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Is This the End of Billionaire Philanthropy? May 23, 2025

Show notes

On today's episode, co-hosts Yasmin Gagne and Josh Christensen discuss the latest news in the world of business and innovation. Including OpenAI’s acquisition of Jony Ive’s hardware firm, io; Walmart’s likely price increases due to tariffs; and the sale of 23andMe. (00:49)

Next, Yasmin talks to Fast Company contributing writer Joe Berkowitz and Fast Company Associate Editor David Salazar about Bill Gates ending his philanthropic organization, the Gates Foundation, in the next two decades, the state of philanthropy, and the next class of billionaires. (08:33)

Finally, Yaz and Josh interview Fast Company contributing writer Clint Rainey about Vincent Bolloré and the allegations surrounding his business ventures in Africa. (26:50)

For more of the latest business and innovation news, go to https://www.fastcompany.com/news

To read Joe Berkowitz’s coverage of Bill Gates: https://www.fastcompany.com/91333066/bill-gates-warren-buffett-benevolent-billionaire-era-over

To read Clint Rainey’s article on Vincent Bolloré: https://www.fastcompany.com/91334554/vincent-bollore-restitution-for-africa-complaint

Grindr is more than just a hookup app May 15, 2025

Show notes

On today's episode, cohosts Yasmin Gagne and Josh Christensen discuss the latest news in the world of business and innovation, including the latest consumer price index report, the deal between China and the United States to pause tariffs for 90 days, and Microsoft’s latest round of layoffs. (00:47)

Next, Yasmin and Josh speak with Platformer’s Casey Newton about Grindr and how the dating app has expanded its business into telemedicine services. (07:27)

Finally, Yasmin interviews Amber Venz Box, the cofounder and president of the social commerce platform LTK (LikeToKnow), about how the company is handling major shifts in social media and where AI fits in. (26:54)

For more of the latest business and innovation news, go to https://www.fastcompany.com/news

To read Casey Newton’s article about Grindr:https://www.fastcompany.com/91328918/grindr-ceo-george-arison-interview-ai-wingman

The ultra-cheap car company backed by Jeff Bezos May 08, 2025

Show notes

On today's episode, co-hosts Yasmin Gagne and Josh Christensen discuss the latest news in the world of business and innovation. [0:50]

Next, Yasmin and Josh talk to Fast Company Global Design Editor Mark Wilson and Fast Company producer and Founder & President of Founders International Network, Hauwa Otori, about the new Michigan EV automobile company, Slate Auto, and its efforts to create a more affordable electric vehicle. [6:10]

Finally, Yasmin speaks to Yahoo CEO Jim Lanzone about integrating the AI platform Artifact into Yahoo News. [28:36]

For more of the latest business and innovation news, go to https://www.fastcompany.com/news

To read more on Fast Company’s coverage on Slate Auto:https://www.fastcompany.com/91322801/bezos-backed-slate-auto-reveals-its-new-customizable-20000-ev

Target is having a bad year . . . and it’s not just because of tariffs. May 01, 2025

Show notes

On today's episode, co-hosts Yasmin Gagne and Josh Christensen discuss the latest news in the world of business and innovation including Trump’s First 100 days, Canada’s recent election, and a new competitor in the electric vehicle market, Slate Auto. (00:47)

Next, Yaz and Josh talk to Fast Company senior writer Liz Segran about the mass boycott of Target after their decision to rollback their DEI programs, which added to an already shaky year. (09:51)

Finally, Yaz and Josh speak with YouTube Shorts’s senior director of product management, Todd Sherman, about the evolution of YouTube Shorts and how the vertical video product fits into the company’s overall strategy. (28:32)

For more of the latest business and innovation news go to https://www.fastcompany.com/news

For the latest news on Target:https://www.fastcompany.com/section/target

Is design dead? Apr 24, 2025

Show notes

On today’s episode, cohosts Yasmin Gagne and Josh Christensen discuss the latest news in the world of business and innovation. Topics include the latest on tariffs, Tesla’s first-quarter earnings report, and the possibility of Google having to sell off its popular web browser Chrome. (00:54)

Next, Yaz and Josh talk to Fast Company Global Design Editor Mark Wilson about his insights from a design conference he attended and the main question posed at the forum: Is design dead? (07:00)

Finally, Yaz speaks with Ryan Weaver, creative director of fentanyl testing company Overdrive, about the brand’s marketing strategies and efforts to reduce the stigma and judgment surrounding drug testing. (28:46)

Cleantech is rebranding as national security in the Trump era Apr 17, 2025

Show notes

On today’s episode, cohosts Yasmin Gagne and Josh Christensen break down the latest news in the world of business and innovation, including the U.S. dollar’s slide into multiyear lows as the tariff wars with China escalate, the outlook for unemployment, Nvidia’s plans to make supercomputers entirely in the U.S., and OpenAI’s news of launching a social network. (1:24)

Next, Yaz and Josh interview ‘Fast Company freelance reporter Patrick Sisson about cleantech companies rebranding themselves as vital for national security as government funding for anything climate-related gets cut. (10:00)

Finally, Yaz interviews Twitter cofounders Ev Williams and Molly DeWolf Swenson about their new private social media network Mozi, which focuses on helping people foster in-person connections. (23:15)

Prompting a new brand era Apr 16, 2025

Show notes

Generative AI has taken the brand world by storm. But how is the planet’s best-known AI company building its own brand? Like everything to do with AI, the brand aspect of this category is evolving and changing seemingly week to week. There’s newer brands like Anthropic, Perplexity, and DeepSeek, alongside established giants’ own sub-brands like Apple Intelligence, Google Gemini, Amazon’s Rufus AI assistant, and on and on.With about 400 million users, and almost constant news coverage, OpenAI may be the best known purely AI company.In episode seven of Fast Company’s Brand New World podcast, host Jeff Beer talks to OpenAI’s chief marketing officer Kate Rouch about the strategy behind their Super Bowl ad, how the company defines its brand values, and why, despite helpful lessons from the last 30 years of tech, new precedents will still be set for the AI brand category.

Innovating What Matters: Driving Pharma Forward - FROM FASTCO WORKS AND PURDUE UNIVERSITY Apr 15, 2025

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The pharmaceutical industry is on the brink of massive transformation driven by cutting-edge technology and strategic collaboration. Purdue University is on the forefront of Pharma 4.0 by partnering with pharmaceutical companies to pioneer advances in medicine and speed up the evolution of pharmaceutical manufacturing.

In this custom episode, host Shibani Joshi chats with Sean Bruik, senior vice president of artificial intelligence and data at Amgen; Mung Chiang, president of Purdue University; and Tatyana Kanzaveli, CEO of Open Health Network, to discuss the role of cross-industry partnerships in driving innovation in the pharmaceutical industry.

This week’s biggest news: tariffs . . . and dire wolves Apr 10, 2025

Show notes

On today’s episode, cohosts Yasmin Gagne and Josh Christensen break down the latest news in the world of business and innovation, including President Trump delaying reciprocal tariffs, TikTok-alternative Skylight, a major win for college athletes, and Microsoft’s 50th anniversary. (00:46)

Next, Yaz and Josh interview Flexport CEO Ryan Petersen about how Flexport and the companies it works with are digesting the tariffs plus the continued uncertainty around global trade. (05:46)

Finally, Yaz interviews cofounder and CEO of Colossal Biosciences, Ben Lamm, about the company’s progress in trying to bring back the Woolly Mammoth and the criticism the company is facing after it unveiled three dire wolf puppies. (31:34)

For more of the latest business and innovation news, go to: https://www.fastcompany.com/news

For the latest ‘Fast Company’ coverage on Trump’s tariffs, go to:

https://www.fastcompany.com/section/tariffs

Don't be evil Apr 09, 2025

Show notes

In episode six, host Jeff Beer is at Google’s world headquarters in Mountain View, CA to talk to chief marketing officer Lorrraine Twohill. We dig into the brand’s overall GenAI strategy, not only for how they’re working as a marketing organization, but also how they’re marketing Google's own AI tools like Gemini.We also chat about how Lorraine and her team are balancing between third-party tools like Brandtech Group’s Pencil Pro, and WPP’s One, and the company’s own proprietary tools.Of course, we get into the lessons learned over the reaction to Google’s “Dear Sydney” Olympic ad for Gemini last summer, but also how the ultimate goal for AI’s impact on the brand’s marketing is to come up with an idea in the morning, and see it out in the world that afternoon.

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