Fast Company

Fast Company is the world’s leading progressive business media brand, with a unique editorial focus on innovation in technology, leadership, world changing ideas, and design. Written for, by, and about the most progressive business leaders, Fast Company inspires readers to think beyond traditional boundaries, lead conversations, and create the future of business.

SPOTIFY RAISES THE ROOF

New Talent. New Methods. New Rhythms. • I was late to the Spotify party. Like most business journalists, I followed the U.S. launch of the music-streaming service in 2011, and even secured a coveted invitation to sign up early. But I was happy to stick to a mix of iTunes, Pandora, and even traditional radio for my audio needs.

THE RECOMMENDER • What the Fast Company community is loving this month

Google, You Auto-Complete Me

Breaking the habit • How to take back your mind, according to three former tech addicts

Sizing Up the Talent • How writer-director Paul Feig gets the best out of his casts and crews

The Last (Plastic) Straw • How Starbucks came up with an alternative to single-use straws

Supercharged • Zunum Aero expects to boost regional air travel with hybrid-electric planes.

A Startup Destroys the Competition • Bark’s secret to delighting dogs and humans alike

Reaching The Summit • With a distinctive vision, Adobe has dramatically grown its conference without losing its soul.

Oval Office Lessons

L.A.’s Cannabis Revolution

Cryptomaniacs: A Field Guide

Daring to Scale—Downward • Universal Standard gained a cult following for its plus-size clothing. It’s now pushing into smaller sizes, upending the industry and testing its fan base.

Crossover Acts • How eight brands managed (or mismanaged) their efforts to appeal to new demographics

Bingeing on The Purge

Sexism and AI • A recent study asked 1,000 parents about raising kids 12 and younger with female voice assistants at home.

Sweat Test • Reebok’s new sports bra was inspired by NASA.

A 3-D–Printed Throne From Zaha Hadid Architects

TAKE A CHANCE ON ME • SPOTIFY CEO DANIEL EK IS BETTING THAT HE CAN SELL MUSIC FANS AND ARTISTS WORLDWIDE ON HIS VISION FOR THE FUTURE OF THE BUSINESS. ONLY AMAZON, APPLE, AND GOOGLE STAND IN HIS WAY.

TALENT 3.0 • With unemployment near historic lows and coveted skills in short supply, the competition for talent has never been greater. Here’s how new data-driven tools—leveraging artificial intelligence, machine learning, games, and virtual reality—are enabling companies to build a 21st-century workforce (and driving some job seekers completely nuts).

MONEYBALL   FOR   BUSINESS • Fifteen years after Billy Beane disrupted Major League Baseball by applying analytics to player scouting, the corporate world finally has the technology to rewrite its own rules of recruiting.

FUTURE-PROOF YOUR CAREER • Advice from a top recruiter

TALENT FACTORIES • In partnership with Fast Company, LinkedIn analyzed data from its 500 million–plus user base to identify 10 of the most in-demand jobs in the U.S. right now, the educational programs supplying most of that talent, the companies hiring the most people to fill these roles, and the total number of LinkedIn users with these titles in various relevant U.S. regions.

THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUT • Legendary entertainment and media executive Barry Diller talks to Fast Company’s editor-in-chief about his instinct for spotting talent, his appetite for creative conflict, and why insiders should get the top jobs.

TRUE GRIT • Deja Baker’s job may be unremarkable—software engineer at a Chicago trading firm—but the journey she took to land it represents a triumph that doesn’t fit neatly on a...