After 118 days, the SAG-AFTRA strike finally came to a close. Fast Company deputy digital editor Morgan Clendaniel breaks down what happened this past summer with the strike, as well as the overall state of unions at the moment. As of airing this episode, the union’s national board approved the new contract with major studios and sent it to membership for ratification. “I’m completely uninterested in building small things.” Emma Grede has started a LOT of businesses. Probably best known for cofo...
Nov 15, 2023•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast WeWork’s tumultuous ride has come to an end. We chatted with journalist Reeves Wiedeman, author of Billion Dollar Loser: The Epic Rise and Spectacular Fall of Adam Neumann and WeWork, about one of the wildest and most dramatic startup stories in corporate America’s history. “The brand is bruised.” What’s going on at Marvel Studios? ‘Fast Company’ senior staff editor Jeff Beer breaks down the Marvel Cinematic Universe with culture writers Joanna Robinson and David Gonzales. They chat about MCU’s ...
Nov 08, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Transcript available on Metacast A year ago, Elon Musk bought Twitter for a whopping $44 billion. Since then the platform has changed dramatically . . . even its name. Senior staff editor Max Ufberg joins us again to break down what’s been going on at Twitter, er X, over the past year. Also, “Black women are the fastest-growing segment of entrepreneurs in this country,” says Nyakio Grieco, “yet still receive less than 1% of venture funding.” Grieco, founder of Relevant Skin and cofounder of Thirteen Lune, chats about her experi...
Nov 01, 2023•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast Companies now have mountains of data to help drive decisions and develop products, but a holistic approach to product development must also prioritize customers’ needs and preferences. In this podcast interview, Stephanie Mehta, CEO of Mansueto Ventures, the parent of Fast Company, sits down with Emily Roberts, Senior Vice President and Head of Enterprise Consumer Product at Capital One to hear how to harness the power of technology and customer feedback loops to innovate products and experience...
Oct 30, 2023•7 min•Transcript available on Metacast Halloween season is here! And actor-director-producer Emma Tammi joined us to chat about her upcoming film, Five Nights at Freddy’s, based on the popular video game franchise. She told us all about adapting a video game to a movie, working with large animatronic puppets, and creating a horror movie that’s aimed at a PG-13 audience. But the scariest part of the movie process, according to Emma? Reading the reviews. . . .Opening Friday, October 27, in theaters and on Peacock, Five Nights at Freddy...
Oct 25, 2023•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast Actor, producer, and entrepreneur Issa Rae has several businesses under her belt already, and now she has partnered with Gallo to launch her own prosecco line, Viarae. We chatted about her business ventures, and how she decides which creative projects to pursue. It comes down to backing things that she loves and/or needs. When she wanted to start a coffee business, for example, it was because she wanted a coffee shop in her neighborhood—specifically to have a place where she could write all the ...
Oct 18, 2023•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast Only 10% of Fortune 500 companies have female CEOs, even though women make up 47% of the workforce. And female founders only get 2% of venture capital. When Sophia Amoruso coined the term ‘girlboss’ in her 2014 memoir, #Girlboss, she helped spark a movement for women to step into more leadership roles. But then she and a couple of other girlbosses faced backlash over their management practices, including creating toxic work environments. Compared to some of their problematic male counterparts, t...
Oct 11, 2023•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast Mitch Reback, CFO of Sweetgreen, is one of the rising corporate financial stars who is helping to take their companies to the next level. When he started, Sweetgreen had 25 stores; today, there are more than 220—and Reback says the company is still in its “infancy.” In this podcast, part of the SAP-sponsored Growth Agents series, Reback takes a deep dive into his role as a growth agent. Capital is the engine that drives growth, and Reback says his job is to make sure the company has adequate cap...
Oct 10, 2023•12 min•Transcript available on Metacast Duolingo’s freemium subscription model, beloved brand and strategic investments have allowed it to execute its educational mission and become a cultural touchstone. Matthew Skaruppa, CFO of Duolingo, is one of the rising financial stars who are helping to bring their businesses to the next level. Since he joined the company in 2020, Duolingo has grown its base of monthly active users by more than 80%. Each month, 75 million users hone their language skills on the Duolingo app. In this podcast, p...
Oct 10, 2023•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast The company’s director of finance explains how her job goes well beyond accounting. Tina Hetzer, director of finance at Pink Lily, is one of the rising financial stars who are helping to bring their businesses to the next level. She built Pink Lily’s finance team from scratch and has helped the company become one of the fastest-growing retailers in the country. In this podcast, part of the SAP-sponsored Growth Agents series, Hetzer discusses the cash-flow challenges unique to fashion retailers a...
Oct 10, 2023•19 min•Transcript available on Metacast What do Chanel, Heinz 57, and Coors Light all have in common? They’re all brands that have built a connection with their consumers. On today’s episode, we’re looking at our company’s ‘Brands That Matter’ recognition program with ‘Fast Company’ senior staff editor Jeff Beer. Not only is it about building connections, but also developing culturally relevant messaging, making an impact through social causes, and communicating their mission and values clearly. We also chat about peak marketing nosta...
Oct 04, 2023•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Lego has been pushing its ambitious sustainability efforts for years . . . only to recently do an about-face (sort of) by telling us that it will continue manufacturing its blocks with petroleum-based ABS plastic. Even though the company promised to get rid of petroleum-based materials by 2030. “Fast Company” senior editor Liz Stinson breaks down Lego’s recent announcement, which was more like “an excuse” or kind of an apology. In its efforts to redesign its bricks by using recycled plastic mate...
Sep 27, 2023•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast Since we’ve got our Innovation Festival going on this week, here’s a quick roundup of business and tech news: United Auto Workers (UAW) deal—the 32-hour week likely not to be a part of it UN General Assembly meets this week: there was a huge climate change protest on Sunday Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit with President Biden: to ask for help on a 10-point peace proposal and address the food security crisis Drew Barrymore apologized for her decision to resume production despite t...
Sep 20, 2023•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast Check out this roundup of interviews from the past year! We're highlighting some of our favorite interviews at this year's Innovation Festival. Tune in for marketing advice from e.l.f and SKIMS and learn how Seth Rogen turned a hobby into a company.
Sep 18, 2023•1 min•Transcript available on Metacast So many CEOs make waaaay more than their workers. To use just one famous example, Apple CEO Tim Cook made more than $99 million in 2022. That’s 1,117 times the company’s median worker pay of $84,000 a year. ‘Fast Company’ deputy digital editor Morgan Clendaniel explains why CEO pay has increased exponentially over the years and discusses how that plays a significant role in overall income inequality. Want to find novelty in your desk job? Michelle Khare discusses trying out all kinds of differen...
Sep 13, 2023•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast OpenAI is reportedly nearing $1 billion in annual sales. There’s an AI arms race among big tech companies. AI is everywhere and on everyone’s mind, so we’re breaking it all down. Fast Company senior writer Mark Sullivan explains who the major players are—from Nvidia to Anthropic—why ChatGPT has had such a strong impact on society, and how Congress will decide to regulate AI. Eleven Madison Park chef and owner Daniel Humm talks about the difficulties of running a fine-dining restaurant and why he...
Sep 06, 2023•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast On this episode of “Lead Through Disruption,” we step into the shoes of Greg Schwartz, Co-Founder, President, and Chief Operating Officer of StockX, a $3.8 billion online marketplace for sneakers, apparel and collectibles. As a leading disruptor of the online resales market, discover Greg’s proven perspectives on the power of targeting innovation to customer pain points, the value of promoting transparency across partnerships and teams, and the impact of building a rich and vibrant community aro...
Sep 01, 2023•46 min•Transcript available on Metacast Lead Through Disruption continues with Part Two of Deb Golden’s conversation with author and entrepreneur Andy Dunn, as we go deeper into the challenges that disruption can bring to bear on our mental health. In this episode, Andy explores the delicate relationship between wellbeing and entrepreneurship, the highs and lows that can attend even the peaks of the journey, and the importance of normalizing (and prioritizing) a proactive approach to mental health.
Sep 01, 2023•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast Opening up about his journey through entrepreneurship and mental health, this special two-part conversation with Deb Golden and Andy Dunn reveals why resilience in the face of disruption is essential for growth in both business and life. In Part One, we uncover Andy’s path to pioneering digital fashion commerce in the 2000s, the advantage of showing up in service to a vision, and the art of navigating risk on the road to success.
Sep 01, 2023•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast On this episode of Lead Through Disruption, Deb Golden rides shotgun with professional race car driver Toni Breidinger. From falling in love with go-karts at nine years old, to making history as the first Arab American female driver in NASCAR, Toni has spent her life leading through disruption. In this conversation, Toni takes us behind the scenes of her journey to the top of her sport, the mental and physical demands of her high stakes profession, and the crucial connection between passion and ...
Sep 01, 2023•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast On this episode of Lead Through Disruption, Deb Golden meets with serial space entrepreneur, author, and changemaker Jane Poynter, going behind the scenes of her mission to fundamentally change humanity’s perception of Earth. Join us as we discover how Jane has leveraged disruption to challenge the status quo. From her two-year journey inside the world’s first human-made biosphere to the founding of Space Perspective three decades later, Jane continues to advance innovations in sustainable space...
Sep 01, 2023•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the premiere episode of Lead Through Disruption, Deloitte US Chief Innovation Officer Deb Golden sits down with Stephanie Mehta to discover her journey through journalism, from her earliest days in the newsroom, to her ascendance as Fast Company’s editor-in-chief, to her pivot into executive leadership as CEO and Chief Content Officer for Mansueto Ventures. Join us as Stephanie shares battle-tested principles for finding your voice, empowering your people, building resilience, and shattering ...
Sep 01, 2023•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast YouTube paid $14 billion for the rights to the NFL Sunday Ticket. For the next seven years, NFL viewers will be able to watch live football games from their living rooms—on YouTube. Fast Company senior writer Ainsley Harris explains the reason behind this purchase: YouTube consumption is heavily fragmented. Everyone is watching YouTube, but very few people are watching together. Sunday Ticket is a cornerstone type of content and NFL games pull in millions of people. This move speaks to the long-...
Aug 30, 2023•46 min•Transcript available on Metacast Late last year, everyone thought we were headed for a recession. But now we’re doing great. What’s going on? James Surowiecki, author of The Wisdom of Crowds and a Fast Company contributing writer, explains how “Bidenomics” is actually helping boost the economy. Courtney Tracy calls herself the truth doctor on TikTok. This came about after she’d dealt with a serious life event in 2019 and thought she needed to hide her struggle. She realized that if an up-and-coming licensed therapist was going ...
Aug 23, 2023•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Women’s World Cup is coming to an end this weekend! The international soccer championship is down to its final week in which Spain and England will be facing off in the final match. Fast Company senior editor Amy Farley and staff editor AJ Hess catch us up on the drama and break down what this tournament means for pro women’s sports. Also, SKIMS cofounder and CEO Jens Grede explains how Kim Kardashian is like the Michael Jordan of the influencer generation and why the pumpkin spice latte is ...
Aug 16, 2023•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s looking like the future won’t be spent in the office. Based on a recent Deloitte study, 66% of mid- to executive-level financial services professionals do not want to come back to the office full-time. Writer and journalist Shalene Gupta breaks down the numbers and explains the impact that this will have on future pathways toward leadership. And historically, financial advice has been “male, pale, and stale,” according to Vivian Tu. The popular FinTok influencer explains why she’s passionat...
Aug 09, 2023•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast The new visual platform, Spill, is not trying to become the next Twitter—it’s aiming to create an entirely new social media platform. Spill’s cofounder and CEO Alphonzo “Fonz” Terrell said he wants to create a fun, safer, and more rewarding space for its users, especially black, female, and queer folks. In order to create a safer and more inclusive community, Spill is building its algorithms based on specific data sets that will not just flag certain terms, but also look at who’s saying those te...
Aug 02, 2023•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast AI is poised to upend the music industry, and Fast Company Associate Editor David Salazar joins us to discuss what AI generative music is and how the music industry is combating it. Antidiabetic medication Ozempic is all over the news these days, but it's not as new as it seems. Beyond the TikTok trends and celebrity shout-outs, it's been used to treat diabetes for years. But now talk of this medication has reached a fever pitch. Found CEO Sarah Jones Simmer talks about how her company prioritiz...
Jul 26, 2023•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast The thing about the Barbie movie is that saying those three words together just seems inherently ridiculous. And one of the best things Mattel has done is really kind of lean into that. Starting with the Technicolor shots of Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling on set to the colorful trailers that really churned up the enthusiasm for the movie, Mattel created the momentum that has led to a laundry list of product tie-ins, including the Xbox console that actually looks like a house or a makeup station....
Jul 19, 2023•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast We have to talk about the new Twitter on the block: Threads. How does it work? And more importantly, how does it compare to Twitter? Fast Company Senior Staff Editor Max Ufberg is back to explain what Mark Zuckerberg’s newest platform is, the drama between the two companies, and how Threads' algorithms won't promote hard news or political discourse. And e.l.f. Beauty CMO Kory Marchisotto talks about the company’s successful media strategy on TikTok . . . and why it decided to make a Chipotle-ins...
Jul 12, 2023•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
