Codirector of the Center for Systems Science and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University “I DON’T WANT THIS JOB.” It was late March, and Lauren Gardner, an engineer and epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins University, was questioning her decision to create

With more than 150 years in business, Royal Bank of Canada understands what it takes to stay relevant and successful. The ability to pivot is a key ingredient—and is why the bank launched RBC Ventures, to focus on products and Services that go beyond

People around the world are living longer, healthier lives. So, it’s no surprise that the ways older Americans live, retire, and enjoy their later years is changing. AARP has transformed in recent years to keep up with those changes, pivoting to beco

Creator and performer, American Utopia In an era plagued by cynicism and division, David Byrne’s exuberant, theatrical Broadway concert, American Utopia, brought an unapologetic appeal for optimism and unity earlier this year—personified by its diver

Amazon and Microsoft said they would pause or halt police use of their facial recognition technology, and IBM committed to getting out of the business altogether. At a time when business leaders and lawmakers are under pressure to eradicate systemic

Cofounder and CEO, Maximum Effort; co-owner, Aviation Gin and Mint Mobile THE PHONE RANG. IT WAS RYAN REYNOLDS. He had an idea. It was early December, and an ad for Peloton, in which a yuppieish husband buys one of the company’s $2,OOO-plus stationar

FOR THE SECOND YEAR, FAST COMPANY is recognizing organizations that have created cultures enabling employees at all levels—not just top executives, computer scientists, or researchers—to innovate. We’ve expanded the list from 50 to 100 companies, sch

“It’s time to build.” So declared venture capitalist Marc Andreessen with elder-statesmanlike flourish in a widely circulated essay in April, just as the novel coronavirus began to overwhelm hospitals around the world. Housing, education, manufacturi

SVP of technology, Motorola Solutions When first responders call for backup, they don’t use a smartphone, and for good reason. They need knobs they can turn using muscle memory and radio connections that work when cell towers go down. Motorola’s new

Just a few years ago, teletherapy—the practice of doing therapy via phone, video, or text—was regarded as an unproven mental health treatment. But strong consumer demand for all forms of telemedicine (estimated to surpass $130 billion by 2025) has le

Nearly 200 years ago, John Deere wasn’t a household name. John Deere was a prairie blacksmith who used a pol ished steel saw blade to craft a better plow. His idea revolutionized farming and served as the inception of Deere & Company, now one of the

When Dell Technologies began planning the 25th edition of its premier business laptop, the Dell Latitude series, the company’s engineers were given a substantial challenge: Enhance the Latitude’s design and performance while also advancing Dell’s glo

No matter how many Clorox wipes they buy, or how far apart they place desks, schools will not be returning to normal anytime soon, due to continued public health concerns surrounding COVID-19 transmission. The grief of disrupted routines, short-circu

Executive producers, Exactly Right Podcast vet Georgia Hardstark and comedian Karen Kilgariff’s true-crime podcast, My Favorite Murder, boasts more than 30 million monthly listeners. Since launching, the podcast has spawned a global tour, a New York

When it comes to solving the problem of global hunger,you might not think about blockchain as a solution. But Building Blocks, a project supported by the U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) Innovation Accelerator, hasdemonstrated the technology’s value i

There are few things that Eben Bayer hasn’t tried to make out of mushrooms. Over the past decade, the CEO of incubator Ecovative, which develops commercial applications for mushroom materials, has made packaging, textiles, insulation, and furniture o

CTO, Adobe AS ADOBE’S CTO, ABHAY PARASNIS CHARTS the future of the company’s signature tools, such as Photoshop, Illustrator, and Acrobat—some of which are older than many of the millions of people who depend on them. This involves applying ever more

Celebrated mid-century modern designers Charles and Ray Eames filled their house with objects found on their travels, including a simple and elegant wooden house bird that they brought back from the Appalachian Mountains. Now, Swiss family-owned furn

Director, Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, National Solar Observatory WHEN THE DANIEL K. INOUYE Solar Telescope came online in January after 25 years in the making, its lead developer, astronomer Thomas Rimmele, was “pacing through the room as if I

When brands hire WillowTree to build leading-edge digital products, they expect a lot. They want innova tive ways to meet the needs of both end users and the business. “We realized that we have to do the innovation work on our own dime,” says WillowT

Founder and CEO, LunaDNA Bob Kain did pioneering work for biotech giant Illumina that paved the way for a $250,000 DNA- sequencing platform. When he left, in 2014, he wondered, once genomic mapping became affordable, how would doctors and scientists

What is your best habit, and what is your worst? I maintain a 20-minute daily meditation practice, but I have a weakness for very dark chocolate. What do you do when you’re creatively stuck? I read things unrelated to our day-to-day business, such as

Playwright, Slave Play Racial trauma. Sexual repression. They’re not the average topics for a Broadway comedy, but Jeremy O. Harris is not an average playwright. When he got the chance to take Slave Play, his uncompromising comedic drama about three

T-Mobile has long positioned itself as an outsider and disruptor in the wireless industry. The “Un-carrier” moniker adopted by T-Mobile in 2013 was a nod to its non-traditional approach, which prioritized customer service in an industry that too ofte

In the midst of a pandemic, economic upheaval and needed societal change, businesses are struggling to navigate one of the most challenging times in modern history. Few, however, are looking to the nonprofit sector for inspiration—but they should, sa

Dancer, choreographer, author “I’ve always approached my time on this planet as a progression,” says 78-year-old modern dance icon Twyla Tharp. “It isn’t about chasing youth. It’s about preserving vi tality from day one all the way out.” In her fourt