power to shape purchasing trends. Vehicles are one of the largest sources of planet-warming emissions. The Republican-controlled Congress is targeting three California waivers that set stricter emissions rules than the federal government. The House voted to block…

Workers are stressed over job insecurity with many concerned about the possibility of an impending job loss. And that worry may be taking a toll on employees’ overall mental health—especially for younger workers. According to the American Psychological Association’s 2025 Work in America survey, which recorded online responses from 2,017 employed adults, more than half of American workers are bogged down with worry over their job security. A whopping 54% said concerns about their workplace stability has a “significant impact” on their stress levels. Why workers are concerned The concern appears linked to recent policy changes under the The President administrat…

AI startups are the belle of the VC funding ball, and it’s coming at the expense of pretty much every other type of company. That’s a main takeaway from a report published by Silicon Valley Bank on Tuesday. That report found that roughly 40% of VC funding in the U.S. last year came from venture funds that “list AI as a focus. Those comprise more than 15% of U.S. VC funds—a number that has doubled over the past five years. “Put all together, this reflects not only the investor enthusiasm around the space, but also the funds required to properly deploy into capital-intensive hypergrowth AI startups,” the report reads. And with AI companies sucking up a good perc…

Americans’ electricity bills tend to tick up each year in line with inflation. But upgrades to electric wires, reinforcing and protecting power lines from severe weather, and changing fuel costs – among other factors – are sending rates soaring. High electricity consumption from data centers and other sources of rising demand will likely cause further increases in the near future. The impact on consumers is particularly dramatic in Pennsylvania, where rate hikes are widespread. For example, the monthly bill for a PECO residential customer who uses 700 kilowatt hours of electricity monthly increased 10% – or US$13.58 – in 2025. These bills will go up anothe…

When wood thrushes arrive in northern Mississippi on their spring migration and begin to serenade my neighborhood with their ethereal, harmonized song, it’s one of the great joys of the season. It’s also a minor miracle. These small creatures have just flown more than 1,850 miles (3,000 kilometers), all the way from Central America. Other birds undertake even longer journeys — the Swainson’s thrush, for example, nests as far north as the boreal forests of Alaska and spends the nonbreeding season in northern South America, traveling up to 5,600 miles (9,000 kilometers) each way. These stunning feats of travel are awe-inspiring, making it that much more tragic when …

Google wants to give people access to its Gemini AI assistant with the blink of an eye: The company has struck a partnership with eyeglasses makers Warby Parker and Gentle Monster to make AI smart glasses, it announced at its Google I/O developer conference in Mountain View Tuesday. These glasses will be powered by Google’s new Android XR platform, and are expected to be released in 2026 at the earliest. To show what Gemini-powered smart glasses can do, Google has also built a limited number of prototype devices in partnership with Samsung. These glasses use a small display in the right lens to show live translations, directions and similar lightweight assistance. The…