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Most Innovative Companies

Fast Company

Which companies are on the cutting edge of artificial intelligence? What’s the next major breakthrough in healthcare? How do iconic brands reinvent themselves to appeal to the next generation? Most Innovative Companies is where tech, business, and innovation convene. Join hosts Yasmin Gagne and Josh Christensen as they bring you the latest innovations transforming business and society—and highlights the companies that are reshaping industries and culture.

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Yesterday · 23 min
AI’s ROI era has arrived
SAP’s Christian Klein on why trust and business context will separate the leaders from the rest.
Tuesday · 23 min
AI’s ROI era has arrived
SAP’s Christian Klein on why trust and business context will separate the leaders from the rest.
Friday · 51 min
Hidden ties between the CIA and Silicon Valley
On today’s episode, MIC cohost Yasmin Gagne talks to Fast Company senior writer Rebecca Heilweil about space stocks and the commercial space boom. Then, journalist and author Sharon Weinberger tells us about her new book, “Valley of Death,” which dives deep into ties between the CIA and Silicon Valley. Check out Rebecca’s reporting here: https://www.fastcompany.com/user/rebecca-heilweil For more of the latest business and innovation news, go to fastcompany.com/news
October 14 · 44 min
Curing Cancer Could Be Close
Stéphane Bancel has been CEO of Moderna since 2011, but it’s almost as if he's led three different companies in the past five years. First came the pandemic sprint: A biotech with no commercial products became a household name, manufacturing a billion vaccine doses in 2021 and generating roughly $18 billion in annual sales. Then, the descent. As demand for COVID shots collapsed, revenue fell roughly 90%, its stock price plunged, and Bancel had to cut thousands of jobs. Now comes another turn. Positive results from a melanoma trial with Merck have sent Moderna's stock sharply higher over the past couple of months—and offered compelling evidence for the idea Bancel was pursuing before anyone had heard of COVID-19. Moderna wasn’t built to make one vaccine. It was built around a platform: messenger RNA technology that could be adapted to fight cancer, infectious diseases, and potentially much more. The pandemic made that technology famous. An individualized cancer vaccine could reveal how much further it can go. In this conversation, Bancel explains what it takes to lead through that whiplash, what he learned from the company’s COVID detour, and what still stands between a promising clinical result and a treatment available to patients. Fast Company is the world's leading progressive business media brand, with a unique editorial focus on innovation in technology, leadership, and design. Follow us on: https://www.facebook.com/FastCompany/ https://twitter.com/FastCompany https://www.instagram.com/fastcompany/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/fast-company/
October 9 · 58 min
Your Rich BFF Wants You to Talk About Money More
On today’s episode, cohosts Yasmin Gagne and Josh Christensen talk to Fast Company senior editor Max Ufberg about how Ukraine became a hub for military AI development. Then, Yaz talks to author, founder, and finance expert Vivian Tu, or Your Rich BFF, about her new finance app, “Ask Dolly.” To read Max’s deep dive, go to fastcompany.com/91611099/inside-ukraines-secretive-tech-world-building-the-future-of-war For more of the latest business and innovation news, go to fastcompany.com/news
October 2 · 1 hr 4 min
Inside the Booming Business of Health Maxxing
These days, it seems like there’s an at-home test for every medical issue under the sun. Fast Company Senior Writer Ainsley Harris went on a healthmaxxing journey, trying a bunch of them to see if they could cure her dermatitis. Then, Yaz Gagne interviews Gabe Bullard about his new book "Against Convenience: Embracing Friction in an Age of Endless Ease" Fast Company is the world's leading progressive business media brand, with a unique editorial focus on innovation in technology, leadership, and design. Follow us on: https://www.facebook.com/FastCompany/ https://twitter.com/FastCompany https://www.instagram.com/fastcompany/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/fast-company/
September 25 · 1 hr 4 min
Opting out of personal branding is a mistake
On today’s episode, cohosts Yasmin Gagne and Josh Christensen talk to Fast Company staff writer Grace Snelling about what it means to have a personal brand today and why it matters. She talks with the founder and CEO of Vuori, Joe Kudla, about the brand’s fabric-first approach, the new direction of the brand, and partnerships with names like Jack Draper and Tom Holland. To check out Grace’s reporting, go to: fastcompany.com/91582246/personal-brand-special-report-207-insights-ideas-grow-brand-career#Choose-your-AI-comfort-level For more of the latest business and innovation news, go to fastcompany.com/news
September 18 · 1 hr
Hinge, Tinder want to help Gen Z find connections offline
On today’s episode, Yaz talks with Match Group CEO Spencer Rascoff on stage at the Fast Company Innovation Festival about how to lead a company into its new act. Then, Josh Christensen has a conversation with 800 Pound Gorilla founders Ian Adkins, Ryan Bitzer, and Damion Greiman about building a comedy powerhouse and creating their own streaming service. For more of the latest business and innovation news, go to fastcompany.com/news
September 11 · 1 hr 7 min
PB&J is getting a Gen Z glow-up
On today’s episode, cohosts Yasmin Gagne and Josh Christensen talk to Fast Company contributor Clint Rainey about a high school dropout who became a a consumer packaged goods (CPG) marketing disrupter. Then Yaz talks to TikTok Shop’s head of strategic initiatives, Patrick Nommensen, about how TikTok Shop works for customers and influencers, and how the company runs it. To check out Clint’s reporting, go to: fastcompany.com/91599402/connor-blakley-used-to-tell-americas-biggest-brands-what-gen-z-wanted-jams-uncrustables-bronco-pbj-smucker-dropout For more of the latest business and innovation news, go to fastcompany.com/news
September 1 · 27 min
The Real Advantage in AI is Still Human
In this special custom episode presented by Lenovo, Chief Technology Officer Dr. Tolga Kurtoglu joins host Julianne Pepitone to take human-AI collaboration past the buzzword stage. Real collaboration means re-architecting workflows around what each side does well, then building the trust infrastructure that keeps human reasoning and creativity in the process. Dr. Kurtoglu explains why an output can be technically correct and still wrong for the context it lands in, and what happens to the traditional org chart when judgment becomes the scarcest resource on the team. In this conversation, curiosity stands as the enduring human quality most worth protecting.
August 28 · 1 hr 3 min
Creator vs. Influencer: The New Social Marketing Paradigm
On today’s episode, cohosts Yasmin Gagne and Josh Christensen talk to former Fast Company senior editor and now Alto editorial director Jeff Beer about why the influencer bubble is finally popping. Then Yaz talks to Cotopaxi CEO Lindsay Shumlas about Cotopaxi’s sustainability efforts, international expansion, and how they build credibility. To check out Jeff’s reporting, go to: https://www.fastcompany.com/91576953/the-influencer-bubble-is-finally-popping For more of the latest business and innovation news, go to fastcompany.com/news
August 14 · 1 hr
Water Is the Next Luxury Product
On today’s episode, cohosts Yasmin Gagne and Josh Christensen talk with Fast Company senior writer Ainsley Harris about the water brand Loonen and the rise of consumer safety as a status symbol. Then, Fast Company senior staff writer Jeff Beer interviews Dhar Mann about building an audience and how he ended up as the NFL’s honorary chief kindness officer. To read Ainsley’s reporting, go to: https://www.fastcompany.com/91565959/loonen-and-the-rise-of-consumer-safety-as-status-symbol For more of the latest business and innovation news, go to fastcompany.com/news
August 7 · 39 min
Felicia Day doesn’t need Hollywood’s help making ‘The Guild’ Movie
YouTubers are taking over Hollywood. The critical and commercial success of Curry Barker’s Obsession, Kane Parsons’ A24-backed movie Backrooms, and Markiplier’s Iron Lung—especially in contrast to relative flops like Supergirl and Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu—has challenged the industry’s conventional wisdom. It’s not a huge surprise, given that so many creators on the platform have cultivated deeply engaged fandoms. One of the first creators to really take advantage of that dynamic on YouTube was Felicia Day, when she created her seminal web series The Guild in 2007. For the 20th anniversary next year, Day is tapping into that fandom to fund a reunion movie of The Guild. She sat down with MIC cohost Josh Christensen to discuss her decision to crowdfund The Guild movie, the importance of maintaining creative independence, and the recent mainstream success of YouTubers.
July 31 · 1 hr
What makes the fintech company Stripe an idea factory?
On today’s episode, cohost Yasmin Gagne talks with Fast Company and Inc. head of editorial strategy David Lidsky on what makes the fintech company Stripe an idea factory. Then NASCAR chief operating officer Ben Kennedy has a conversation with Yaz about bringing new audiences to car racing. To read David’s reporting, go to: fastcompany.com/91538341/stripe-most-underrated-influential-159-billion-company-power-map For more of the latest business and innovation news, go to fastcompany.com/news /news
July 17 · 1 hr 12 min
Inside Amazon’s brutal app-ification of HR
On today’s episode, cohosts Yasmin Gagne and Josh Christensen talk to Fast Company contributor John Pavlus about how the godmother of AI, Fei-Fei Li, is building world models — AI that many hope will replace LLMs. Then, Yaz talks to Fast Company staff writer Pavithra Mohan about her deep dive into how actual humans in the human resources department are disappearing and being replaced by apps and AI. To read John’s reporting, go to: fastcompany.com/91549046/fei-fei-li-world-labs-ai-gets-physical-models-spatial-intelligence To read Pavithra’s deep dive, go to: fastcompany.com/91565321/amazon-is-taking-human-out-of-hr-ai-chatbot-app-aza For more of the latest business and innovation news, go to fastcompany.com/news
July 10 · 1 hr 5 min
Inside one of the most remarkable urban transformations in America
On today’s episode, cohosts Yasmin Gagne and Josh Christensen talk to Fast Company’s Nate Berg about how a Walmart heir helped transform a small town in Arkansas. Then, Fast Company staff writer David Salazar sits down with the CEO of American Association of Independent Music Ian Harrisson and COO of an independent record label Partisan Records Zena White to talk about the challenges, opportunities, and future of the independent music business. To check out Nate’s reporting, go to: https://www.fastcompany.com/91550093/alice-walton-crystal-bridges-expansion-bentonville For more of the latest business and innovation news, go to fastcompany.com/news
June 26 · 1 hr 9 min
Bustle Digital Group is building publications for the influencer era
On today’s episode, cohosts Yasmin Gagne and Josh Christensen talk to Fast Company staff editor David Salazar on the most innovative ideas that are changing the world we live in. Next, Bustle Digital Group founder and CEO Bryan Goldberg speaks with Yaz about how he is building brands, including Nylon magazine, for the influencer era. To read more about world changing ideas, go to: https://www.fastcompany.com/world-changing-ideas For more of the latest business and innovation news, go to fastcompany.com/news
June 19 · 1 hr 16 min
How can the world prepare for biological warfare with Dr. Seth Berkley
On today’s episode, cohosts Yasmin Gagne and Josh Christensen talk about some of the biggest stories in the Fast Company world. Then Yaz and Josh speak with Fast Company senior writer Ainsley Harris about AG1, Grüns, and the gummy-ification of wellness. And finally, Yaz speaks to a physician, epidemiologist, and former CEO of the Vaccine Alliance Gavi Dr. Seth Berkley about hantavirus, Ebola, vaccines, and how political agendas are reshaping scientific institutions. To read Ainsley’s reporting, go to: https://www.fastcompany.com/91538779/ag1s-green-with-envy-over-the-gummy-ification-of-wellness For more of the latest business and innovation news, go to fastcompany.com/news
June 12 · 1 hr 9 min
We spoke to over 100 working Moms in senior positions. This is what we found.
On today’s episode, cohosts Yasmin Gagne and Josh Christensen talk about some of the biggest stories in the Fast Company world. Then Yaz and Josh talk to Fast Company staff editor Shalene Gupta about how women in senior level positions are finding it harder and harder to balance work and motherhood and what their hacks are. And finally, Yaz talks to CEO of TaskRabbit Ania Smith about the role of gig work in the age of AI To read Shalene’s reporting, go to: https://www.fastcompany.com/91541720/corporate-america-is-crushing-senior-level-mothers For more of the latest business and innovation news, go to fastcompany.com/news
June 4 · 1 hr 9 min
Inside Uber’s strategy for autonomous vehicles
On today’s episode, cohosts Yasmin Gagne and Josh Christensen talk about some of the biggest stories in the Fast Company world. Then, Yaz and Josh talk to Fast Company senior writer Ainsley Harris about Uber’s strategy around autonomous vehicles. And finally, Josh sits down with Audible’s chief financial and growth officer, Cynthia Chu, to talk about Audible’s growth, how the company approaches using AI in audiobooks, and what its relationship is like with publishers and authors. To read Ainsley’s reporting, go to: fastcompany.com/91548707/uber-robotaxi-strategy-dara-khosrowshahi For more of the latest business and innovation news, go to fastcompany.com/news

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