World Changing Ideas for 2018

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WORLD-CHANGING IDEAS 10 New Ways That Bold Thinkers Are Taking the Lead Our second-annual World- Changing Ideas Awards drew nearly 1,400 applications and yielded 240 inspiring honorees. Here’s how some of them— including the North Face, L’Oréal, Facebook, and the City of Los Angeles—are improving the way we live. Begins on page 68

As Los Angeles faces a housing crisis, Mayor Eric Garcetti is leading an initiative to build additional homes on existing housing lots. See page 70.

On the cover: Photograph by ioulex This page: Photograph by Dan Monick

MAY 2018 FASTCOMPANY.COM 3 Contents

FEATURES 58 TWITTER’S MOMENT OF TRUTH As the social media company’s stock rises, CEO Jack Dorsey and his team are finally contending with long-standing issues of safety, discrimination, and the limits of free speech. By Austin Carr and Harry McCracken 86 A RECIPE FOR GROWTH Twitter is waking José Andrés is building a multi- up to the reality tiered restaurant empire while that it must do speaking up for immigrants and more to combat helping disaster survivors. Here’s bots, trolls, and how his activism is bolstering his fake news. See business. page 58. By Matthew Shaer Prop stylist: Kathryn Brilinsky

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NEXT Ghizlan Guenez, founder of fashion 21 NIKE’S NEXT LAP site the Modist, is By focusing on direct-to-consumer establishing a channels, including its sneakerhead global, high-end app, Snkrs, Nike is reaching a new standard for generation of digital consumers. modest apparel. By Jonathan Ringen See page 41. 26 SPEAKERS, SEMINARS, AND SELFIES Female-centric conferences are thriving, having figured out how to empower—and market to—young entrepreneurial women. By Rina Raphael 30 BRAND IDENTITY CRISIS HOTLINE, PLEASE HOLD Creative agency Red Antler is the secret weapon behind beloved direct-to-consumer companies such as Casper and Allbirds. By Carrie Battan 36 NINTENDO GOES IRL The gaming giant’s hot new product? Perforated cardboard. By Harry McCracken 41 A MODEST PROPOSAL Luxury fashion startup the Modist is tapping into a global market for full-coverage, yet trendy, clothing. By Claire Dodson 44 PEPSICO’S FRESH START(UP) The massive snack corporation went lean to develop a new water bottle and flavor-pod system. By Katharine Schwab 46 THE NEW WESTWORLD ORDER Cocreators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy talk about AI, fan expecta- tions, and the dystopian theme park of Westworld. By Nicole LaPorte 52 POOLING RESOURCES Apolitical’s networking platform helps legislators across the world connect and solve problems. By Cale Weissman 54 ATLANTIC RECORDS’ MONEY MOVES Camille Hackney, who oversees brand partnerships for the music label, has learned how to make creative collaborations successful. By Claire Dodson

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DEPARTMENTS Atlantic Records’ Camille Hackney 10 FROM THE EDITOR matches musicians (such as Cardi B and 12 MOST CREATIVE PEOPLE Bruno Mars) with Former Garbage Time host Katie the right brands. Nolan is bringing her signature See page 54. wit to ESPN with the new podcast Sports? With Katie Nolan. 14 MOST INNOVATIVE COMPANIES The latest from Instacart, Bandier, Lyt, and more. 16 THE RECOMMENDER From a portable copper speaker to a blended Texas whiskey, here’s what the Fast Company community is loving right now. 108 THE LIST Ten ways artificial intelligence is making mundane tasks—such as writing emails, crating presentations, and searching for jobs—a little more bearable. By David Lidsky

8 FASTCOMPANY.COM MAY 2018 Photograph by Natalia Mantini

10 on existing lots. building small homes housing woes by Angeles’s big-city idea: Alleviate Los One world-changing FASTCOMPANY.COM MAY 2018 MAY FASTCOMPANY.COM ments, andthatfit—here’s the footage astwo-bedroomapart- that have roughly thesame square ADUs arefree-standingbungalows dwellingunits.known asaccessory other things, theingenioushomes housing stock,bybuilding,among to dramaticallyincreasethecity’s idea: tousethepowersofhisoffice half theirincomeonrent.Garcetti’s residents alreadyspendmorethan job, Nearly athirdofL.A. anyway: Not thatthemarketseemsupto Idea With aGood It AllStarts market tosortthingsout. cided nottowaitforthe mayor ofLosAngeles, de- tions, EricGarcetti,the shortage ofcrisispropor- Faced with a with Faced housing is anewbiodegradablepregnancy initiative isonthelist,ofcourse,as fastcompany.com. Garcetti’s ADU and youcanviewthefullrosteron submissions) startingonpage68, panel ofjudgesfromcloseto1,400 year’s 240honorees(chosen bya since 2014as Clendaniel—have beencelebrating ership ofsenioreditorMorgan at ofthegood,orwhatwe in service itty-bitty houses:It’s innovation ban futurejustgotalittleclearer. path fromsprawl toapost-subur- safe, legalhousing.AndforL.A.,the viding overcrowdedfamilieswith whilepro- geleno withabackyard, a potentiallandlordoutofanyAn- the affordablelittlehomeletsmake latter intosupportingthem.Now boned theformerandpoliticked ready forADUs, butGarcettijaw- ers norzoningregulatorswere Neitherbanksnorbuild- backyards. mind-bending part—into existing Ideas Fast Company Solving abig-city crisiswith . You’ll findaselectionofthis World-Changing —under thelead- ian, andTrump gadfly than-life restaurateur, humanitar- a forceforgooddrives thelarger- more just,lesspollutedplace. make theworldasafer, healthier, a creative ideahasthepowerto are proofthatindeterminedhands, solutions—across racialdivides. All to sparkconversation—and find odology thatusesdesignthinking test andaproblem-solvingmeth- fight willaffectusall. the bridge.The outcomeofthat results, togetthetrollsbackunder team arestruggling,withuneven users. NowCEO JackDorseyandhis something uglybyunscrupulous product hadbeentwistedinto an IPO, failingtoseehowtheir by earlysuccessanddistracted themselves belulledintosmugness tell it,thecompany’s leaderslet changing. As McCrackenandCarr recognize howquicklyitsworldwas world-changing ideathatfailedto form mightbestbedescribedasa company. The socialmediaplat- and withnexttonohelpfromthe McCracken, senior techeditorHarry by seniorwriterAustin Carrand reported inaherculeanjointeffort cover story, about the Andrés recipeworks. business successandsocialimpact, moment. Butmeasuredbyboth flavor willdominateatanygiven it’s sometimeshardtotellwhich impulsiveness, andcelebrity, and artistry,blend ofculinary altruism, anced profile,Andrésisacomplex Matthew Shaernotesinhisnu- FoodGroup restaurantempire.As (page 86),founderoftheThink- [email protected] ERIC SCHURENBERG A similarfaithinbusinessas And thenthere’s thismonth’s Twitter José Andrés (page 58), (page58),

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KATIE NOLAN Host, Sports? With Katie Nolan

Last year, Fox Sports 1’s quirky show Garbage Time With Katie Nolan came to an abrupt end when the network put it on hiatus amid executive leadership changes. Nolan has no regrets: The freewheeling weekly broadcast that ran for three seasons allowed her to ask guests such as Kevin Durant about his underwear, as well as call out the NFL for its handling of domestic assault charges against former Dallas Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy. She just wishes she’d been aware in advance that the Super Bowl 2017 show would be the last. “There would have been ﬁreworks,” she says. “And puppies.” In October 2017, she found greener Astroturf at ESPN, where she’s helping to boost the network’s digital presence as it expands beyond lin- ear media and game recaps. Nolan’s new multifaceted role includes regular on-camera ESPN guest commentator work and an anchor gig on the network’s Snap- chat version of SportsCenter, which has seen its audience double in size to more than 2 million daily viewers since its launch in October. Mean- while, she’s hosting a new podcast, called Sports? With Katie Nolan, which debuted in January and echoes Garbage Time in tone and BEST RECENT TECH DEVELOPMENT “Did they make that train that gets format (early episodes have her How She Stays Productive discussing a Rockets–Clippers you places in an hour yet? The Hyperloop? That would be great.” game, debating the merits of kale, WORST RECENT TECH DEVELOPMENT “Earbuds that don’t have any cords and running a Super Bowl halftime- “I HAVE A REWARD SYSTEM on them. AirPods? I always call them Air Buds, and that is a dog show bracket). “It’s fun to hear your WHERE I DO 30 MINUTES favorite athlete say more than, ‘We from a movie. I can’t tell when people have them in their ears OF WORK AND THEN 10 gave 100% out there, it was a team and they aren’t listening to me. Also, I’m not in on driverless cars. effort,’ ” Nolan says. “I like when They scare the hell out of me.” WHO WOULD BE ON HER LIST OF MINUTES OF DOING THINGS they talk about stuff they never talk MOST CREATIVE PEOPLE I WANT TO DO, LIKE SOCIAL about. People are so much more “Martellus Bennett, former tight end for the than their job.” —CLAIRE DODSON New England Patriots.” WHAT SHE’S GOOD AT “Making people laugh.” MEDIA AND EATING.”

12 FASTCOMPANY.COM MAY 2018 Photograph by Herring & Herring COME AS YOU ARE® Updates from the MIC alumni

Starbucks Milestones The coffee giant has teamed up with Chase to launch its first credit card. The Starbucks Rewards Visa allows users to earn and redeem points for food and drinks. The card expands Starbucks’s already-powerful loyalty program, which has more than 14 million members. Challenges The loyalty push comes as the company faces lower-than- expected same-store sales and slowing foot traffic at mall-based outposts. Buzz

The Home Depot Milestones The big-box retailer announced that it will soon sell Tesla solar panels and PowerWall bat- teries at 800 Home Depot outposts. The company hopes the Tesla-branded spaces will drive interest in the technology. Challenges With a price tag that runs nearly $6,000, grocers—both big and small—onto is drawing on the breadth of its lo- the PowerWall and its sup- Don’t Count its platform. “This industry has cal partnerships to better compete porting hardware don’t been waiting for a catalyst and a with Amazon, which recently began come cheap. Installation of Instacart Out change moment for a long time,” testing same-day delivery of Whole Tesla’s solar panels can cost says Instacart’s chief business offi- Foods groceries to Prime members. up to $25,000. Just Yet cer, Nilam Ganenthiran. “We’re very “The connections that retailers have Buzz thankful to the folks up in Seattle made in their communities are so for helping drive [our growth].” important if you’re trying to get Instacart Since Amazon’s big buy, Insta- customers to buy groceries online,” cart has signed on large grocers Ganenthiran says. “We’re finding Zipline International Amazon’s announce- such as Kroger and Albertsons, we can be a great complement to Milestones Two years ment last June of its while expanding its existing part- what these retailers already have.” after launching its medical- plan to buy Whole Foods nership with Costco. Instacart has —CLAIRE DODSON supplies drone-delivery served as a wake-up call long pitched itself as a “best friend” network in Rwanda, Zipline Milestones This spring, Instacart debuted the world’s fastest to grocers that the threat of to retailers. Now, that angle is even acquired Toronto delivery startup delivery drone in March at e-commerce could no lon- more appealing to grocers eager Unata to help develop its voice- its base in California. ger be ignored. And grocery-delivery to embrace mobile ordering and ordering and coupon-circulation Challenges As Zipline startup Instacart, known for its delivery while Instacart figures technology, as well as help it delve prepares to launch in deeper into international markets. same-day delivery from big-box out the nitty-gritty logistics. The Tanzania—and explores supermarkets, was ready to help. company now partners with six Challenges Because of its scale, opportunities beyond In February, the company closed a out of seven of the largest grocery Amazon has the ability to offer Africa—competitors such $200 million funding round, which stores in the U.S. and is in more reduced prices on produce and its as Amazon, Matternet, and it will use to beef up its digital logis- than 210 North American mar- two-hour delivery, which is free for Flytrex have entered the tics tools, double the size of its cor- kets. Its member base tripled last Prime members. drone-delivery space. porate team, and help bring more year, Ganenthiran says. Instacart Buzz Buzz

14 FASTCOMPANY.COM MAY 2018 Illustration by James Boast security, launched a free Vail Resorts app called Streety that allows users in a given Milestones The ski resort area to share footage from behemoth is introducing a Vivint’s home-surveillance chatbot assistant for nine systems with one another, of its mountains next win- creating a digital neighbor- ter. Named Emma, the bot hood-watch system. will offer skiers everything Challenges Home secu- from restaurant tips to real- rity is getting even more time info on lift lines and crowded: Amazon grew its grooming conditions. line of smart-home prod- Challenges Rival Alterra ucts by acquiring video Mountain Company doorbell startup Ring for a recently unveiled the first reported $1 billion. real competitor to Vail’s Buzz resort-spanning Epic Pass. Beginning this winter, the Bandier’s new We Over Ikon Pass will include access Me collection, its first to Alterra’s 12 destinations private brand, features and more than a dozen WhatsApp hoodies, joggers, crop independent resorts, such Milestones The new app tops, and those ubiquitous leggings. as Aspen and Jackson Hole. WhatsApp Business helps Buzz small companies communicate with their customers via messaging tools that automate greetings and its own styles. But Bandier’s com- provide quick replies to An Athleisure mitment to inclusive sizing sets commonly asked questions. the collection apart: Everything Challenges Apple is rolling Empire Gets runs up to 2XL, and the company out a new Business Chat tool wants to extend the range even on iMessage. The feature Physical further. Thanks to five national lets users directly message retail stores, and new ones open- a company, and has launch ing in West Hollywood and New partnerships with Hilton, York later this year, Bandier has Wells Fargo, and Lowe’s. Bandier unparalleled access to how cus- Buzz High-end activewear tomers use its products, since Rocket Lab retailer Bandier debuted the spaces often include fitness Milestones The Hunting- its first in-house apparel studios (the New York flagship ton Beach, California–based Lyft brand with the launch, in hosts 30 classes a week). Boyarsky startup’s Electron booster January, of a brightly hued calls its in-store classes “the best rocket reached orbit on Milestones The ride- workout-basics collection testing ground we could possibly only its second test flight hailing service is moving called We Over Me. Sold on Bandi- have.” (Brands like Nike also use in January. The company’s into autonomous vehicles, er’s site and through its brick-and- the studios for sneaker research.) small-load rockets promise thanks to a new partnership to bring down the cost of with Canadian auto-parts mortar stores, as well as via luxury “We sit in the middle of this trend reaching space for custom- maker Magna to develop a e-tailer Net-a-Porter, We Over Me toward activewear and fashion ers with less cargo. self-driving system for cars. signals the company’s readiness coming together,” says Boyarsky. It’s also piloting an auto- to take advantage of its athleisure “As retailers, we have to constantly Challenges The company is mated ride-hailing service operating in the shadow of expertise to create its own products. challenge the operating model. in Las Vegas, and recently SpaceX, which completed “[We have] our finger on the pulse These are new times.” —CD hired Tesla exec Jon McNeill the highly publicized debut of everything that’s happening from as COO. Milestones Bandier’s first Califor- of its Falcon Heavy rocket a fabric and fit perspective,” says nia store, in West Hollywood, will be in February. Challenges The challenges Bandier CEO Neil Boyarsky. “We modeled after the New York flag- of working for a ride-hailing Buzz have insight into what works.” ship, with studios, food vendors, company are once again and a larger sneaker selection. in the spotlight: A recent With its color-block patterns MIT study found that some and soft, durable fabrics, We Over Challenges As it develops more Uber and Lyft drivers make Me’s 14-piece collection bears a private labels, Bandier will have to Vivint less than $10 an hour, resemblance to other athleisure stake out new design territory to revealing the limitations of Milestones The smart- lines. Competitor Outdoor Voices, avoid bumping up against its more- the gig economy. home technology com- for one, has complained that the than-40 existing brand partners.

Courtesy of Rocket Lab pany, which specializes in Buzz designs are “nearly exact copies” of Buzz

MAY 2018 FASTCOMPANY.COM 15 What the Fast Company community is loving this month

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FastCompany.com/apply/IBD Entry Deadline: May 10, 2018 Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Coachella connect with fans. with connect to oppor new tunities and shoes edition has yielded limited- with Kendrick Lamar Nike’s partnership With Sneakerheads Playbook—and ItStarts Nike HasaNewDigital NIKE and black,withthewords Weekend inLosAngeles, andtheshoes—red,white, app calledSnkrs, whichNikehasbeenreﬁningover per Kendrick Lamar, alocallegend. across thelaces—weremadeinpartnershipwithrap- Customers received thenotiﬁcation throughan On a recent arecent On lease washappeningduringtheNBA All-Star released in1972—wasabouttodrop. The re- shoe—an old-schoolnylonsneakeroriginally edition versionofthebrand’s Cortezrunning Nike’s biggestfansgotanalert.Anew, limited- Friday morning,aselectgroupof DON’T TRIP By JonathanRingen emblazoned MAY 2018 FASTCOMPANY.COM 21 FUTURE OF RETAIL I NIKE

the past year as a way of connect- No. 2 Adidas. In the U.S., Adidas’s market share surged from 6.8% in 2016 to 10.3% last ing superfans with desirable pairs The Shoe Fits year, according to the NPD Group. During the same period, Nike’s share dropped from of, you know, sneakers. It is distinct 34.5% to 32.9%. Meanwhile, the shoemaker’s longtime brick-and-mortar partners have from the regular Nike app, where Nike’s quest to floundered as the retail landscape changes. “We realized that the market was moving you go to get a pair of performance personalize retail fast, and consumers were moving fast,” says Adam Sussman, who became Nike’s first shoes. Snkrs sticks to the kinds of extends from chief digital officer in 2016. “Mobile was becoming the main way that people were limited-edition runs—interesting Snkrs to the rest connecting with brands and shopping.” colorways, unusual styles, partner- of its channels. In response, Nike CEO Mark Parker announced a plan last summer to overhaul ships with performing artists or the way the company reaches customers: Though it still works with some 30,000 re- fashion designers such as Riccardo tailers worldwide, Nike began focusing its efforts on just 40 of them, including Foot Tisci—that are so popular they often 1. Locker and Nordstrom. (It also began working with Amazon.) Even more important, end up being resold, concert-ticket- Nike App it prioritized selling directly to customers through its own channels, which include style, on the secondary market. Taking a page from physical shops and, increasingly, digital Fans who collect rare sneakers the Snkrs playbook, storefronts such as Nike.com, the Nike Nike recently began (and streetwear by culty brands like “unlocking” special app, and Snkrs. Parker dubbed the effort Supreme) are known as hypebeasts, colorways of popular Nike Direct. “When a brand wants to fully and they are accustomed to waiting shoes to users of its control how a consumer perceives it,” main app and letting in endless, scrumlike lines at high- them customize kicks says NPD adviser Matt Powell, the lead- end boutiques with no guarantee with logos and per- ing authority on the sneaker business, sonalized laces. It of even getting a pair by the time also offers members “the best way to do that is to become its they reach the front. Nike was try- perks—Apple Music “THE MARKET WAS MOVING own retailer.” ing something different for its $100 credit, say—based on Parker has described the moves as past purchases. Cortez Kenny II, nicknamed “Kung FAST, AND CONSUMERS “a massive transformation,” streamlin- Fu Kennys” after Lamar’s alter WERE MOVING FAST. ing the company’s process from design 2. ego. (An earlier version, the Cortez MOBILE WAS BECOMING to manufacturing and refining its sales Kenny I, sold out in January and Nike Run experience using the data it has on more Club; Nike already goes for more than $400 a Training Club THE MAIN WAY THAT than 100 million “members” (Nike par- pair on the open market.) Nike used Nike’s training apps PEOPLE WERE CONNECTING lance for anyone who uses its training geofencing to ping only L.A.-based provide a suite of apps or makes a purchase through digi- services including Snkrs users about the release. Fans fitness trackers and WITH BRANDS,” SAYS tal channels). He tapped Sussman, along who wanted a pair reserved them workout programs. NIKE’S ADAM SUSSMAN. with Heidi O’Neill, president of the new on the app and were directed to You don’t need to Nike Direct division, to oversee the ef- purchase a Nike an address in downtown L.A. the product to use them. forts. Sussman is focused on using Nike’s own channels to offer richer and more per- following day. When they arrived, But you do need to sonalized shopping experiences—and to deliver them on a vast scale. To that end, he’s set up a Nike+ ac- they found themselves inside the count, creating a been rolling out a slew of experiments across all of the company’s digital properties, company’s highly Instagrammable digital thumbprint which also include the Nike Run Club and Nike Training Club apps. All-Star headquarters, which were that follows you But these days, the company’s boldest—and perhaps most impactful—experiences from app to app and swarmed throughout the weekend that can be used to are playing out on Snkrs. Though limited-edition drops aren’t an especially big part with stars such as Kobe Bryant, offer high-achieving of Nike’s business (according to NPD’s Powell, they make up less than 5% of the entire Bella Hadid, and Spike Lee. Lamar members exclusive sneaker industry), sneakerheads are highly coveted customers—and their enthusiasm retail rewards. was on hand for a live Q&A. Some has a halo effect. (Adidas’s relationships with the likes of Kanye West and Raf Simons, of the most engaged Snkrs users for example, have dramatically changed perceptions of its brand.) What’s more, by 3. received wristbands for his VIP tapping into its most obsessed customers, Nike is gaining insights on how to develop performance that night. Nike store and activate a community, ideas that it can use in the sneaker wars to come. Last fall, Nike worked For Nike, the experience was with ad agency about much more than selling Wieden+Kennedy’s Home for the Snkrs squad is a gritty Manhattan office space known as S23NYC—named limited-edition sneakers. It was an tech studio, the for its street address and Michael Jordan’s number. While the teams responsible for Lodge, to create an experiment that could one day be AR-enabled sneaker Nike’s other digital properties are located at the company’s Beaverton, Oregon, head- applied throughout the company. customization expe- quarters, Snkrs’s graffiti-filled outpost operates more like a startup. Until it was ac- Until last year, Nike primarily rience in the shoe- quired by Nike in 2016, it was a startup, albeit one backed by Richard Branson, called maker’s New York saw itself as a wholesaler creating City studio space. Virgin Mega. product for retail partners at vari- Shoppers could slip Virgin Mega’s founder, Ron Faris, helped develop the Virgin music festival while on a shoe, project dif- ous levels: hypebeast boutiques ferent graphics onto working in marketing for the company a decade ago. He was fascinated by how ex- at the high end, chains like Foot it, and have their fa- cited kids got as they waited to get into the festival, and it occurred to him that there Locker in the middle, and discount vorite design printed are both good and bad kinds of lines. That insight led him to launch Virgin Mega and within an hour. outlets like DSW at the bottom. create digital tools designed to gamify the experience of shopping for high-demand But after decades of outpacing its goods, including a virtual queue where fans could compete to get closer to the front sneaker rivals, the once indomi- and interact in other ways. table athletic-wear company has When Nike bought Virgin Mega, it tasked Faris, an affable Brooklyn dad who favors been losing ground—and buzz—to flannel shirts and old-school Jordan sneakers, with turning Nike’s then-new Snkrs app

22 FASTCOMPANY.COM MAY 2018 into a test bed for the company’s Faris and his team have rolled out Pokémon Go–inspired shoe releases, called Sneaker digital efforts. “The idea,” says Nike has an increas- Stashes, in which users in a certain city are given hints to meet at speciﬁc locations. ingly wide range Sussman, “is that we’ll build for one of collaborators for When they get near the spot, the shoe is “unlocked” on their app. With Shock Drops, a product and reuse what we’ve built its Snkrs-worthy shoes. pair of shoes—for example, the Jordans that Justin Timberlake wore during his recent across the entire [Nike] portfolio.” Clockwise from top Super Bowl halftime performance—appear in the app and can be reserved at different At the same time, Nike had to left: The Air Jordan II vendors, including Nike’s own storefronts. Just Don, created with repair its relationship with sneak- Chicago streetwear The Snkrs team’s most audacious experiment took place last summer, around the erheads. The company, fans say, designer Don Crawley; release of a shoe unlike any in Nike’s history. When the brand paired up with Momofuku had been rolling out an excess of Kendrick Lamar’s chef–owner David Chang to make a signature version of the classic Dunk sneaker, no- putatively “exclusive” product, Cortez Kenny II; chef body knew whether there would be much crossover between sneakerheads and foodie tarnishing the desirability of even David Chang’s SB Dunk culture. To get a pair, fans had to snap a photo of a Momofuku menu using the Snkrs High Pro Momofuku; top lines like Jordans. “They alien- the Air Jordan III JTH, app—which unlocked an augmented- ated a lot of customers by releas- Justin Timberlake’s reality moment where the shoe appeared ing [too many pairs of] shoes that Super Bowl sneakers; to be ﬂoating above the menu. had traditionally been limited, to a the Air Max 1 Atmos, Not only did the shoe sell out, but it created with cult Japa- point where those shoes were sit- nese retailer Atmos; converted Chang fans into Nike ones. ting on shelves,” says Yu-Ming Wu, and the Ten Off-White Faris’s team followed the Chang shoppers founder of the annual rare-shoe x Nike Blazer, from on the Snkrs app for four weeks after the expo Sneakercon. Adidas’s Kanye designer Virgil Abloh. shoe’s release. “They entered 30% more West–designed Yeezy shoes, mean- drops and spent twice as much money as while, were all the more irresistible normal consumers,” Faris says. “We won for their elusiveness. Faris needed foodies into the sneaker-culture tribe.” to make Nike’s limited-edition Beyond the cool factor that these runs feel more rare—while making “THE IDEA IS THAT WE’LL initiatives cultivate, there are the APIs, the shopping experience for them BUILD FOR ONE PRODUCT which can be plugged into other Nike more satisfying. apps. Faris envisions being able to allow In slightly more than a year, AND REUSE WHAT WE’VE runners who use the Nike Run Club app, S23NYC has developed a suite of BUILT ACROSS THE ENTIRE for instance, to unlock a limited-edition tools that allow for a wide variety of [NIKE] PORTFOLIO,” performance shoe by completing certain Snkrs experiences—and gather data tasks. Nike’s digital ecosystem isn’t yet about Nike’s most passionate fans. SUSSMAN SAYS. stitched together as closely as it needs

MAY 2018 FASTCOMPANY.COM 23 FUTURE OF RETAIL I NIKE

sneakerheads. During All-Star Secondhand News Weekend, the company debuted several lines of limited-edition Growing interest in streetwear has customers and investors alike turning their attention women’s shoes, including rein- to the once niche sneaker-resale market. The top players: vented versions of classic Jordan models, which sold out immediately. A week later, the company announced Nike Unlaced, a retail experience for female sneaker fans that launched online at the end of March and will roll out to physical stores this fall. Members of the platform will get same-day delivery on street-style collaborations and the chance to make one-on-one appointments with guest stylists. 1. 2. 3. “There’s the style-obsessed female, StockX GOAT Stadium Goods and then there are women in the FOUNDED IN DETROIT FOUNDED IN CULVER CITY, FOUNDED IN NEW YORK sneaker-fan community,” Sussman IN 2016 CALIFORNIA, IN 2015 IN 2015 says. “We’ve found opportunities to serve both.” Users 5 million a month 7 million to date 15 million to date Nike’s retail reorientation is showing results: The company’s Social networks 398,000 followers 965,000 followers 708,200 followers direct-to-consumer sales grew 16% last year—compared with 6% for The gist Buyers place bids and GOAT (short for Greatest Though 80% of Stadium the entire Nike brand. The company sellers submit asks for of All Time) sells only Goods’s merchandise is is now thinking about further steps. sneakers and other life- sneakers—more than sneakers, the most expen- style goods On StockX, 400,000 of them, includ- sive item ever sold on the Because once you start learning from Supreme hoodies to ing the Yeezy Boost 350 platform was a Supreme x what your customers want, why not Louis Vuitton monogram V2 Beluga 2.0 and the Rolex Submariner watch bags. When they match, Pharrell x Chanel x Adidas for $50,000. A quarter of feed that information into the very a transaction occurs auto- NMD Trail Human Race, its stock is geared toward beginning of the Nike process—the matically. which sold for $20,000. women. creation of the shoe itself? For its latest project, S23NYC identified The bottom line Thanks to A-list investors GOAT has raised $97.6 mil- Kirsten Green’s Forerun- specific neighborhoods in several like Eminem, Mark Wahl- lion in three years from ner Ventures has invested, cities around the world where Snkrs berg, Scooter Braun, and high-profile investors that and LVMH Luxury Ven- AOL’s Tim Armstrong, include former Twitter tures recently took an data shows an unusual amount of StockX has raised $7.5 mil- COO Adam Bain and Casey undisclosed stake. New demand. It recently sent research- lion. It tops out at $1 mil- Wasserman. It recently partnerships with Aliba- lion in sales daily, and acquired Flight Club, a ba’s Tmall and Nordstrom ers into those areas. “They’ll come projects more than $500 sneaker consignment site signal the platform’s back with videos, photo galleries, million in gross merchan- with retail outposts in L.A. global and affluent interviews,” Faris says. “They’ll re- dise volume for 2018. and New York. expansion. —Priya Rao ally get a sense of that world—and will brief our footwear designers.” These regional shoes—which to be to pull this off. But Sussman says it is getting there. “It’s great to have different the company plans to market to product teams dedicated to each of these experiences,” he says of Nike’s various apps, residents of each area, along with “because they all come up with such different ideas.” people elsewhere who share affini- Sussman, who joined the company in 2014 as head of global strategy, credits his ties with them—will start appearing background in video-game publishing—with stints at Take-Two Interactive, Electronic in late summer. The design process Arts, and Disney—as key to his current role. “I learned how to drive consumer connec- will be compressed, in ways that tions and leverage new technologies for the sake of better entertaining or serving the eventually the entire company customer,” he says. He points to a new program for the main Nike app that, though still might be able to take advantage of. in beta, shows how far he’d like to take things. Nike 1:1 is an experiment in something “Because we can sell directly, we called conversational commerce, where consumers with very specific interests are don’t have to get retailers to buy paired with an expert who can help them achieve their goals, anything from finding into our ideas,” Faris says. “Usually, a trendy pair of shoes (via a stylist) to training for a 5K (with a competitive runner). there are months spent working “Our experts will be able to get you the right gear,” says Michelle Goad, who runs the with the different retailers on how program. “But then there is all this added value. They’ll follow up with training plans we want to target [customers]. All and guided runs and invite you to meetups. Keep you on point, so you don’t quit.” of that stuff? It goes away when you The company is also using data to identify underserved demographic groups and are building a one-on-one relation- address them in new ways. One cohort Nike has recently begun targeting is female ship with the consumer.”

24 FASTCOMPANY.COM MAY 2018 Illustrations by Marco Goran Romano PREMIUM SERVICE ON A GLOBAL SCALE.

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In the airy auditorium of a massive industrial space in downtown L.A., Kim Kardashian West lays out her approach to entrepreneurship to an audience of around 1,500 young women. Attendees, who moments earlier were knocking over chairs to get as close as possible to the stage and frantically posting on social media, are captivated. “I put in the work,” Kardashian West says. “There’s nothing that bothers me more than people that are lazy.” How to Make It in The crowd erupts into cheers. “She’s everything,” gushes an ombré-haired audience member. As Kardashian West waves farewell, confetti falls from the ceiling Business, the and audience members wave cocktails in the air excitedly. Some dance in the aisles. Welcome to Create & Cultivate, a one-day summit of female entrepreneurship that Millennial (Pink) Way founder Jaclyn Johnson describes as a “work party.” The event, which has cropped

26 FASTCOMPANY.COM MAY 2018

TRENDSPOTTING 28 on entrepreneurship, personal conferences place equalemphasis corporate predecessors, these whiskey-fueled afterhoursoftheir traditionally malespeakersand than 10,000peopleshowedup. big-name talkswentfor$20.)More Copeland aspanelists. (Tickets for becca MinkoffandballerinaMisty last fallwithhandbagdesignerRe- #CreateGood festival inNewYork The brandalsohostedthefive-day crafting andflower-crown making. workshops thatincludejewelry business categoriesandoffers of speakersacrossnontraditional two-day eventshowcasesdozens emphasizes personalcreativity. The an annualRe:Make festival that and socialmediahandles, holds each monththroughitswebsite estimated 175millionwomen media companythatreachesan Brit + Co, asix-year-old lifestyle between $325and$700perticket. and some700attendeespaying Bozoma SaintJohnasheadliners trow andUberchiefbrandofficer spring withGoop’s Pal- Gwyneth the eventisreturningtoL.A.this New York andLosAngelesin2017, daylong GirlbossRally. After hitting boss, amediastartupfeaturingthe ambition withthelaunchofGirl- rected herbrandofedgyfeminine was soldofflastyear, recentlyresur- filed forbankruptcyin2016and e-commerce company, NastyGal, millennial. SophiaAmoruso, whose and budgetsofthecareer-minded ferences cateringtothetastes, needs, platform, isoneofseveralnewcon- maintains anonlinecareer-advice rate expenseaccountisrequired. between $350and$550,nocorpo- quotations. Andwithticketspriced feministliving wallsandglittery Instagram-ready backdropsof by kombucha,areheldagainst vices. Networkingevents, fueled makeup barsandear-piercing ser- sessions andpop-upmarketswith capitalists. Itfeaturesmentoring Teigen) alongsideCEOs andventure speakers (LaurenConrad,Chrissy past fewyears, showcasescelebrity ing Atlanta andSeattle,overthe up innearlyadozencities, includ- FASTCOMPANY.COM MAY 2018 MAY FASTCOMPANY.COM Offering analternative tothe Create &Cultivate, whichalso I MILLENNIAL CONFERENCES MILLENNIAL due out in August. August. in out due book, her events; and form plat- adigital spans which Cultivate, son founded Create & events agency, John- an running After Jaclyn Johnson 3. online classes. and line product get aTar- encompasses site that e-commerce and lifestyle aDIY Co, fore launching Brit + be- Google at keting mar- in worked Morin Brit Morin 2. and podcast. online community an toinclude brand Girlboss her panding ex- been has preneur entre- Gal Nasty The Sophia Amoruso 1. Founders EventUpstart theMeet CREATE & CULTIVATE RE:MAKE; #CREATEGOOD GIRLBOSS RALLY WorkParty , is , is Joanne Lipman,authorofthenewbook and CEO oftheMuse. striving towardsomeofthesame goalsasyouare,”says Kathryn Minshew, cofounder surrounded, virtually orinperson,byotherswhoshareyourethosandmay be focused career-development platform.“There’s powerfulaboutbeing somethingvery Bizz networkingapp(wherewomenmakethefirstmove),andMuse,amillennial- streak. Amongthemarethefemale-onlycoworkingspacesofWing, theBumble empowering youngwomenintheworkspaceandtappingintotheirentrepreneurial earrings—a novelway tomeetandmingle. “selfie zones,” an New YorkNovember last headshots; L.A.’s willincludeaNike-sponsoredboxingclass. The Brit + Co eventin venture funding.The NewYork rallyhadhairtouch-upsforprofessionalLinkedIn Repeller be pink,itcan fun,anditcanstillbeserious.” then alsoonline.” conference intosocialmedia:“Every momentisonethatcanbesharedinpersonand giant, says shewasimpressedbyhow theaudiencetransferreditsenthusiasmfor Seattle campus. AmandaDuncan,seniorcommunicationsmanager atthetechnology Microsoft aspartners. Lastfall,Microsoft hostedaneditionofCreate&Cultivate atits and beautycompanies. Today, Create &Cultivate countsQuickBooks, WeWork, and ganizers. When Johnsonlaunchedhereventin2012, only sponsorswerefashion and ways tonetwork. credits suchconferenceswith“pioneering newandmorecollaborative experiences” place intheworldofwork,”says Melissa Matlins, VP ofmarketingattheMuse.She are helpingagenerationofwomenandunderrepresentedgroups findtheirvoiceand their ownhavens? targetedevents “These der. Why shouldn’t youngwomencreate courses toBurningManTough Mud- today,ing happenseverywhere fromgolf tea andamakeupbaron-site.Network- any lessusefulbecausethere’s matcha ing womenintheworkplace. the larger, morestructuralproblemsfac- are infantilizinganddistractpeoplefrom in (girlboss, fempreneur, businessbabe) and hashtagstheseconferencestraffic argue thatthetongue-in-cheekterms to entrepreneurship. Andsome critics of femaleempowermentorpathway ture—may woman’s notbeevery idea signs andbubblegum-coloredfurni- neonmaking—not tomentioncheeky purposefullyoverafew-yearvery block.” man says, and“are planningthingsout the eraoflifetimeemployersisover, Lip- gig economyisascendant.They knowthat cession andgrewupinaworldwherethe (and WomenNeedtoTellThem)AboutWorkingTogether. building. The GirlbossRallies featuretalksfromentrepreneurslikebloggerand roundtables, pitchingtutorials, andpodcastingseminarsthatemphasizeaudience sion project,orsidehustle.At Create&Cultivate, attendeesmovebetweenbusiness kind ofbusinessleader:onewhobuiltacareeraroundhersocialmediapersona,pas- branding, andunabashedly girlienetworkingactivities. Speakersoftenembodyanew Women intheirtwentiesandthirtieshave cometoprioritizeself-reliance, says These eye-candyeventsarepartofawidertrendstartupsbuiltontheidea For Johnson,meldingeducation withInstagrammablemoments isthegoal:“Itcan And iftheypoponsocialmedia—anddraw insponsors—allthebetterforor- Organizers say theprogrammingisn’t But boxingclassesandjewelry founderLeandraMedineonestablishingyourbrandidentityandnavigating d attendeesplayed skeeballinapinkarcadeandknittedpom-pom featured atemporary-tattoo parlorandconfectionery-filled That’s WhatSheSaid:MenNeedtoKnow FEMALE EMPOWERMENT. EVERY WOMAN’S IDEAOF FURNITURE—MAY NOT BE BUBBLEGUMCOLORED CHEEKY NEONSIGNSAND NOT TO MENTION JEWELRY MAKING— BOXING CLASSES AND They cameofageduringthere- Man

Caroline Lee/Woodnote Photography (Johnson)

RED ANTLER By Carrie Battan Photograph by Andy Ryan

Red Antler’s founders (from left: Simon Endres, Emily Heyward, and JB Osborne) help startups build their identities from the ground up.

Creative Agency Red Antler Is a Cult-Brand Whisperer

In 2013, the patent for ﬁnasteride, the active ingredient in male- pattern-baldness medication Propecia, expired. This might seem an unlikely development to send ripples across the nimble, young world of startups, but within a couple of years, a handful of entrepreneurs were zeroing in on hair loss as a zone ripe for disruption. Among them were Steven Gutentag and Demetri Karagas, ex-Google employees who were losing their own hair. Finasteride was there for the taking, but it had deeply entrenched associations with a host of unsexy things: emasculation, aging, infomercials, and even the president of the United States. (Sample headline from the past year: “Why I Would Never Take Propecia, President Trump’s Hair Growth Drug.”) As Gutentag and Karagas set about launching Keeps, a subscription service with ﬁnasteride- and minoxidil-based products, they knew they would have to reframe hair loss as a normal, preventable

30 FASTCOMPANY.COM MAY 2018 Attendees connected and recharged at the pop-up store John Hancock’s Steve Dorval spoke to the art of long-term Lifeway Foods celebrated Fast Company’s Most Creative from BizBox powered by Ofice Depot. planning in a short-term culture, particularly for millennials. People with live music and cocktails.

Merck’s Adam Schechter (second from right) and other healthcare leaders stressed the balance between technology Salesforce.org’s Rob Acker and other nonprofit leaders and the human touch. revealed how technology is accelerating humanitarian eforts.

WHERE BUSINESS AND CULTURE COLLIDE

Every March, the Fast Company Julie Smolyansky, Fast Company editor-in-chief CEO of Lifeway Grill is the ultimate destination Stephanie Mehta with iconic Foods, discussed her journalist Dan Rather, who new book, The Kefir L’Oréal showcased the Future of Beauty with in Austin—an inspiring oasis for inspired the audience during Cookbook, and hosted customized makeup and skincare products. innovators and influencers to his panel. the MCP cocktail party. connect, create, and kick back in an exclusive, relaxed setting.

PARTNERS

Describing the path to global high-speed internet, Executives from Konica Minolta and other industry leaders Viasat’s Kate Green (far right) and other players identified explored the need for continuous reinvention to stay ahead. opportunities for business and society at large.

Experts from Vistage and other companies outlined the most Ticketmaster’s Greg Economou shared how digital technology efective strategies for attracting and retaining talent in a can revolutionize the fan experience. hypercompetitive market. BEHIND THE BRAND I RED ANTLER

issue for young men, rather than a shameful inevitability for the middle aged. They needed, says Gutentag, a brand “that would resonate and be approachable to the average guy.” If Keeps had launched a decade ago, its founders might have had to solve these problems in-house—or through a traditional advertising campaign. Instead, they tapped Red Antler, an 85-person company with a hyperfluid set of capabilities that all fall under the umbrella of “branding agency.” Founded by JB Osborne, Emily Heyward, and Simon Endres—former advertising professionals with experience at agencies like Saatchi & Saatchi and J. Walter Thompson—Red Antler helps entrepreneurs build identities for their nascent companies. Though this sort of brand-first approach is becoming commonplace today, even into the mid-aughts the notion of brand was often an after- thought, something to be developed as a company grew. But as supply chains and venture capital have become more accessible, entrepre- venture capitalists now tap it to better position their portfolio companies. After neurs have flooded into consumer Red Antler Starbucks chairman Howard Schultz’s venture fund, Maveron, invested in Keeps last helped men’s- goods. More competition means summer, one of the firm’s partners introduced Gutentag and Karagas to Red Antler. hair-loss startup more companies needing a point of Keeps develop Within three months, the firm had formulated a core identity for the company. Led differentiation. “There used to be a everything from by Heyward’s strategy team, Red Antler’s consumer research had found that young much higher barrier to entry,” Hey- its crown- men weren’t proactively engaging in hair-loss prevention. Heyward advised Guten- ward says. “Now there are at least shaped logo to tag and Karagas to use straightforward messaging to give men in their twenties a the content on three businesses in any category its website. sense of urgency and control. launching at the same time.” (Keeps By last November, Red Antler’s designers, under the direction of chief creative of- rival Hims, for example, debuted in ficer Endres, had developed an entire suite of brand components for Keeps, from pack- November.) Meanwhile, the rise of aging (discreet, clean) and a color scheme (forest green, bright coral red) to a logo that social media has multiplied the ways was wry and just shy of cutesy (a wide-toothed comb standing on its side to resemble that brands are expected to interact a crown) and a full-service website. When Keeps launched in January with the words with consumers: One potent and DON’T LOSE IT splayed in large type across its website, along with a “Hair Loss 101” page, expensive billboard ad or TV com- it helped incite a conversation online about how millennial men think about their hair. mercial will no longer suffice. “You come to Keeps, you use it, and you The Brooklyn-based Red Antler, “FOR EVERY BUSINESS move on with your life,” Karagas says. which launches dozens of brands Red Antler’s founders relish being a year, offers an immense array of WE’RE WORKING WITH,” able to develop a brand from the start. services: designing logos, digital SAYS RED ANTLER “In advertising, someone comes to you experiences, and product packag- COFOUNDER JB OSBORNE, with a problem, but you can’t actually ing; producing content and adver- fix it,” says Osborne, who serves as Red tising; and even coming up with “WE’RE LOOKING AT, DOES Antler’s CEO. “They just want you to names. It’s especially active in the THIS [BRAND] STRETCH?” layer a creative idea on top if it.” In 2007, burgeoning world of direct-to- Osborne and his fellow principals had consumer goods: Allbirds, Casper, left their big-agency jobs and were a scrappy team trying to find business wherever and Birchbox all bear the marks of they could. Something clicked during consultation meetings with ZocDoc; they real- Red Antler in their laid-back but ized that there was a surplus of upstart companies grappling with the challenge of direct messaging and clean design. branding before they’d even launched. The firm has become so promi- By 2010, the trio had developed the explicit mission of soup-to-nuts branding for nent in the startup ecosystem that new companies. One of the agency’s biggest early clients was Casper, whose founders

32 FASTCOMPANY.COM MAY 2018 turned to the firm in 2013 before they’d fully developed their first mattress. Casper’s And so Red Antler has become modern typography, its soft and familiar one-word name, its focus on the consumer’s a kind of gatekeeper for entrepre- lifestyle, and its conversational approach to service are now globally recognizable and neurs, who seek it out for pre-seed widely replicated. (Caspercore, as some have called it.) consultations and introductions There are less obvious manifestations of Red Antler’s work, such as Casper’s grow- to investors. The firm often finds ing number of retail stores. Red Antler’s brand road maps often include big, ambitious itself in the position of backing transitions that unfold over years—such as brick-and-mortar plans for e-commerce one entrant over others in the same companies whose websites haven’t even gone live. “For every business we’re working category. Occasionally, Red Antler with,” Osborne says, “we’re looking at, does this [brand] stretch? Is it going to work even puts money into a brand it- as the business grows and scales?” And because Red Antler often takes equity in ex- self, as it did with the new online change for services, it is invested in its clients’ long-term success. The rewards can be butcher Porter Road. But as direct- great: Red Antler won’t reveal its stake in Casper, but the mattress company was last to-consumer startups scramble to valued at $750 million. differentiate themselves, brand “Sometimes you do projects, and later you look back and think, What the hell were development can sometimes out- we thinking? But Casper has really held up,” says Ben Lerer, founder of Thrillist and pace product innovation. Red Antler the venture-capital firm Lerer Hippeau, which backed Casper and a number of other worked on Maria Sharapova’s high- Red Antler companies, including Allbirds and Birchbox. In the world of venture capital, end candy company, Sugarpova, discussions about brand identity are “100 times more important than ever before,” in 2012. Sophisticated packaging Lerer says. “When we’re investing in consumer companies, we’re looking for founders notwithstanding, the company’s who understand just how absolutely critical brand is.” sweets haven’t taken off with the same velocity as lux-gummy pio- neer Sugarfina. Sometimes the brand itself is the innovation. Last year, Red What’s in a Name? Antler helped launch Brandless, a How Red Antler shaped the brands of three breakthrough companies direct-to-consumer company that sells high-quality goods (dish- washing detergent, shampoo, cereal, and more) for $3 an item. 1. Problem: The former Obama staffers behind the ac- Crooked Media tivist podcasting collective (Pod Save America, Pod For Brandless cofounder Tina Save the People) wanted to relaunch their website Sharkey, the dilemma was how to last fall with a bolder brand. craft a brand that is alluring and Strategy: “We told them to drop ‘Media’ from their stokes consumers’ appetites while logo and just go with ‘Crooked,’ ” says Heyward. stripping it of predetermined asso- “What they’re doing is bigger than media.” ciations. “It’s not generic, it’s brand- Solution: Red Antler developed a refined logo, with a nod to the American flag in yellow and white stripes, less, which stands for something and colorful icons (e.g., a White House flipped upside bigger,” says Sharkey, who devel- down) that also stand out on Crooked’s “merch.” oped the idea while she was CEO of the startup consultancy Sherpa Foundry. Early on, she connected 2. Problem: Founder Joshua Wiesman had designed Smilo baby products for other brands. He wanted his own to with Red Antler. “I’ve always set stand out for their scientific advantages. out to meet the extraordinary pit Strategy: Addressing new parents, Smilo needed to crews,” she says, “the people work- project both warmth and authority, says Heyward. ing with entrepreneurs and giving “We wanted to illustrate the benefits without becom- them an unfair advantage.” ing overwhelming.” Red Antler responded with Solution: On Smilo’s e-commerce site, the Red Antler team paired sophisticated photography with a series something of a mission state- of simple, line-drawn icons indicating when a product ment—“Life, Liberty, and the has, say, anti-colic qualities or is BPA-free. Pursuit of Fairly Priced Every- thing”—and created the company’s 3. signature look. Each product is Problem: Before the vertical-farm startup could re- dressed in a single color and given Bowery Farming ally scale, it had to get press, chefs, and buyers ex- cited about its new way of growing produce. a straightforward description. Strategy: “This is high-tech produce,” says Heyward, From the front, the only indication “but it has to feel palatable and appealing.” of the company is a simple trade- Solution: The lettuce-leaf logo and typography Red mark symbol, refashioned—by Antler developed has an organic quality, but is still Endres’s light touch—into a logo. clean and precise, says Heyward. The website in- “Simon and I laughed,” Sharkey cludes a robust section on the science of vertical farming —accompanied by hand-drawn, watercolor- says. “This is like Zen and the art style illustrations. of branding.”

MAY 2018 FASTCOMPANY.COM 33 5 or fewer

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Nintendo Breaks Out of the Box

Even the savviest observer of the Japanese video-game giant Nin- tendo couldn’t have predicted that the interactive gaming experience it announced last January would involve not a VR headset or a new Mario game, but perforated cardboard, colorful string, elastic bands, and plastic grommets. These resolutely low-tech items are the stuff of Labo (short for laboratory), a mind- bendingly imaginative series of add-ons for the breakout Switch handheld console, which Nintendo introduced in March of 2017. As much maker projects as they are games, Labo’s DIY kits let you fold cardboard parts into smart toys that you can engage using the Switch. The $70 Variety Kit provides the makings of a piano and a ﬁshing rod, along with a house, a motorbike, and two radio-controlled cars. Labo’s second offering, the $80 Robot Kit, contains parts for a visor and backpack that, once built, turn

36 FASTCOMPANY.COM MAY 2018 Goodnight, normal trading hours.

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1. A Switch touch screen reflects the notes you play on the Labo piano. 2. Controller- equipped handles steer a digital motorbike. 3. The pole

3 lets you catch fish that swim around the Switch screen. the wearer into a Transformers-style automaton. (Crouch down and your character can zip over terrain like a tank; stand up and raise your arms and it takes flight.) Much of the technology that brings Labo’s structures to life is found in the Switch’s controllers, which detach from the console’s main touch screen. When placed inside a cardboard car, for example, the controllers’ coordinated vibrations propel it forward. Pop one controller into the handle of the fishing rod and its motion sensor detects whether you’re lowering your bait or reeling in a feisty mackerel, with all of the action depicted on the Switch screen in real time. Inside Labo’s piano, a controller uses its embedded infrared camera to identify which keys you’re pressing. As gadgetry such as Facebook’s Oculus Rift is making entertainment more virtual, Labo’s joyful physicality represents a back-to-basics move for Nintendo, which was founded in 1889 as a manufacturer of playing cards and expanded to make other playthings in the 1960s. It’s hard to imagine the other console kingpins (Sony’s PlayStation 4 and Microsoft’s Xbox One) offering anything similar to Labo—and that’s the point. Since its earliest days in the video-game business, “Nintendo has chosen to do it their own way,” says Blake J. Harris, author of Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle That Defined a Generation. Staying unique is “challenging, and it’s high risk as well, but it’s something that we embrace,” says Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé. It also requires a willingness to ignore the advice of outsiders. After 2012’s Wii U console fizzled—it reached a total of 13.5 million units sold, versus 102 million for the original Wii—pundits declared that it was time for the company to retrench to safer territory, such as making smartphone games. With titles such as 2016’s Super Mario Run, Nintendo did start bringing its iconic characters to iPhone and Android gamers. Rather than abandoning its own hardware, however, it introduced the Switch. The versatile handheld surpassed the Wii U’s lifetime unit sales in 10 months, and it became the fastest-selling console in U.S. history. Rolling out Labo just over a year after the launch of the Switch is a way for Nintendo to keep the momentum going. Animated on-screen instructions guide users through the building process, making it feel more like play than Ikea-esque drudgery. Once assembled, the projects, though endearingly wobbly, work well. And each has unexpected depth: The piano, for instance, can also act as a virtual aquarium—and you can create your own fish by cutting them out of cardboard, When you buy a then scanning them using the camera-equipped controller. i shing license, There’s even a simple programming feature, which allows users to devise new functionalities, such as employing the Robot Kit backpack to steer a car from the Variety Kit. They can even fab- you do a lot. ricate a theoretically infinite array of wholly original gizmos out of their own cardboard. Its forays into cardboard notwithstanding, Nintendo’s greatest assets are still its signature video-game franchises, such as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey, both of which have been best sellers. But Fils-Aimé relishes Labo’s potential to broaden the company’s audience as new kits are developed. “No doubt, Labo will appeal to consumers that today don’t see themselves playing video games,” he says. “A n d we love that aspect of the product.”

38 FASTCOMPANY.COM MAY 2018

In schools to encourage healing. As if dealing with his mom’s death wasn’t hard enough, Sean had to adjust to a new home and new school. It was a lot to handle, so he struggled emotionally and academically. Lee from Communities In Schools helped Sean develop coping skills by inding positive outlets for his feelings. As his attitude improved, his grades followed—going from D’s to B’s. Now, he’s focused on football and a promising future. There are millions of at-risk kids like Sean who need a caring adult to help them stay in school and succeed in life. See how we help all kids succeed. | CommunitiesInSchools.org INNOVATION AGENT

GHIZLAN GUENEZ By Claire Dodson Founder and CEO, The Modist Photograph by Katarina Premfors

A native Algerian who grew up in the Middle East, Ghizlan Guenez The Modist was working in private equity when she developed the idea for a luxury e-commerce platform devoted to the kind of clothes that she and the women Delivers Style in her family like to wear: high fashion, just with “long sleeves, long hems, no high slits, not too much lace,” she says. But when Guenez began taking Without Sacrifice the concept of a “modest” fashion site to designers a couple of years ago, she found that many had a very narrow idea of what that meant, envisioning plain fabrics and loose silhouettes. “[They] had a speciﬁc woman, religion, and even country in mind,” she says. “We are smashing these stereotypes.”

Led by CEO Guenez, the Modist is giving modest clothing a fashionable twist.

MAY 2018 FASTCOMPANY.COM 41 INNOVATION AGENT I THE MODIST

Last March, on International Women’s Day, Guenez launched the Modist, which showcases everything from floral silk dresses to fitted sequin jumpsuits from more Modest Fashion on the Rise than 100 designers. The site, which has already attracted shoppers in 65 countries, reflects the concerns of a growing group of women who, for reasons both cultural and These four companies are covering shoppers personal, want full-coverage clothing that doesn’t forgo style. The modest fashion space around the world. is predicted to grow into a $484 billion market by 2019, largely spurred on by Muslim shoppers, who are expected to spend $368 billion on apparel by 2021, according to the recent State of the Global Islamic Economy Report from Thomson Reuters. 1. The fashion industry has taken notice. In February, Macy’s launched the Verona Uniqlo Collection, a ready-to-wear line that includes hijabs, tunics, and layered ensembles. Since 2015, Uniqlo has Meanwhile, at the luxury level, houses such as Dolce & Gabbana and Burberry have partnered with British- Japanese designer Hana spent the past couple years getting into the space, offering special abaya collections Tajima on collections that during Ramadan. The Arab Fashion Council recently expanded its Arab Fashion Week include hijabs and tradi- from Dubai to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In London, the two-year-old Modest Fashion tional Southeast Asian– Week showcases designers from around the world, including emerging labels such style baju kurung tunic dresses, but are aimed at as Under-Rapt and 1001 Abayas. audiences beyond the The Modist, which is one of the first platforms devoted entirely to high-end, full- Muslim world. coverage fashion, follows Net-a-Porter’s model of mixing curated e-commerce with content—including a seasonal print magazine, The Mod—to create a robust online community. (Guenez even hired two Net-a-Porter veterans for her team: chief operating officer Lisa Bridgett and fashion and buying director Sasha Sarokin.) The company 2. distinguishes itself from competitors by showcasing both traditionally modest labels and appropriate styles from mainstream brands, such as Missoni, Oscar de la Renta, Macy’s and Proenza Schouler. The site calls out With the launch of its Verona Collection this important details like fabric thickness or past winter, Macy’s be- how loosely an item fits, in case shoppers came the first major U.S. want to layer, and features models of dif- department store to offer a range of affordable hi- ferent races and religions, wearing head jabs and modest basics— coverings and not. “The frustration of an opportunity for the trying to find something [modest] may be retailer to cultivate the stronger with a woman who has religious growing Muslim market. reasons,” Guenez says, “but the reality is there’s a much broader consumer base. The Modist wasn’t built for just one type of woman.” 3. Just over a year after the site’s launch, Vivi Zubedi the company says monthly traffic has Up-and-coming Indone- “[SOME DESIGNERS] been growing by 45%, and Guenez is sian designer Vivi Zubedi HAD A SPECIFIC aiming to triple annual revenue in 2018. made a splash at Febru- (Top markets are the Persian Gulf States, ary’s New York Fashion WOMAN, RELIGION, Week with a show made followed by the United Kingdom and the up of only abayas, tradi- AND EVEN COUNTRY IN U.S.) The Modist’s increasing prominence tional robelike dresses. has even inspired designers, includ- Zubedi’s label features MIND,” SAYS GUENEZ. textured fabrics with ing New York’s Adam Lippes, to adjust pearl-adorned hijabs. “WE ARE SMASHING their clothes to meet its parameters— THESE STEREOTYPES.” extending hems, turning sheer features opaque, and sewing up open backs or thigh slits. Lippes says he was initially skeptical that his clothes would qualify as modest fashion, but the site has proven to be an important channel for his independent brand, 4. growing his presence “exponentially” in the Middle East. “It was a risk,” he says, “but DKNY boy, was it the right risk to take.” Ramadan has emerged as Guenez continues to add new designers to the site each season. When she senses an important shopping season in the Middle East, gaps between what the fashion houses offer and what her customers want, the Mo- a trend that this New dist commissions exclusive collections, such as a Ramadan-themed caftan capsule York–based brand tapped featuring custom pieces from London-based Mary Katrantzou, among others. Guenez into by launching annual Ramadan-themed cap- says she’s already seeing evidence of her platform’s broader influence on the fashion sules in 2014. Its most community. On a recent trip to the Paris showroom of designer Peter Pilotto, she noted recent line included maxi his latest collection needed little editing to fit her site’s specifications. “I told him, ‘It’s dresses and silk tunics. almost like it’s for us,’ ” says Guenez. Pilotto replied that the Modist customer had been on his mood board all along.

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Stylist: Kate Schmidt Cure One, Cure Many

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Make a gift in honor of a loved one or caregiver at AmericanBrainFoundation.org JONATHAN NOLAN By Nicole LaPorte AND LISA JOY Cocreators, HBO’s Westworld Photographs by Ryan Aylsworth

“We’re Not Giving the Answers so Much as Asking the Questions”

When J.J. Abrams pitched screenwriter Jonathan Nolan (Interstellar, The Dark Knight) and producer Lisa Joy (Burn Notice) on the idea of adapting the 1973 sci-ﬁ–Western ﬂick Westworld for the small screen, Nolan demurred. But Joy (who is also married to Nolan) sold him on the potential emotional complexities in a futuristic show that’s set in an Old West–style theme park where

guests pay $40,000 a day to shoot up bad guys, bed damsels, and ts using La Prairie interact with a population of robotic “hosts” who are programmed to let them live out their fantasies, however perverse or violent. The series, which HBO launched in 2016 with a reported per-episode budget of between $8 million and $10 million, has been praised for its stunning visuals and epic scope. After a year-plus hiatus, the second season of Westworld debuts on April 22. Here, Nolan and Joy talk about the blurring of fact and ﬁction, the possibilities and perils of AI, and what it’s like to be married to your writing partner.

Westworld addresses issues that are playing out in real life, such as the rise of AI that can cause more harm than good. Do real-world scenarios affect your story lines? Lisa Joy: Both of us are curious and interested in technology.

It’s a vital part of culture. If the arts are meant to be a reﬂection Stylist: Keegan Singh; hair and makeup: Sonia Lee at Exclusive Artis

46 FASTCOMPANY.COM MAY 2018 Joy, pictured with Westworld cocreator Nolan, believes the best writing “covers the Venn diagram of our aesthetics and ideals.”

MAY 2018 FASTCOMPANY.COM 47 CREATIVE CONVERSATION LJ: story? a good telling with concerned you more pening in the real world, or onwhat’s hap- are comment to bility you have aresponsi- you feel Do LJ: Jonathan Nolan: Jonathan we’re making. the greatstridesorstumblesthat have totakeintoconsideration or contemplationontheworld,you 48 it differsfrom person toperson. have ourideaofwho islying,and the presidentsays isfake.We all and otherpeoplesaying what our presidentsaying it’s allfake, and fictionhasblurred.We have thought wewere. and we’re notwatchingwhatwe who cametotownisthehuman, she’s notfreeatall,thatthisperson minutes, you learn,withher, that And whatif, withinthefirstfive living intheOldWest andshe’s free. Westworld if youstarttothink,alongwith[a through thosestepstogether? What [then] expandingitandwalking in adifferentpointofviewand you canaccessbygroundingpeople think,] Isthereanemotionaltruth tion isaliethattellsthetruth—[I the story. You always hearthatfic- of revolution. own books. This isadifferentkind vented, itdidn’t startprintingits When theprintingpresswasin- say, “It’s justanewindustrialage!” faster thanwecanfathom.People of thebox,canamassintelligence algorithms that,oncethey’re out error now. We’re designingAI and social media,we’re fucked. ing towardtheirresponsibilitiesin approach towardAI thatthey’re tak- election; ifthey’re takingthesame sponsible forinterferinginourlast to gripswiththefactthatit’s re- taken Facebook alongtimetocome the bettertheycansellyoushit.It’s The bettertheycanreadyourmind, theircorporatemandate. it services AI withzeroaccountability, because Facebook, Google—barreling feeling. You have thesecompanies— the worldhastakenonadystopian started puttingtheshowoutthere, FASTCOMPANY.COM MAY 2018 MAY FASTCOMPANY.COM I try tocomeatitfromwithin Itry Ithinkthere’s lessmarginfor The linebetweennonfiction character], thatsheis Sadly, sincewe I toward toward JONATHAN NOLANANDLISAJOY hosts of Westworld. hosts robotic the of one Millay, Maeve plays Thandie Newton “IF YOU DIVEDOWN dragged away, fully clothed,butwedidn’t wanttoshownudityandsex. tual actofsexualviolence,which iswhy youdon’t seeit.You seeagirlyellingasshe’s tales Iknew, thiswasatruthfulway ofrepresentingit. where youcoulddoanything.AndbasedonwhatI’d seen,thestoriesI’d heard,andthe a year. That spot, much like like much a year. That spot, than more in headed showwas the of where glimpse first the fans offered which Jonathan, you directed the Super Bowl teaser for the second season of season second for the teaser Bowl Super the you directed Jonathan, the end of the first season, the narrative shifted so that those same hosts were were hosts same those that so shifted narrative the season, first endof the the By park. the bymenvisiting abused frequently so were hosts female the cause be- problem” a“woman for having criticized it was aired, showfirst the When JN: nonfiction andfiction. But we’re inthesame boat,whichistheabsoluteannihilationoflinebetween STORY,” SAYS NOLAN. THE WAY YOU’RE TELLING THE UP LETTINGITINFLUENCE HOLE TOO DEEPLY, YOU WIND SOCIAL MEDIA We’re notgiving theanswerssomuchasaskingquestions. At thesame time, wecaredeeplyaboutthemannerinwhichrepresentan ac- ] RABBIT [ THE Westworld episodes themselves, was immediately immediately was themselves, episodes thought peoplewoulddoinathemepark was hopingtoimaginetruthfully whatI masculinity ontheuntamedfrontier. I has sooftenbeenataleaboutmenand started writingtheshow]. The Western thoughts wereinmymind[whenI it, youunderstandlive it.So those knew that.You whisperit,youtalkabout and violence,”Iwouldsay mostwomen real problemherewithsexualabuse nounced totheworld,“Hey, wehave a LJ: writing? you started since women changed how you depict about Have views your back. fighting Well before#MeToo cameandan- Westworld,

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The ﬁrstassumptionwe getis Game o f is often compared to to compared often is Thrones because of its wasthemodel I JONATHAN NOLANANDLISAJOY 30 Time in the West the in Time flipping Sergio Leone’s genre- FAVORITE WESTERN family violence. law, specializing in Joy worked in criminal television, Before ALTERNATE LIFE Pushing Daisies ABC comedy series the on awriter was Joy BIG BREAK Chester, New Jersey HOMETOWN Joy Lisa ofPerson Interest sci-fi crime drama Nolan created CBS’s TV DEBUT movie.) the for website the coded also (He college. in wrote Nolan story ashort on based was Pearce, Guy starring The film FIRST GIG Knight, Dark The Interstellar, cowroteNolan, director Christopher Nolan and his brother, FAME FAMILY Chicago HOMETOWN Jonathan Nolan - Second Bio and more. Once Upon a Memento, . .

“BECAUSE WEAREMARRIED,” JN: it overandagain. achieve thatsynthesisoflightandemotionmusicform—andtheyaccomplish bestinthebusiness.artists intheirfield,thevery We askthemfortheimpossible—to family. Lisa wasthemoreattentive studentincollege,andamoresophisticatedthinker. the Lumièrebrothers. total artwork[thatcombines]imagesandsound,[whichwas]sortofadreamupuntil robot revolution. Abernathy, leads the character, Dolores Wood’s Rachel Evan FLOWING CURRENT OFIDEAS.” GET INSTEAD ISAFREE OUT THEWINDOW. WHAT YOU SAYS JOY, “THE NICETIESGO LJ: like? that was What time. first for the episode an directed you aproducer, recently and awriter as of career your most spending after Lisa, both ofus—andpleasingjustoneusisahighbar. exchange thatisincredibly vibrantandchallenging.We keepiteratinguntilitpleases JN: LJ: JN: LJ: feminism, support,andgenerositythatIhave ofinsomany beenthebeneficiary Itcomesfromopera,initially. Idon’t knowwherethisstory’s going. It’s darklately, anewangle.The worldcanfeelvery butthereareactsofeveryday That’s whatwegettodo. We gettogoworkwithup700ofthemosttalented Lisa andIwerewalkingaroundtheBritishMuseummanyyearsago, visitingmy SheintroducedmetotheGermanconceptof JN: is driven or collaborative works. Which auteur- either being as shows their describe showrunners I’ve heard culine dream. at homesoIcouldlive atypicallymas- said, “You gotthis.” Hetookonthisrole Jonathan pushedmeoutthedoor. He responsible rightnow. When Ifaltered, director. Ithought,can’t dothis. It’s ir- the thingsyou’re scaredofasafirst-time moth, crazyepisode[todirect],fullofall still breastfeeding,andIhadthismam- ways on thisshow. Ihadababyandwas Westworld [ L aughs Gesamtkunstwerk, ] Ialsowantedtoseeourkids. ? theideaofa

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Made in the USA LEADING EDGE

APOLITICAL By Cale Weissman Illustration by Josh McKenna

wonks growing—and with seed funding from the European Union, plus investors spread across five continents—Scott and Witter expanded the platform last summer to include peer-to- peer sharing, allowing users to discuss issues and solutions.

THE RESULT

Public servants in more than 120 countries, including the U.S., now use Apoliti- cal to understand how other governments operate. For some, it’s a source of inspiration: A European ministry of justice employee turned to the platform to study up on universal basic income experiments happening on a small scale around the world, and used them as a blueprint for a criminal justice exercise in his own country. For others, it’s a way to network. The U.K. government’s Cabinet Office seeded discussions about public–private partnerships on the site; later, it took the conversation offline THE EPIPHANY London in 2011. They by hosting Apolitical’s An International discovered a mutual official U.K. launch, Robyn Scott frustration over the which was attended Exchange for cofounded an orga- information gap fac- by officials from the THE PROBLEM nization that taught ing public officials, United Arab Emir- entrepreneurship and and set out to stop ates, Sweden, India, Innovative Policy Policy makers often coding to prisoners in the constant “re- and more. Apolitical operate as if the South Africa. Working creation of the wheel.” is already achieving challenges facing in that environment Scott’s original goal: their state or country showed her the power THE EXECUTION inspiring officials with are unique to their of policy—especially examples of success. own borders, when around mental-health In 2015, they launched “We’re so good at in fact legislators care and education— Apolitical, a website celebrating innovation around the world and what happens featuring articles and in the private sec- may have encoun- when it fails. She met case studies about tor,” says Scott. “We tered similar issues— Lisa Witter, a for- policy advancements. wanted to show that and come up with mer member of the With their network of governments have applicable solutions. Seattle City Council, in lawmakers and policy heroes, too.”

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Hackney helps Atlantic’s musicians strike meaningful deals with brands like Pepsi, American Express, and Samsung.

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When it comes to advertising, brands have traditionally needed musicians more than musicians have needed brands. But as the popu- larity of streaming continues to drive down album sales, more artists are seeking out lucrative campaigns and licensing deals. At Atlantic Records, home to Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, Kelly Clarkson, and other stars, EVP of brand

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Harassment.

Radicalization.

Spam.

Disinformation.

Bots.

Toxicity.

Hijacked

How Twitter’s zeal for free speech blinded the company to safety concerns—and what it’s doing to make up for it now By Austin Carr and Harry McCracken Photo illustrations by Delcan & Company da-kuk/Getty Images, Suparat Malipoom/EyeEm/Getty Images (flames); Samad Malik/Getty Images (smoke); Wallace Garrison/Getty Images (charred wood) YAIR ROSENBERG WANTED TO TROLL THE TROLLS. Rosenberg, a senior writer for Jewish- reversed three days later. But their targets focused news-and-culture website Tablet continued to ﬁle harassment reports, and last December Twitter once again blacklisted Im- Magazine, had become a leading target poster Buster, this time for good. of anti-Semitic Twitter users during his Rosenberg, who considers his effort good reporting on the 2016 U.S. presidential citizenship rather than vigilantism, still isn’t sure why Twitter found it unacceptable; he campaign. Despite being pelted with never received an explanation directly from slurs, he wasn’t overly ﬁxated on the the company. But the ruling gave racists a win Nazis who had embraced the service. by technical knockout.

“For the most part I found them rather For all the ways in which the Imposter Buster laughable and easily ignored,” he says. saga is unique, it’s also symptomatic of larger But one particular type of Twitter troll issues that have long bedeviled Twitter: abuse, the weaponizing of anonymity, bot wars, and did gnaw at him: the ones who posed as slow-motion decision making by the people minorities—using stolen photos of real people—and then infil- running a real-time platform. These problems have only intensified since trated high-profile conversations to spew venom. “Unsuspect- Donald Trump became president and chose Twitter as his primary mouth- piece. The platform is now the world’s principal venue for politics and out- ing readers would see this guy who looks like an Orthodox Jew rage, culture and conversation—the home for both #MAGA and #MeToo. or a Muslim woman saying something basically offensive,” he This status has helped improve the company’s fortunes. Daily usage is explains. “So they think, Oh, Muslims are religious. Jews are re- up a healthy 12% year over year, and Twitter reported its first-ever quar- terly profit in February, capping a 12-month period during which its stock ligious. And they are horrifically offensive people.” doubled. Although the company still seems unlikely ever to match Face- Rosenberg decided to fight back. Working with Neal Chan- book’s scale and profitability, it’s not in danger of failing. The occasional dra, a San Francisco–based developer, he created an automated cries from financial analysts for CEO Jack Dorsey to sell Twitter or from critics for him to shut it down look more and more out of step. Twitter bot called Imposter Buster. Starting in December 2016, it Despite Twitter’s more comfortable standing, Dorsey has been increas- inserted itself into the same Twitter threads as the hoax accounts ingly vocal about his service’s problems. “We are committed to making and politely exposed the trolls’ masquerade (“FYI, this account is Twitter safer,” the company pledged in its February shareholder letter. On a racist impersonating a Jew to defame Jews”). the accompanying investor call, Dorsey outlined an “information quality” initiative to improve content and accounts on the service. Monthly active Imposter Buster soon came under attack itself—by racists users have stalled at 330 million—a fact that the company attributes in who reported it to Twitter for harassment. Unexpectedly, the part to its ongoing pruning of spammers. Twitter’s cleanup efforts are an company sided with the trolls: It suspended the bot for spammy admission, albeit an implicit one, that the array of troublemakers who still roam the platform—the hate-mongers, fake-news purveyors, and armies behavior the following April. With assistance from the Anti- of shady bots designed to influence public opinion—are impeding its abil- Defamation League, Rosenberg and Chandra got that decision ity to grow. (Twitter did not make Dorsey, or any other executive, available

60 FASTCOMPANY.COM MAY 2018 “You can’t take credit for the Arab Spring without taking responsibility for Donald Trump,” says Leslie Miley, a former engineering safety manager at Twitter.

MAY 2018 FASTCOMPANY.COM 61 to be interviewed for this story. Most of the more than 60 sources we spoke to, including 44 former Twitter employees, requested anonymity.) Though the company has taken sig- niﬁcant steps in recent years to remove bad actors, it hasn’t shaken the linger- ing impression that it isn’t trying hard enough to make the service a safer space. Twitter’s response to negative incidents is often unsatisfying to its users and more than a triﬂe mysterious—its punishment of Rosenberg, instead of his tormen- tors, being a prime example. “Please can someone smart make a new website where there’s only 140 characters and no Nazis?” one user tweeted shortly after Twitter introduced 280-character tweets in November. Twitter is not alone in wrestling with the fact that its product is being corrupted for malevolence: Facebook and Google have come under heightened scrutiny since the presidential election, as more information comes to light revealing how their platforms are being manipulated. The companies’ responses have been timid, reactive, or worse. “All of them are guilty of waiting too long to address the current problem, and all of them have a long way to go,” says Jonathon Morgan, founder of Data for Democracy, a team of technologists who tackle governmental social-impact projects. The stakes are particularly high for Twitter, given the essential role it plays in enabling breaking news and global discourse. Its challenges, increasingly, are the world’s. How did Twitter get into this mess? Why is it only now addressing the malfeasance that has dogged the platform for years? “Safety got away from Twitter,” says a former VP at the company. “It was Pandora’s box. Once it’s opened, how do you put it all back in again?”

In Twitter’s early days, as the microblog- ging platform’s founders were figuring out its purpose, its users showed them Twit- ter’s power for good. Galvanized by global social movements, dissidents, activists, and whistle-blowers embracing Twitter, free expression became the startup’s guid- ing principle. “Let the tweets flow,” said Alex Macgillivray, Twitter’s first general counsel, who later served as deputy CTO Twitter did not fully appreciate the novelty of the 2016 attack in the Obama administration. Internally, against SNL star Leslie Jones, which virally spread screenshots Twitter thought of itself as “the free-speech of fake, Photoshopped tweets purporting to show divisive wing of the free-speech party.” things she had shared. This type of disinformation campaign has This ideology proved naive. “Twitter became so convinced of the virtue of its been a hallmark of social media ever since. commitment to free speech that the leadership utterly misunderstood how it was being hijacked and weaponized,” says a former executive.

62 FASTCOMPANY.COM MAY 2018 HASHTAG WARS

#NeverAgain #TwitterLockOut #ReleaseTheMemo

Twitter’s signature feature, the hashtag, can still catalyze social movements, such as the gun-control advocacy of the survivors of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School mass shooting, but it is also weaponized by the likes of James O'Keefe, of Project Veritas, or Rep. Devin Nunes to promote conspiracies.

The first sign of trouble was spam. Child pornography, phishing attacks, and bots flooded the tweet- a suspension, they would sometimes stream. Twitter, at the time, seemed to be distracted by other challenges. When the company appointed simply release the offenders back onto Dick Costolo as CEO in October 2010, he was trying to fix Twitter’s underlying infrastructure—the company the platform. “They were drowning,” says had become synonymous with its “fail whale” server-error page, which exemplified its weak engineer- a source who worked closely with Harvey. ing foundation. Though Twitter was rocketing toward 100 million users during 2011, its antispam team “To this day, it’s shocking to me how bad included just four dedicated engineers. “Spam was incredibly embarrassing, and they built these stupidly Twitter was at safety.” bare-minimum tools to [fight it],” says a former senior engineer. Twitter’s leadership, meanwhile, was Twitter’s trust and safety group, responsible for safeguarding users, was run by Del Harvey, Twitter em- focused on preparing for the company’s ployee No. 25. She had an atypical résumé for Silicon Valley: Harvey had previously worked with Perverted November 2013 IPO, and as a result it de- Justice, a controversial volunteer group that used web chat rooms to ferret out apparent sexual predators, voted the bulk of its engineering resources and partnered with NBC’s To Catch a Predator, posing as a minor to lure in pedophiles for arrest on TV. Her to the team overseeing user growth, which

/Redux (#ReleaseTheMemo). Source: Source: (#ReleaseTheMemo). /Redux lack of traditional technical and policy experience made her a polarizing ﬁgure within the organization, was key to Twitter’s pitch to Wall Street. although allies have found her passion about safety issues inspiring. In the early days, “she personally Harvey didn’t have the technical support responded to individual [affected] users—Del worked tirelessly,” says Macgilli- she needed to build scalable vray. “[She] took on some of the most complex issues that Twitter faced. We didn’t solutions to Twitter’s woes.

The New York Times get everything right, but Del’s leadership was very often a factor when we did.” Toxicity on the platform Harvey’s view, championed by Macgillivray and other executives, was that intensiﬁed during this time, bad speech could ultimately be defeated with more speech, a belief that echoed 143 especially in international Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis’s 1927 landmark First Amendment deci- markets. Trolls organized to April 23, 2013 sion that this remedy is always preferable to “enforced silence.” Harvey occa- spread misogynist messages Number of points the Dow fell sionally used as an example the phrase “Yo bitch,” which bad actors intend as in India and anti-Semitic ones on April 23, 2013, after the Syrian invective, but others perceive as a sassy hello. Who was Twitter to decide? The in Europe. In Latin America, The Guardian, Guardian, The Electronic Army hacked the AP’s marketplace of ideas would ﬁgure it out. Twitter account and spread false bots began infecting elections. By 2012, spam was mutating into destructive trolling and hate speech. The rumors about a terror attack on Hundreds used during Brazil’s few engineers in Harvey’s group had built some internal tools to enable her the White House 2014 presidential race spread Getty Images (#TwitterLockOut); Gabriella Demczuk/ team to more quickly remove illegal content such as child pornography, but they propaganda, leading a com-

nd Sends Dow Plunging,” weren’t prepared for the proliferation of harassment on Twitter. “Every time you pany executive to meet with build a wall, someone is going to build a higher ladder, and there are always more people outside trying government ofﬁcials, during which, to fuck you over than there are inside trying to stop them,” says a former platform engineer. That year, according to a source, “pretty much ev- Australian TV personality Charlotte Dawson was subjected to a rash of vicious tweets—e.g., “go hang ery member of the Brazilian house and yourself”—after she spoke out against online abuse. Dawson attempted suicide and was hospitalized. The senate asked, ‘What are you doing about following summer, in the U.K., after activist Caroline Criado-Perez campaigned to get a woman’s image fea- bots?’ ” (Around this time, Russia report- tured on the 10-pound note, her Twitter feed was deluged with trolls sending her 50 rape threats per hour. edly began testing bots of its own to sway public opinion through disinformation.) The company responded by creating a dedicated button for reporting abuse within tweets, yet trolls It wasn’t until mid-2014, around the /TNS/Getty Images (#NeverAgain); Chip Somodevilla/ Chip (#NeverAgain); Images /TNS/Getty only grew stronger on the platform. Internally, Costolo complained that the “abuse economics” were time that trolls forced comedian Robin “backward.” It took just seconds to create an account to harass someone, but reporting that abuse re- Williams’s daughter, Zelda, off the service

Sun SentinelSun quired filling out a time-consuming form. Harvey’s team, earnest about reviewing the context of each in the wake of her father’s suicide, that reported tweet but lacking a large enough support staff, moved slowly. Multiple sources say it wasn’t Costolo had finally had enough. Costolo, uncommon for her group to take months to respond to backlogged abuse tickets. User support agents who had been the victim of abuse in his Heidi Moore and Dan Roberts, Twitter “AP Hack Causes Panic on Wall Street a Michael Laughlin/ Michael manually evaluated flagged tweets, but they were so overwhelmed by tickets that if banned users appealed own feed, lost faith in Harvey, multiple

MAY 2018 FASTCOMPANY.COM 63 HASHTAG WARS

#MAGA #1DayWithoutUs #Mueller July 24, 2014

Hashtags are supposed to make it easy to follow a Twitter conversation, but too often they devolve into ugly face-offs, as seen by following the pro-Trump Bloomberg, MAGA rallying cry, the U.K. immigrant debate (epitomized by the #1DayWithoutUs campaign), and the investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller.

sources say. He put a different depart- “sucked” at dealing with abuse. “If I could rewind the clock, I’d get more aggressive earlier,” Costolo tells ment in charge of responding to user- Fast Company, stressing that the “blame” lays on nobody “other than the CEO at the time: me.” submitted abuse tickets, though he left ny-Stock Debacle, From Belize to Las Vegas,” Harvey in charge of setting the company’s “I oen hear people in Silicon Valley talking about fake news and disinformation as problems we can trust and safety guidelines. engineer our way out of,” says Brendan Nyhan, codirector of Bright Line Watch, a group that monitors Soon, the threats morphed again: ISIS threats to democratic processes. “That’s wrong. People are looking for a solution that doesn’t exist.” began to leverage Twitter to radicalize The Valley may be coming around to this understanding. Last year, Facebook and YouTube (which is followers. Steeped in free-speech values, owned by Google) announced initiatives to expand their content-policing teams to 20,000 and 10,000 company executives struggled to respond. workers, respectively. Twitter, meanwhile, had just 3,317 employees across the entire company at the end Once beheading videos started circulat- of 2017, a fraction of whom are dedicated to improving “information quality.” ing, “there were brutal arguments with Putting mass quantities of human beings on the job, though, isn’t a panacea either. It introduces Dick,” recalls a former top executive. “He’d new issues, from personal biases to having to make complicated calls on content in a matter of seconds. say, ‘You can’t show people getting killed “These reviewers use detailed rules designed to direct them to make consistent decisions,” says Susan on the platform! We should just Benesch, faculty associate at Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet and erase it!’ And [others would Society and director of the Dangerous Speech Project. “That’s a hard thing to do,

argue], ‘But what about a PhD especially at scale.” rce: Zeke Faux and Dune Lawrence, “Searching for Cynk: The $6 Billion Pen student posting a picture of The enormity of this quality-control conundrum helps explain why Twit- the Kennedy assassination?’ ” $6B ter frequently fails, at least initially, to remove tweets that users report for ler). Sou They decided to allow imagery harassment—some including allusions to death or rape—even though they of beheadings, but only until would appear to violate its community standards. The company also catches Peak valuation of Cynk, the knife touches the neck, flak for taking action against tweets that do offend these rules but have an a fake company with and, according to two sources, extraordinary context, as when it temporarily suspended actress Rose Mc- no assets and no revenue, the company assigned sup- after bots fueled a pump- Gowan for including a private phone number in a flurry of tweets excoriating port agents to search for and and-dump stock scheme over Hollywood notables in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein sexual harassment report beheading content— two months in mid-2014 scandal. “You end up going down a slippery slope on a lot of these things,” says so the same team could then a former C-level Twitter executive. “ ‘Oh, the simple solution is X!’ That’s why remove it. “It was the stupidest you hear now, ‘Why don’t you just get rid of bots?!’ Well, lots of [legitimate me- thing in the world,” says the source who dia] use automated [accounts] to post headlines. Lots of these easy solutions are a lot more complex.” worked closely with Harvey. “[Executives] already made the policy decision to take Five months aer Costolo’s February 2015 lament, he resigned from Twitter. Cofounder Jack Dorsey, who AP Images (#1DayWithoutUs); Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images (#Muel down the content, but they didn’t want had run the company until he was fired in 2008, replaced Costolo as CEO (while retaining the same job to build the tools to [proactively] enforce at his payments company, Square). Dorsey, an English major in a land of computer scientists, had deep the policy.” (Twitter has since purged thoughts about Twitter’s future, but he couldn’t always articulate them in a way that translated to engi- hundreds of thousands of ISIS-related neers. “I’d be shocked if you found somebody [to whom] Jack gave an extremely clear articulation of his accounts, a muscular approach that has thesis for Twitter,” says the former top executive, noting that Dorsey has described the service by using won the platform praise.) such metaphors as the Golden Gate Bridge and an electrical outlet for a toaster. Once, he gathered the Costolo, frustrated with the com- San Francisco office for a meeting where he told employees he wanted to define Twitter’s mission—and pany’s meager efforts in tackling these proceeded to play the Beatles’s “Blackbird” as attendees listened in confused silence. problems, sent a company-wide memo There was no doubt, though, that he believed in Twitter’s defining ethos. “Twitter stands for freedom in February 2015 complaining that he of expression. We stand for speaking truth to power,” Dorsey tweeted on his first official day back as Twit-

was “ashamed” by how much Twitter ter’s CEO, in October 2015. Cheris May/NurPhoto/Getty Images (#MAGA); Victoria Jones/

64 FASTCOMPANY.COM MAY 2018 By the time Dorsey’s tenure got under way, Twitter had gotten a better handle on some of the verbal pollution plaguing the service. The company’s anti-abuse operations had been taken over by Tina Bhatnagar, a no-nonsense veteran of Salesforce who had little patience for free-speech hand-wringing. Bhatnagar dramatically increased the number of outsourced support agents working for the company and was able to reduce the average response time on abuse-report tickets to just hours, though some felt the process became too much of a num- bers game. “She was more like, ‘Just fucking suspend them,’ ” says a source who worked closely with her. If much of the company was guided by Justice Brandeis’s words, Bhatnagar represented Justice Potter Stewart’s famous quote about obscenity: “I know it when I see it.” This ideological split was reﬂected in the company’s organizational hierarchy, which kept Harvey and Bhatnagar in separate parts of the company—legal and engineering, respectively—with separate managers. “They often worked on the exact same things but with very different approaches—it was just bonkers,” says a former high-level employee who felt ricocheted between the two factions. Even those seemingly on the same team didn’t always see eye to eye: According to three sources, Colin Crowell, Twitter’s VP of public policy, at one point refused to report to Harvey’s boss, general counsel Vijaya Gadde (Macgillivray’s successor), due in part to disagreements about how best to approach free-speech issues. Contentiousness grew common: Bhat- nagar’s team would want to suspend users it found abusive, only to be overruled by Gadde and Harvey. “That drove Tina crazy,” says a source familiar with the dynamic. “She’d go looking for Jack, but Jack would be at Square, so the next day he’d listen and take notes on his phone and say, ‘Let me think about it.’ Jack couldn’t make a decision without either upsetting the free-speech people or the online-safety people, so things were never resolved.” Dorsey’s supporters argue that he wasn’t necessarily indecisive—there were simply no easy answers. Disputes that Hundreds of bots were used in Brazil’s 2014 presidential bubbled up to Dorsey were often bizarre election to spread political propaganda on Twitter, leading edge cases, which meant that any deci- a company executive to visit the country and meet with sion he made would be hard to general- members of its National Congress. ize to a wide range of instances. “You can have a perfectly written rule, but if it’s im- possible to apply to 330 million users, it’s as good as having nothing,” says a source familiar with the company’s challenges. Dorsey had other business demands to attend to at the time. When he returned

Photo illustration by Delcan & Company + Jenue MAY 2018 FASTCOMPANY.COM 65 as CEO, user growth had stalled, the stock had declined nearly 70% since its high following the IPO, the company was on track to lose more than $500 million in 2015 alone, and a number of highly re- garded employees were about to leave. Although Twitter made some progress in releasing new products, including Moments and its live-video features, it struggled to refresh its core experience. In January 2016, Dorsey teased users with an expansion of Twitter’s long-standing 140-character limit, but it took another 22 months to launch 280-character tweets. “Twitter was a hot mess,” says Leslie Mi- ley, who managed the engineering group responsible for safety features until he was laid off in late 2015. “When you switch product VPs every year, it’s hard to keep a strategy in place.” Then the U.S. presidential election arrived. All of Twitter’s warts were about to be magnified on the world stage. Twit- ter’s support agents, the ones reviewing flagged content and wading through the darkest muck of social media, witnessed the earliest warning signs as Donald Trump started sweeping the primaries. “We saw this radical shift,” says one at the time. Discrimination seemed more flagrant, the propaganda and bots more aggressive. Says another: “You’d remove it and it’d come back within minutes, supporting Nazis, hating Jews, [memes featuring] ovens, and oh, the frog . . . the green frog!” (That would be Pepe, a crudely drawn cartoon that white su- premacists co-opted.) A July 2016 troll attack on SNL star Les- lie Jones—incited by alt-right provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos—proved to be a semi- nal moment for Twitter’s antiharassment efforts. After Jones was bombarded with racist and sexist tweets, Dorsey met with her personally to apologize, and the company banned Yiannopoulos permanently. It also enhanced its muting and blocking features and introduced an opt-in tool that allows users to filter out what Twitter has determined to be “lower-quality content.” The idea was that Twitter wouldn’t be suppressing free speech—it would merely not be shoving unwanted tweets into its users’ faces. But these efforts weren’t enough to shield users from the noxiousness of the “You end up going down a slippery slope,” says a former Clinton–Trump election cycle. During the C-level Twitter executive when asked about why the service Jones attack, screenshots of fake, Photo- can't fix some of its abuse woes. “ ‘Oh, the simple solution is X!’ shopped tweets purporting to show divi- Lots of these easy solutions are a lot more complex.” sive things Jones had shared spread virally across the platform. This type of disinformation gambit would become a hallmark of the 2016 election and beyond, and Twit- ter did not appreciate the strength of this new front in the information wars.

66 FASTCOMPANY.COM MAY 2018 obsessed,” says a source. “Engineering 2018 Social Media Safety Report Card in every department was asked to stop Twitter’s rival networks have their own issues. working on whatever they were doing and focus on safety.” Twitter’s safety operations, previously siloed, became more integrated with the consumer-product side of the company. The results have been positive. In May Facebook Reddit YouTube 2017, for example, after learning how much abuse users were being subjected to via Twitter’s direct messages feature, the team overseeing the product came The trouble Facebook hasn’t done It’s the boiler room for The video platform is riddled up with the idea of introducing a second- enough to combat fake news, the creation of fake news, with conspiracy-theory vid- spread organically and memes, and shitposting that eos and racist live streams. ary inbox to capture bad content, akin through ads. Critics claim its later infect other social plat- Critics claim YouTube’s algo- to a spam folder. “They’re starting to get algorithms incentivize incen- forms. Reddit users, never rithm pushes users to more things right,” says a former manager at diary content. There are in- shy, have blasted the com- extreme content. Its stars the company, “addressing these problems vestigations into how it has pany for being slow to stop glamorize dangerous stunts. impacted election results. Russian trolls on the site. as a combination of product and policy.” During a live video Q&A Dorsey hosted in March, he was asked why trust and The working It’s partnering with fact- Reddit removed a large It demonetizes (and some- safety didn’t work with engineering much solution checking organizations to number of trolling accounts times removes) videos once flag disinformation and has and pledged that all ads are they’re called to the compa- earlier. The CEO laughed, then admit- de-emphasized news in its vetted by humans. Since ny’s attention. CEO Susan ted, “We had a lot of historical divisions News Feed. CEO Mark Zuck- Reddit almost melted down Wojcicki says that the com- within the company where we weren’t as erberg pledged to beef up its over harmful content in 2014 pany plans to increase its collaborative as we could be. We’ve been content-moderation team to and 2015, it has a robust content-moderation work- recognizing where that lack of collabora- 20,000 people by year’s end. system for quarantining force to 10,000 staffers offensive subreddits. this year. tion has hurt us.” Even previous victims of Twitter abuse

2018 have recognized that the company’s new Facebook is the most vul- New controversies imperil Each new incident leads ma- What’s safety measures have helped. “I think at stake nerable of the social media Reddit’s efforts to make jor advertisers to reevaluate companies to regulators itself more brand friendly. the video site and consider Twitter is doing a better job than they get around the world. reinvesting in traditional TV. public credit for,” says Brianna Wu, the developer who became a principal target Grade of Gamergate, the loose-knit collective of DCC- trolls whose 2014 attacks on prominent women in the gaming industry was a canary in the Twitter-harassment coal mine. “Most of the death threats I get Of the two presidential campaigns, Trump’s better knew how to take advantage of the service to amplify these days are either sent to me on Face- its candidate’s voice. When Twitter landed massive ad deals from the Republican nominee, left-leaning book or through email, because Twitter employees complained to the sales team that it should stop accepting Trump’s “bullshit money.” has been so effective at intercepting them al Propaganda Research Project at the University of Oxford, Feb. 6, The ongoing, unresolved disputes over what Twitter should allow on its platform continued to flare before I can even see them,” she adds, into the fall. In October, the company reneged on a $5 million deal with the Trump sounding surprisingly cheery. campaign for a custom #CrookedHillary emoji. “There was vicious [internal] de- Twitter has also been more bate and back-channeling to Jack,” says a source involved. “Jack was conflicted. proactive since the election in At the eleventh hour, he pulled the plug.” Trump allies later blasted Twitter for banning accounts and remov- its perceived political bias. ing verifications, particularly of On November 8, employees were shocked as the election returns poured in, 9 white nationalists and alt-right and the morning after Trump’s victory, Twitter’s headquarters were a ghost town. leaders such as Richard Spen- Percentage of Trump Employees had finally begun to take stock of the role their platform had played cer. (The blue check mark signi- supporters who shared “junk not only in Trump’s rise but in the polarization and radicalization of discourse. fying a verified user was news” on Twitter between “We all had this ‘holy shit’ moment,” says a product team leader at the time, October 20, 2017, and January 18, originally designed to confirm k News Consumption Over Social Media in the US,” Computation adding that everyone was asking the same question: “Did we create this monster?” 2018, according to one study identity but has come to be in- terpreted as an endorsement.) In the months following Trump’s win, employees widely expected Dorsey to According to three sources, address Twitter’s role in the election head-on, but about a dozen sources indicate that the CEO remained Dorsey himself has personally directed mostly silent on the matter internally. “You can’t take credit for the Arab Spring without taking responsi- some of these decisions. bility for Donald Trump,” says Leslie Miley, the former safety manager. Twitter began rolling out a series of Over time, though, Dorsey’s thinking evolved, and he seems to be less ambivalent about what he’ll policy and feature changes last October allow on the platform. Sources cite Trump’s controversial immigration ban and continued alt-right ma- that prioritized civility and truthful- nipulation as influences. At the same time, Twitter began to draw greater scrutiny from the public, and ness over free-speech absolutism. For the U.S. Congress, for its role in spreading disinformation. instance, while threatening murder has Dorsey empowered engineering leaders Ed Ho and David Gasca to go after Twitter’s problems full bore, always been unacceptable, now even and in February 2017, the company rolled out more aggressive measures to permanently bar bad actors speaking of it approvingly in any context

Source: Vidya Narayanan et al., “Polarization, Partisanship and Jun on the platform and better ﬁlter out potentially abusive or low-quality content. “Jack became a little bit will earn users a (Continued on page 98)

MAY 2018 FASTCOMPANY.COM 67

AMBITIOUS, VISIONARY PROJECTS ARE CREATING NEW APPROACHES TO SOME OF THE WORLD’S MOST URGENT CHALLENGES. TEN HIGHLIGHTS FROM THIS YEAR’S WORLD CHANGING IDEAS AWARDS. ILLUSTRATION BY MY NAME IS WENDY

MAY 2018 FASTCOMPANY.COM 69 Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti and his team are working to make tiny homes an answer to the city’s outsize housing problem. WORLD-CHANGING IDEAS

01 Finding a Backyard Solution Accessory dwelling units Office of the Mayor, City of Los Angeles

BY ADELE PETERS

Trent Wolbe is standing on freshly broken soil in his backyard in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Highland Park, giving a virtual tour of the structure that will soon stand there—a small two-story, two-bedroom house designed to reflect the neighborhood’s Craftsman aesthetic. “You get to the stairs through here, in the back of the kitchen,” he says, describing the thousand-square-foot layout of the home he plans to occupy with his partner, Grace Lee, and their toddler once the project is finished, a move that will allow them to rent out their existing house in front. They began this effort—to build what city planners commonly refer to as an “accessory dwelling unit” (ADU)—two years ago, and they admit to some weariness. “We’ve been exceedingly patient,” Wolbe says. Every home-construction undertaking is a challenge, but since May 2016, Wolbe and Lee have been pioneers in a real-world test for the City of Los Angeles, which is using their project to design a potential solution to the region’s housing crisis. The population of Los Angeles, the second-largest city in the U.S., cracked 4 million in 2017, up from 3.7 million in 2000. The metropolitan area is now home to nearly 20 million people, up 2.2 million in less than a decade. The improved postrecession economy has lured companies—and therefore jobs—to L.A., aggravating the city’s notorious traffic problems and driving up housing prices: Since 2011, the cost of an average one-bedroom apartment in L.A. has increased 63%, and nearly a third of Angelenos now spend more than half their income on rent. The vacancy rate for rentals is just 4%, and the city’s office of housing policy estimates that more than 400,000 low-income families are experiencing severe overcrowding. All of this contributes to a rising homeless

Photographs by Dan Monick MAY 2018 FASTCOMPANY.COM 71 WORLD-CHANGING IDEAS

population that exceeds 58,000 people in the county. L.A.’S HOUSING for the displacements that were resulting from rising rents. It also makes it increasingly difficult for the city to By focusing on a single issue, the Innovation Team was attract the new businesses necessary to drive the CRUNCH able to harness and coordinate the efforts of all the various region’s economic growth. These problems are not city departments—housing, planning, transportation, and Why Mayor Garcetti unique to L.A., of course. Seattle is experiencing is focused on residential building and safety. “We are focused on problem solving,” similar challenges. But what is particular to Los development says the team’s director, Amanda Daflos. “We pull in all the Angeles is its dynamic mayor, Eric Garcetti, and he agencies that are key to that problem.” has made solving the housing situation his number- City officials quickly realized that the homes were one priority. 2.2M cheaper to build than apartments in large-scale develop- “People and jobs can come to a city relatively L.A. metro area population ments. They also learned that, despite the abundance of quickly,” Garcetti says. “In a couple of weeks, you can increase since 2010 single-family homes with yards in L.A., few residents were open up a new business. But housing takes years to be applying for permits to build. They saw an opportunity. zoned, approved, and built. Now, west of our 405 Free- Meanwhile, the political winds had shifted in ways that way, there are four jobs for every one unit of housing.” 63% favored Garcetti’s efforts. In the past, the city met with re- If Garcetti didn’t actually exist, Aaron Sorkin Rise in cost of an L.A. sistance from some residents whenever it tried to loosen might have created him. A charismatic 47-year-old one-bedroom since 2011 regulations for development, but as rents began soaring, Mexican-American and Jewish graduate of Columbia so did support for additional housing. Suddenly the bal- University and former Rhodes Scholar, he pursued a 58,000 ance had shifted from NIMBY to YIMBY. Garcetti points to PhD at the London School of Economics, became a Number of homeless in a series of recent public referendums for further evidence lieutenant in the Navy Reserve, and plays jazz piano. L.A. County of this change, including a 2017 proposal to pause city ap- He is a native Angeleno whose father, Gil Garcetti, proval for developments in low-density neighborhoods served as Los Angeles district attorney during the that was defeated two to one. “That was a total revolution O.J. Simpson trial. A natural technophile, Garcetti is 4% for our city,” Garcetti says. Voters also approved propo- active on Snapchat, inspired an art exhibit with his Rental-vacancy rate in L.A. sitions to allocate taxpayer funding for new affordable Instagram account, and once announced the closure housing and housing for the homeless. A new linkage fee, of a freeway with a music video, the “#101SlowJam.” 100,000 which requires developers to include affordable housing in When he took office, in 2013, as the youngest person Number of new housing their regular plans or pay a penalty, was approved in 2017. ever elected to the position, one of his first steps units Garcetti has committed City officials had been trying unsuccessfully to establish was to calculate the city’s housing deficit and set an to build by 2021 such a fee for 40 years. ambitious goal for the number of new units needed Garcetti also lobbied heavily at the state level. Jerry to begin to meet demand—100,000 by 2021. It was Brown, the mayor says, “has been a wonderful governor. something that the L.A. municipal government hadn’t But his last State of the State [address] didn’t mention hous- done before. “How can you not have a housing goal ing or homelessness once. It’s been a glaring absence out for a city where that’s the biggest issue?” he says. of Sacramento.” Garcetti threw his support behind a bill The mayor and his team are already far ahead of (from state Senator Bob Wieckowski) that blocked cities schedule, with 68,000 new units having been com- from charging large fees to connect second units to utilities pleted or in advanced stages of development. Most and ended requirements to add extra parking if a house is of them are standard residences in traditional apart- near public transportation. That measure passed in 2016 ment complexes. But Garcetti expects a meaningful percentage of the remaining new units and went into effect in 2017. “Last year was one of the most to be small, freestanding dwellings built in the backyards of homes owned by people like active legislative cycles for housing we’ve seen in decades,” Trent Wolbe and Grace Lee. He knows that L.A.’s housing emergency won’t be completely says Ben Winter, director of housing policy for the mayor’s solved by these ADUs—he and his team call them second units—but he is learning that they office, “in large part due to the mayor’s advocacy efforts.” have an emotional appeal that is helping create momentum to fix the housing problem. “L.A. is known for its single-family-home character,” Garcetti says, sitting in a com- As the city began working on plans for the prototype house fortable chair under the large Ed Ruscha painting on the wall in his sunny, stylish City with Wolbe and Lee, the Innovation Team quickly realized Hall office. “We have a lot of real estate,” he says, which is what made ADUs an attractive that homeowners face barriers beyond mere policy. One is solution. Residents get on board with the idea, he says, because they “can picture a family financing: Banks don’t typically offer loans to build a second member making a couple extra bucks to get by, a young couple being able to stretch and home in your yard, so the projects are often out of reach for maybe buy a house because they can cover a mortgage now.” And there’s a great potential those who could most use the extra income. The city worked for scale: “We have 500,000 single-family homes,” he says. with Genesis LA, a community lender, to secure Wolbe and Plus, they were popping up already, often surreptitiously. “My district when I was a Lee a loan. (Estimated construction costs for their new council member was the most densely populated part of the United States outside of Man- unit are a relatively affordable $200,000.) “It’s challenging hattan,” he says. “Instead of skyscrapers it had what I called ‘yardscrapers.’ I used to go for people who don’t have a lot of equity in their home to door to door in between elections just to chat with people on weekends, and single-family be able to access the capital that they need to get the ADU homes suddenly open up and you realize there’s like 16 people living there. If these exist, built,” says Tom de Simone, president of Genesis LA, which let’s just bring them up to code. People are struggling, so there’s an openness to density.” makes investments and creates loans for community and The ADU initiative began with a 2015 grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies, which en- economic development projects. But he believes that the

abled Garcetti to launch a special “Innovation Team” to focus on ﬁnding creative solutions economics actually make good sense for lenders, since the Images Fallon/Bloomberg/Getty T. Patrick

72 FASTCOMPANY.COM MAY 2018 The Innovation Team, director Amanda Daflos says, “works on a model of really deep research,” interviewing city planners, builders, homeowners, and neighbors.

second unit will add value to the property. “Ultimately, the biggest win will be if the con- Nevertheless, interest is growing. L.A. issued 2,342 permits ventional financing tools can come into the space.” ADU rent prices are not regulated, so for backyard homes in 2017, versus 120 the year before, and secondary units don’t guarantee affordable housing, but proponents are betting that as the plans to build at least 10,000 new backyard units by 2021. number of units in lower-income neighborhoods increases, those homes should be more At the same time, niche businesses are emerging, such as affordable than average; the small size of the houses can also keep rents lower. Some, like Cover, which digitally analyzes backyards to determine if Wolbe, who bought his house in 2012 before the market dramatically changed, plan to they’re a fit for a second home, and then creates a low-cost, charge low rents as a matter of principle. “I wanted to use my good timing and good fortune factory-built design. to try to pay it forward,” Wolbe says. During its ideation process, L.A. took inspiration from Recognizing that the building process itself would be difficult to navigate, the mayor’s Portland, Oregon; Austin; and Vancouver, which have all office worked with researchers at UCLA’s CityLab (a research organization that has studied worked to promote ADUs. Now the city believes that it can the issue of backyard homes for more than a decade) to create a handbook that explained be a helpful example for other cities struggling with housing to homeowners, in straightforward terms, how to build a second unit legally. In Wolbe and shortages. Since Los Angeles helped popularize the suburbs, Lee’s case, the team partnered with architects at LA-Más to ensure that the new development “we also ought to give birth to the post-suburban solution,” would be aesthetically consistent with the classic bungalows from the 1920s and 1930s in says Dana Cuff, director of CityLab. the neighborhood, a historic district. (Habitat for Humanity will build.) Garcetti has teamed with Pete Buttigeig, the millennial Genesis LA’s de Simone questions whether the ADU program can scale easily. “It’s a huge mayor of South Bend, Indiana, to establish the Accelera- opportunity, but it’s going to be a long time before we see the full effects of it,” he says. tor for America, a forum through which cities can share

MAY 2018 FASTCOMPANY.COM 73 WORLD-CHANGING IDEAS

replicable local initiatives. “What if we went 02 into another 10 cities, not as a think tank but a ‘do’ tank,” Garcetti says. “You want to do a Turning Old T-Shirts Into New Denim referendum in your city this year? We’ll bring the experts that helped pass it in L.A., get you Regenerative fiber polling, get you money. Our idea is to help them Evrnu get their housing and infrastructure pack- ages on the ballot.” Accelerator for America’s Stacy Flynn was on a busi- of Evrnu, Flynn is producing ranging from smooth as silk website draws a clear contrast between urban ness trip to China when she recycled fibers and working (and stronger than cotton) progress and federal policy, announcing that and a colleague stepped out with apparel makers to turn to something that’s coarse, “with Washington broken, local innovators on opposite sides of their this year’s castoffs into next like denim. The process are taking action.” Indeed, Garcetti has clearly car but could barely see one year’s must-haves. The uses 98% less water than another through the smog Seattle startup, backed by farmed cotton, and all grown frustrated with national politics: As generated by the local tex- $4 million from angel inves- chemical solvents remain federal tax law changes have de-incentivized tile operations. As a fabric tors, has patented a process in a closed loop so they can affordable housing development, he is working development and design that takes post-consumer be reused. Levi’s has used for increased federal attention on housing. The expert in the apparel indus- cotton and breaks it down Evrnu fibers to produce try (one of the worst pollut- into a pulp before extruding 511 jeans, and other top ers), she had an epiphany: the liquid through fine fil- brands, including Target “I felt personally responsible ters to form new fiber. Flynn and Stella McCartney, for some of this,” she says. says Evrnu can produce a have recently signed deals. INSTEAD OF SKYSCRAPERS, Now, as cofounder and CEO variety of premium grades, —Ben Schiller GARCETTI SAYS, L.A. HAS “‘YARDSCRAPERS.’ PEOPLE ARE STRUGGLING, 03 SO THERE’S AN OPENNESS Propelling a Cleaner Alternative TO DENSITY.” Botanical disinfectant spray can Seventh Generation more he disagrees with federal decision making, the more he considers a move into federal government himself. “A higher percentage of my time is [devoted to doing] defensive work,” the mayor says, “and I’m more and more worried about the country’s direction. So if I can add something to that, I’ll continue to look at it. All patriots, if they have half a chance of winning, should be looking at being part of a movement of people to change the White House.” For now, he’s focused on Los Angeles and making sure that residents have a place to live. “This California dream will slip away from our hands if we don’t ﬁnish the work of creating affordable housing,” he says. Toward the end of a sunny, 80-degree early- February day, Grace Lee steps outside to pick Lysol dominates the household-disinfectant market, but Seventh Generation has a toehold greens from her garden in the front yard. A with its naturally antiseptic thyme oil–based spray—and now is poised for further gains. neighbor pauses on the sidewalk so that his Last August, after two years of development and regulatory approval, the Vermont-based dog can say hello to Lee’s cat, who is eyeing the company replaced the product’s pump-spray bottle with a brand-new can powered by canine warily from inside the screen door. Lee compressed air, which delivers the fine, steady mist of conventional aerosol without the is looking forward to building planter boxes environmentally damaging propane or butane. By utilizing a bag-on-valve technology pioneered by a startup called Power Pouch Container and partnering with manufacturer beside the family’s new little house once it’s Chicago Aerosol, Seventh Generation has created the first nonflammable, compressed- complete, and she’ll be happy to help their air-powered product in the category. “If you lit a match to the conventional disinfectant eventual tenant tend to the garden out front. It’s sprays, you would have an amazing blowtorch,” says Seventh Generation CEO Joey Berg- a great way to get to know the neighborhood. stein. “If you do the same with our product, sadly, it would only blow out a candle.” —BS

74 FASTCOMPANY.COM MAY 2018 Illustration by Skip Sterling PURE MOMENTUM

With help from technology accelerators around the state that provide support to start-ups and entrepreneurs, 54 companies received more than $222 million from Michigan venture capital i rms in 2016. And since Michigan has the highest research spending-to-venture capital investment ratio in the country, PlanetM is the ideal place to pursue ideas in mobility. To learn more, go to planetm.com Anna Simpson, left, and Bethany Edwards began work on Lia as UPenn grad students.

Photograph by Jessie English WORLD-CHANGING IDEAS

05 Transforming Wallets Into Scorecards 04 AIM score Privatizing Aspiration

As more and more people choose to vote with their wallets, Aspiration has created a Pregnancy checking account app that pulls data on the environmental and ethical practices of more Lia flushable home than 5,000 companies, including Adidas, Burger King, and Delta Air Lines. An online pregnancy test financial services firm that invests with corporations committed to sustainability and Lia Diagnostics ethical practices, the company says that more than 65% of its 200,000 checking account holders regularly look at their Aspiration Impact Measurement (AIM). The score, founder Andrei Cherny says, “helps people think more deeply about the ethics and values of the places where they’re doing business.” —Eillie Anzilotti Nearly 2 million pounds of used home pregnancy tests wind up in landfills each year. The plastic diagnostic tools “are only used for a few minutes, but they are made out of things that are not 06 sustainable,” says Lia cofounder and Shining a Softer Light on Recovery CEO Bethany Edwards. “We believe that materials should match up with Tunable hospital lighting Philips Lighting product life cycles.” Lia, the world’s first flushable pregnancy test, stems from a grad school project that Edwards and two classmates embarked on at the University of Pennsylvania’s integrated product design program. “No- body had innovated on the form factor of the pregnancy test in over 30 years,” she says. The device uses the same amount of material as six squares of three-ply toilet paper and contains no glue. Its protein-, plant-, and mineral- based fibers biodegrade whether flushed or composted, so in addition to environmental benefits, they offer a revolutionary new measure of privacy. “Pregnancy is personal,” says Edwards. “We give women control in Harsh hospital lighting at,” says Patricia Rizzo, and dim along with the nat- serves a purpose: To work senior lighting applications ural light cycle outside, and a discreet, sanitary, and better-for-the- effectively, healthcare pro- designer for Philips Light- both hospital staff and the environment way.” Lia received FDA fessionals need around ing. Having pioneered cus- patients themselves can 1,000 watts. But such tomizable lighting systems adjust the lights by remote approval in December and is currently relentless brightness can for homes, Philips realized to whatever setting they’d on track to hit stores and Amazon this have deleterious effects on its technology could like. (Young patients often summer, priced between $13 and $15 patients. A 2015 study from improve the patient expe- choose to make colors the National Institutes of rience in hospitals. dance on the white walls.) for a pack of two. (The product offers Health cited overexposure Over the past year and a Patients have reported the same 99% accuracy rate as existing to light as a key factor in half, the company has rolled lower levels of stress and sleep deprivation, which out a pilot project with the longer stretches of consec- home tests.) Next, the company plans inhibits the healing process. University of Minnesota utive sleep, and Rizzo says to expand into additional home diag- “Typically, you see Masonic Children’s Hospital, Philips plans to expand the these sterile, two-by-four installing tunable lighting pilot through more of the nostic tests, for ovulation and urinary fluorescents that are just systems in four patient University of Minnesota EA Skip Sterling (Philips Lighting) (Philips Sterling Skip tract infections. —BS uncomfortable to look up rooms. The lights brighten health system. —

MAY 2018 FASTCOMPANY.COM 77 WORLD-CHANGING IDEAS

07 So far, the tech giant and various external relief teams have deployed Disaster Maps during more than 100 Showing worldwide crises that have occurred in the past year, including hurricanes Rescuers Where Harvey, Irma, and Maria, the Cali- fornia wildfires, a cyclone in Chen- nai, and a volcano eruption in Bali. They’re The emergency supply group Direct Relief used the feature to help guide Needed Most distribution of more than 400,000 res- piration masks to various emergency- Disaster Maps operations checkpoints during the Facebook Southern California fires. After Hur- ricane Maria struck Puerto Rico, caus- ing an island-wide blackout in late BY BEN PAYNTER September, both the Red Cross and NetHope compared Facebook activity When natural disasters strike, people generally have two options: stay or flee. directly before the storm with popu- Either way, you can bet they’re keeping their phone with them. lation maps and community health Facebook has been capitalizing on that behavior since last June when it information to figure out, based on launched Disaster Maps, a feature produced by its Data for Good division. Face- signals showing where people had book had already introduced Safety Check, which earned kudos for allowing gathered, who might need help first. people in crisis zones to signal they’re safe. Soon after that widget debuted in “In the past, whichever voice is the late 2014, however, Molly Jackman and Chaya Nayak, two public policy research loudest makes you say, ‘Well, I need to managers at Facebook, sensed that disaster responders were desperate for what make sure I respond over there,’ ” says Jackman calls “better situational awareness”—real-time data that shows where Frank Schott, NetHope’s vice president the most vulnerable people are located. of global programs. “Now we can see To generate Disaster Maps, Facebook takes time-stamped snapshots of us- with great certainty which areas are ers’ geographic coordinates to show where they’re moving. As a result, Disaster lit up [on the Disaster Maps readout] Maps provide aid groups with near real-time data visualizations of how users and which aren’t.” react as a calamity unfolds, allowing for a more dynamic response—where to About a dozen nonprofits, in- stage resources, how to evacuate those who are stuck, and how to reach folks cluding the World Food Programme who check in as safe but are nonetheless uprooted. and UNICEF, have committed to the The service gathers account signals into population heat maps, revealing service. Unfortunately, the only way when and where people cluster via a shared dashboard that only Facebook and to enhance the application is to run vetted disaster response partners can view. Facebook app users don’t need to do more tests during actual disasters. anything but have their (charged) phones with them and the location setting “It’s a back-and-forth process,” says activated. Their data is aggregated and anonymous: The program scrubs the ex- Facebook’s Nayak. “They’re using the act identity associated with each signal but still tracks movement, allowing for data and figuring out where it’s help- hourly updates on sheltering and evacuations. (If you don’t want your location ful, and then giving feedback we are used for Disaster Maps, simply turn off location services in the Facebook app.) able to build into our products.”

78 FASTCOMPANY.COM MAY 2018 Illustration by Daniel Stolle

WORLD-CHANGING IDEAS

08 Designing for Social Justice Equity-Centered Community Design Creative Reaction Lab

Not long ago, Antionette Carroll, founder of the social justice nonprofit Cre- of methodology, something she ative Reaction Lab (CRXLab), conducted an experiment in her hometown of St. dubbed Equity-Centered Commu- Louis. She went into three Aldi supermarkets—one in a predominantly African- nity Design, combining the rigors of American, low-income community, another in a middle-class neighborhood, design problem solving with com- and a third in a wealthy, predominantly white enclave. “It’s the same store, but munity outreach and open conversa- the layout was completely different,” Carroll says. In the latter two, produce tion between groups that might not and healthy snacks greeted customers walking through the doors, but in the typically communicate. The organi- lower-income neighborhood supermarket, customers immediately encountered zation is providing members of his- chips and cookies. Even grocery store food aisles, Carroll says, can perpetuate torically underserved and neglected inequality. “That’s a design decision,” she says. communities—particularly young A graphic designer, Carroll has long been interested in both design and so- people—a framework and language cial justice, but her thinking about the two coalesced in new ways following the to create specific civic proposals to shooting of Michael Brown, in Ferguson, in 2014. In the uproar and unrest that improve life in those neighborhoods. followed, she saw problems she believed could be addressed through design. Carroll has been traveling the She convened a 24-hour challenge that brought local designers together with country to conduct workshops. community members to create projects that could foster conversation across “Every city has its own challenges racial and socioeconomic divides. The first session spawned several initiatives, when it comes to racial equity,” she including the Red Table Project (an ongoing series of meals that brings together says. “You look at Flint, and there’s community members who otherwise would not meet), Guerilla Art Warfare an environmental justice pipeline. (stickers and stenciled imagery, such as an African-American silhouette with Here, in St. Louis, we’re focused on hands up, that could be placed in neighborhoods to challenge biases), and Cards police and community relations. We Against Brutality (an educational game designed for police officers). built our model so that others can As her work progressed, Carroll realized CRXLab was creating a new kind use it.” —EA

80 FASTCOMPANY.COM MAY 2018 Photograph by Whitten Sabbatini Carroll is creating a new design process to help communities find creative solutions to intractable problems.

MAY 2018 FASTCOMPANY.COM 81 Linking Products to Values L’Oréal Tool Optimization Product Sustainable 09 WORLD-CHANGING IDEAS the beauty aisle: the beauty on products upanddown The words are emblazoned sustainable, out itsSustainable Product went astep further, rolling run onrenewable energy. manufacturing facilities to materials, andconverting its products inbiodegradable sit routes, repackaging resources, shortening tran- embracing renewable all aspectsof thebusiness— sustainable practices across in 2013, aimedto advance With Allinitiative, launched years. Its SharingBeauty chain over thepast five overhauled itsentire supply industry,in thebeauty has most profitable corporation stewardship? ment to environmental a company’s actualcommit- what cantheytell usabout terms really mean?And what dotheseimpact, actual environmental towhen itcomes anitem’s 82 FASTCOMPANY.COM MAY 2018 MAY FASTCOMPANY.COM Last year, thecompany L’Oréal, thelargest and

organic all-natural, . But

10%. Sincethen, all L’Oréal ofability theproduct by improving thebiodegrad- perilite, anatural mineral, plastic microbeads with replaced theexfoliating facialSurfin scruband revamping itsGommage brands, usedthetool when one of L’Oréal’s higher-end SPOT sofar. LaRoche-Posay, have beenoptimized using ozone depletion. depletion, airquality, and acidification, resource water quality, biodiversity, footprint, water scarcity, different categories: carbon ucts must meetacross eight set of criteria that allprod- worldwide withastringent thousands of suppliers bothvides L’Oréal andits and nonprofits, SPOT pro- from dozens of universities life-cycle analysisexperts help of sustainability and brands. Developed withthe amongL’Oréal’sgories 53 across all150product cate- Optimization Tool (SPOT) More than120 products CEO Jean-Paul Agon. — says L’Oréal chairmanand drive change internally,” having anactivist withinto the organization. “Ilove fromport thevery top of tion. Palt’s efforts have sup- extensive product informa- SPOTaccess for more sumers willbeableto tool sothat by 2020 con- her team isexpandingthe Alexandra addingthat Palt, chief sustainability officer, products,” says L’Oréal’s process andlaunchof new grated intheconception in BurkinaFaso. women-owned cooperative ter from asustainable, began sourcing itssheabut- 55% to 95%, andthebrand the product increased from renewable ingredients in ment: Theproportion of lia Thermalskincare treat- SPOT to redevelop itsAqua- brand, meanwhile, used ingredients TheVichy list. away from plastic inthe exfoliators have moved “SPOT isnow fullyinte- EA Dioxide on Lid Putting a Carbon The North Face Wool Beanie The Cali 10 tering CO changes ontheranchwereseques- transformation. After proofthatthe in theU.S. tocompletethistypeof the firstlarge-scalesheepoperation in 2014;2016,BareRanch became started creatinga“carbon farm” plan from theNorthFace, theranchfirst profit Fibershed,fundedbyagrant 850 cars. Working withthenon- offsetting theemissionsfromabout metric tonsofcarbondioxideayear, farming practicestraparound4,000 carbon dioxidethanitemits. Its post, theranchnowabsorbsmore crops, andfortifyingfieldswithcom- sheep graze,plantingtreesandcover climate change.Bymanagingwhere that woolproductioncanhelpfight are partofanexperimenttoprove placid herdsofsheepatBareRanch hills ofaCaliforniamountainrange, On asprawling ranchinthefoot- with thewool this fall.— launch anew scarf andjacketmade a fewweeks, andtheNorthFace will pact.” The hatssoldoutonlinewithin has apositive environmentalim- tainability manager. actually “This Rogers, theNorthFace’s seniorsus- environmental impact,”says James ing tobelessbadandreducetheir in late2017.“Often, productsaretry- Cali Wool Beanie,whichlaunched new climate-beneficialwoolforits 2 , theNorthFace chosethe Illustration byIllustration Kevin Whipple AP

Skip Sterling (L’Oréal)

WORLD-CHANGING IDEAS

The 2018 Honorees FAST COMPANY’S SECOND-ANNUAL WORLD-CHANGING IDEAS AWARDS DREW NEARLY 1,400 SUBMISSIONS IN 12 CATEGORIES. THESE 240 ENTRIES MADE IT TO THE FINAL ROUND OF JUDGING. TO READ MORE ABOUT THEM—AND SEE THE WINNERS—VISIT FASTCOMPANY.COM/WORLD-CHANGING-IDEAS.

GENERAL Ontario Basic #StopProfiling Deserve DigiFarm WattTime automated Income Pilot Truth Initiative Deserve Vodafone emissions reduction EXCELLENCE Government of Ontario WattTime Strawless Ocean DSM-Niaga carpeting EasyScan Go AeroFarms Patreon Possible Royal DSM Global Good WePower Patreon WePower AeroFarms Tech for Good gCycle Folia Filters Aidbox The Pay Equity Intel’s Agency Inside gDiapers Folia Water Wind energy Aidbox Explorer HelpUsGreen Fummi subscription ADP The Upstanders Inspire AI-powered Campaign Kanpur Flowercycling Blockchain for Change aeroponics Perspective Upworthy Ink cartridges made The Gradian CCV Alphabet’s Jigsaw Gradian Health Systems GrowX from recycled bottles FOOD Automated cricket Project Gigaton HP Harmoni Labs Walmart APPS farms KardiaBand Harmoni Labs AeroFarms Aspire Food Group Slimbox The Darwin Challenge AliveCor Jana’s Mcent Browser AeroFarms Slimbox The Children’s Universal Favourite LendUp Ladder Jana Africa Improved Scrappy News Service Sustainable Product LendUp MagicBox Foods Going to School Detroit Water app Optimization Tool CityInsight Levi’s Commuter UNICEF Innovation Royal DSM L’Oréal Classy Passport Trucker Jacket Moeda Agrivoltaics Classy FINE (Feeling Visa champions a Insecure, Neurotic, Levi Strauss & Co. Moeda University of Arizona, The Climate Museum cash-free society and Emotional) Lia pregnancy test College of Social & PathVis Behavioral Sciences The Climate Museum Visa Method Lia Diagnostics PathVis Deep Influence Wellville Forest Watcher LogicInk UV The People Asarasi Golden Wellville World Resources Institute LogicInk Development Asarasi Dell ocean-bound Your American GreyMatters The Moby Mart Factory Automated plastics packaging Dream Score GreyMatters Care The Moby Mart Experience It cricket farms program Galewill RescueTech Aspire Food Group Dell Guardian Circle Nebia Spa Shower Guardian Circle Nebia Field Ready Copia A Digital Geneva Structure Capital Mojo Petit Pli: Clothes 2Kuze Convention ADVERTISING Mastercard Microsoft TrueMotion That Grow Fed 40 Alzheimer’s Petit Pli Feeding Children Disaster Maps Objective Zero Everywhere Facebook Association: Pure Objective Zero Rent the Runway Imagination Project Foundation Rent the Runway ENERGY Fresh Box Farms Empatico MullenLowe Crop One Holdings Kind Foundation Onward Financial SenceBand Agrivoltaics #BlackAtWork Wellness SenceTech University of Arizona, Game Over for Equity-Centered Havas Chicago Onward Financial Aflatoxin Seventh Generation College of Social & Community Design Break Bread Smash Behavioral Sciences CNC – Communications Creative Reaction Lab Orai disinfectant spray & Network Consulting Stigma Orai Seventh Generation Airlift Pump The Fairness Bensimon Byrne FloNergia Ginkgo / Bayer Project Reyets The shirt of the Ginkgo Bioworks The Climate Reyets future Carbon recycling The Fairness Project Optimist Campaign Riley (RealLife Mango Materials Tandem Technical The Growcer Flow Kana Futerra The Growcer Flow Kana Adventure) Stasher Bag Coffee-powered ComEd Icebox Derby Kilroy Blockchain Stasher London buses Indigo Generation WV Engage & Resonate Shell International Indigo Impact Fellowship Seeing AI The Thrive App Fans of Love Microsoft Thrive Global Connected Room Just Scramble Generation R/GA and the Ad Council West Virginia SonicCloud Hilton Hampton Creek Global Social 5 for the Fight NBA SonicCloud Ecotagious Lokal Network for Voters jersey patch DEVELOPING Ecotagious Space10 Qualtrics Tentrr Re-Invent Democracy Tentrr WORLD The Energy Policy Plant-Based Meat The Humanium The Harry and The Whole Story TECHNOLOGY Simulator Challenge Lab Jeanette Weinberg Metal Initiative Energy Innovation The Good Food Institute GreatWorks Y&R Career Academy Africa Improved ET-One Plenty Aspire Kind: Pop Your Foods Thor Trucks Plenty The Impak Coin Bubble Royal DSM Edelman CONSUMER Liter of Light The Real Dill Impak Finance PRODUCTS AirPop Smart Mask Community Solar The Real Dill InvestEGGator Pass the ERA Aetheris and (LAN) Hub Enso Liter of Light Replacing farms Paso Pacífico Brandless Banking the with fish farms Microsilk PrideTribe.org Brandless unbanked Solar-mushroom farm The Conservation Fund— Jennings Design Freshwater Institute Bolt Threads Buoy Veridium Sustainergy MissionU Refugees Are Us Buoy Labs Blockchain-based Squeaky Sally the Salad Robot Papel & Caneta MissionU Cali Wool Beanie remittances Squeaky Clean Energy Chowbotics The Online Hate Reinvent Mindsets with climate- AID:Tech Vehicle-to-grid Square Roots Resident Index HP beneficial wool Connecting blood energy exchange Entrepreneur Anti-Defamation Social payments The North Face donors OVO Energy Program League Goodworld Facebook Square Roots

84 FASTCOMPANY.COM MAY 2018 HEALTH CityWays Rimpski Veemo JUDGES MIT Senseable City Lab Emin Demirci VeloMetro Mobility Benefit Kitchen Climate Impact Lab Swipe Zunum Aero Benefit Kitchen Constructive Estee Bruno, Julia Liao, Zunum Aero GEORGE AYE II and Claudia Poh Cofounder and director of innovation, BioWire Descartes Labs’ data Greater Good Studio TARA Biosystems refinery Symbiote Brain-implantable Descartes Labs Zaid Haque, Noshin Nisa, URBAN DESIGN SOPHIE BAKALAR chip and Hannah Xue VC, Collaborative Fund The Ecological Atlas Accessory ARM Studio Roberto Rovira Unexpected Loop Cathryn Anneka Hall Dwelling Unit (ADU) RYAN BETHENCOURT Butterfly iQ Impact Investing Pilot Project CEO, Wild Earth; investor, Babel Ventures Butterfly Network Network Map Universal Socket Office of Mayor Garcetti California air-quality Case Foundation Prosthetic and Los Angeles SEBASTIAN BUCK Dominic Chiavacci, Innovation Team Cofounder, Enso mapping The Infographic Hunter Garnier, Akhilesh Aclima Energy Transition Mishra, and Stephen Babcock Ranch Kitson & Partners ANTIONETTE CARROLL CareView Coloring Book Shelnutt Founder, president, and CEO, Ellery Studio Dhyaan Design Limited Warm Wall Blokable Creative Reaction Lab Clinical Dashboard MapBiomas Lauren E. Lee Blokable Oscar Health Climate Observatory Casagrande JAY COEN GILBERT Cofounder, B Lab EPS-25 medicaI NASA: Data Lens Laboratory instrument sterilizer Bluecadet TRANSPORTATION Tikku STEPHEN D. COMELLO Eniware Ocean Wise Chicago Mobile Director, Sustainable Energy Initiative, Fitbit Sleep Stages Engine Digital Alice Commuter Makers Stanford Graduate School of Business Eviation Chicago Mobile Makers Fitbit Understand Automated drone Equity-Centered AMY GU Healing Blade: Homelessness Managing director, Hemi Ventures Defenders of Soma Sasaki logistics for Community Design Nerdcore Medical healthcare systems Creative Reaction Lab PHILLIP HAID Under the Canopy Matternet Inflammatix Conservation International India Basin Cofounder and CEO, Public Inflammatix Autonomous Skidmore, Owings & Unseen Stars car user experience Merrill CHERYL HICKS Lia pregnancy at Grand Central Harman, a Samsung Executive director and CEO, The Toilet Board Kingman and test Terminal company I Lia Diagnostics Obscura Digital Heritage slands JESSICA JACKLEY Blip Park Modius Viz for Social Good The Ray Hickok Cole Instructor in entrepreneurship, Neurovalens Viz for Social Good Architects USC Marshall School of Business BuddhaPedal NowPow We Wear Fair Trade Power Las Americas Social JAMES JOAQUIN NowPow Fair Trade Certified MIT, Catapult Housing Cofounder and managing director, I Design, and Asian SO–IL Obvious Ventures Pediatric CU Development Bank Patient Room Las Salinas Connected LED STUDENTS Chanje electric Sasaki ALBERT LEE Lighting System vehicle Design partner, New Enterprise Associates Chanje Energy LifeArk Philips Lighting Arranged!—The GDS Architects GREG LINDSAY Arranged Marriage RightMed Clearways LifeEdited: Maui Director of strategy, LA CoMotion OneOme Board Game Clearways Nashra Balagamwala, LifeEdited ERICA LOCK SenceBand Alex Kiesling, and Coffee-powered Mental Health Director, stakeholder engagement, SenceTech Lucas Vasilko London buses Center of Denver Shell International Echoing Green SitTight—Balanced Bear Dahlia Campus for Active Sitting Kansaranat Pear Electrified highway Health & Well-Being EMILY PILLOTON SitTight Nerngchamnong Siemens New Story Founder and executive director, UC San Diego Health, Brimly ET-One Community Project H Design Jacobs Medical Ning Xu and Yue Yuan Thor Trucks Participatory Design ARCHANA RAGHURAM Center Ectosymbiont F CannonDesign lytrex autonomous New Story Executive director, United Way Chennai Joshua Robert Gershlak drone delivery Viome and Angela Mathis system Peña Station Next JAMES ROGERS HDR Viome Hidden in Plain Flytrex CEO, Apeel Sight Print Your City! Vitaliti medical HyTech Power JIGAR SHAH tricorder Michelle Hessel HyTech Power The New Raw Cloud DX Cofounder and president, Generate Capital “How the Other nuTonomy Public Square Wellville Half” nuTonomy FXFowle CAMILLA SIGGAARD ANDERSEN Wellville Caitlin Hickey and Matt Urban innovation consultant Tennenbaum Open Location Stadiums of Platform the future Intrepid Here Technologies The Arthur M. Blank ALEX STEFFEN PHOTO AND Manisha Mohan Family Foundation/ Planetary futurist Self-driving AMB Group VISUALIZATION NOAA POR retrofit kits JUNE SUGIYAMA Julianna Probst Drive.ai Union Point Director, Vodafone Americas Foundation Elkus Manfredi Artifax Nomad: a wearable Use All Five SmartCycle Bike Architects BRENT TODERIAN sensor for the Indicator Bootstraps visually impaired Iteris Urban Ecology City planner and urbanist, Toderian Pale Blue Dot Media Jorge Paez Design Guidance UrbanWorks Symbiote Google The Breadwinner Orai Symbiote Systems KYLE WESTAWAY Aircraft Pictures, Cartoon Danish Dhaman and Managing partner, Westaway Saloon, and Melusine Paritosh Gupta Turbulence app Judges recused themselves Productions Delta Air Lines from deliberating on entries OLAJIDE WILLIAMS Redefining submitted by companies Chasing Coral menstruation Vahana that they are funding or Founder and president, Hip Hop Exposure Labs Noa Bartfeld A3 by Airbus consulting with. Public Health

MAY 2018 FASTCOMPANY.COM 85

THE PEOPLE’S CHEF

José Andrés is By Matthew feeding disaster Shaer survivors, speaking Photograph up for immigrants, by Samantha and tussling Casolari with the federal government. Meanwhile, his Andrés is restaurant empire known for his flourishes. Here’s flavorful opinions. how he’s making “Sometimes you have to hold impulsiveness your ground,” an asset. he says. MOST DAYS, THE RESTAURATEUR was now an extraordinarily risky Spanishrestaurant.” was nowanextraordinarily risky patrons foraprofitableenterprise, andtoraisecapitalforwhat restaurant, toattracttherequisite numberofHispanicfood difficulttorecruitappropriatestafffor aHispanic made itvery perception thatMr. Trump’s statementswereanti-Hispanic said hehadalreadyinvestedintheproperty, arguingthat“the breach ofcontract;Andréscountersuedforthe$8million he Trump hotelinD.C. Trump suedAndrésfor$10million pulled outofadealtoopenrestaurantinthelobby the and becameanaturalizedAmericancitizenin2013,promptly as “rapists” andcriminals. Andrés, whowasborninSpain when then-candidateDonaldJ. Trump describedMexicans of theUnitedStates—animbrogliothatoriginatedin2015, his fingers:First,therewasthelegalbattlewithpresident professionally. Holdingoutonehand,heticksdowntheliston an especiallyperipateticoneforthechef, bothlogisticallyand Andrés hasonly steppeduphiscriticism ofthepresident’s blood between thetwomenpersists, andinrecent months spring, Trump andAndréssettledthelawsuit, butthebad there, pretty soonI’m thinking,Maybe you’d behappierifyouwere angles fromhishead.“Sometimes Igetclose,”hesighs. “But shirt. Hisfeetarebare;hishair, stilldamp, protrudesatstrange He isdressed,asheusually is, inrumpledkhakisandadress says onerecentmorning,sippingthefoamfromcoffee. ing me,‘Enjoythemoment.The momentisnow,’ ” Andrés 88 Patricia, andtheirthreedaughters. home heshareswithhiswife, in thekitchenofMaryland a largemugofcoffeewithsteamedmilk,typically consumed first mealoftheday: aglassoffresh-squeezedfruitjuiceand tempt toexplaintheworldthroughfood,”allowhimselfhis 48-year-old, wholikestodescribehiscareer as“one long at- cal machine.Onlyafterhe’s showeredandshaved doesthe makes hisway overtohis homegymtoworktheellipti- and, afterflickingthroughtheheadlinesonhisiPhoneX, FASTCOMPANY.COM MAY 2018 MAY FASTCOMPANY.COM doing that . Then I’m offagain.” RISES AROUND7A.M. ¶ ¶ “My wifeisalways tell- The pastyearhasbeen ANDCHEF JOSÉANDRÉS ¶ Last Puerto Rico last November. Kitchen’s food distribution points in giving meal at aThanks- one receive to arriving ofsurvivors World Central Andrés greets Hurricane Maria

gutter credit tk Photograph by John Francis Peters MAY 2018 FASTCOMPANY.COM 89 The chef visits the kitchen of China Chilcano in Washington, D.C.

immigration policies—especially the decision, earlier this year, to revoke the starred Minibar, in Washington, D.C., to the temporary protective status granted in 2001 to hundreds of thousands of Sal- sultry Spanish-inspired Bazaar, in Miami, to Mi vadoreans. As Andrés points out to me, it was not that he didn’t support the Casa, in the Puerto Rican resort town of Dorado. idea of immigration reform. But many Salvadoreans work in the restaurant Last April, ThinkFoodGroup forged an exclusive industry, and he worried about the hole their sudden exit would leave in the partnership with food-service management gi- economy—not to mention, of course, his own business. The revocation order, ant Compass Group to develop new concepts and he says, “wasn’t pragmatic, it wasn’t thought out. It just made for chaos.” expand on existing ones, including Beefsteak, Then there were the emergency humanitarian aid trips—taken on behalf Andrés’s three-year-old plant-centric restaurant of Andrés’s charity, World Central Kitchen. Andrés traveled to storm-ravaged chain, and an Eataly-style food hall in New York’s Houston in August to cook for survivors. He went to Puerto Rico a little over Hudson Yards development. a month later to provide food and assistance as the island struggled to re- Andrés clearly relishes the frenetic pace, but cover from Hurricane Maria. And he ventured to Southern California just he admits it has taken a toll: While working in a few months after that, joining food-world friends such as Tom Colicchio Puerto Rico last fall, he lost 20 pounds and was to whip up meals for residents displaced by wildfires. (Andrés received the sick for days at a stretch. He says he is struggling James Beard Foundation’s 2018 Humanitarian of the Year award in February to reckon with his newfound status as a political and was honored for his efforts onstage at the Academy Awards in March. figure, a role he tells me he never sought out and Five days later, he announced that one of his D.C. restaurants would pro- does not particularly want. “Politics is a kind of vide free sandwiches and drinks for students participating in the March game,” he says, “where you’re exchanging this for Our Lives rally.) for that.” Andrés isn’t interested in negotiating. Finally, there have been the demands of his increasingly tentacular He just wants to help the people who need it. Not restaurant empire, ThinkFoodGroup, which has grown out of Andrés’s that he has the diplomacy for politics, anyway: first American property, the 25-year-old Jaleo, near the National Mall in When the chef was refused entrance to an after- Washington. The business now includes 29 properties in eight cities in party following the annual Alfalfa Club dinner in the United States, Puerto Rico, and Mexico—from the double-Michelin- D.C. in January—a glamorous affair that drew

90 FASTCOMPANY.COM MAY 2018 Photograph by Samantha Casolari George W. Bush, Madeleine Albright, U.S. Su- at the end, he rips open his shirt, and he’s got a T-shirt underneath.” Four preme Court Justice John Roberts, and others—he words were emblazoned on the front: I AM AN IMMIRAN. “None of us jumped to conclusions. He tweeted out a photo had any clue he was going to do that,” Grant says. “But that’s José.” of himself at the door, surmising that Ivanka Trump was to blame, and tagged The Washington Andrés’s transformation from chef to activist began in 2010, with a phone Post. It was retweeted 13,000 times. The next af- call. Manolo Vílchez, the Spanish head of a solar-powered-stove company, ternoon, he tweeted again: Ivanka had reached alSol, was headed down to Haiti to distribute cooking equipment to survi- out to him. She’d had nothing to do with it. Along vors of the recent earthquake. Did Andrés want to come along? with his apology, he included a plea for immigra- As a 19-year-old chef in the Spanish Navy, Andrés had traveled to the tion reform that would protect Dreamers. Ivory Coast and the favelas of Brazil and encountered, for the first time, In many ways, Andrés resembles fellow desperate levels of poverty. “In Spain, there are people who go hungry, business luminaries such as Chobani’s Hamdi obviously,” Andrés recalls. “But I’d never seen hunger like I did in those Ulukaya, Starbucks’s Howard Schultz, and Pa- places.” It stuck with him, and when tagonia’s Rose Marcario, who have managed he arrived in the U.S., as a young chef, to expand their enterprises while speaking out he started volunteering with local about—and acting on—their values. But Andrés’s soup kitchens; later he joined an or- spontaneity makes him unique. Through his ganization called Share Our Strength prolific use of social media, his lack of filter, and “IT WORRIES ME THAT THE ONLY and helped teach cooking classes in his impulse to go where the action is, Andrés is THING SOMEONE SHOULD GET RIGHT disadvantaged communities around pioneering a rapid-response model of leadership. AFTER A DISASTER IS SOME KIND OF D.C. He often grew frustrated, he This is no fully vetted corporate social responsi- MILITARY-STYLE NUTRAPACK OR says, “because I couldn’t see imme- bility effort. It’s one man acting on instinct, ad- diate results.” justing on the fly, and observing as things tend WHATEVER THEY’RE CALLED,” ANDRÉS Vílchez was offering him a chance to fall into place behind him. This freewheeling SAYS. “PEOPLE NEED REAL FOOD. at instant feedback, and after hang- approach might rankle some, but it’s working: THEY NEED THE COMFORT OF IT.” ing up the phone, Andrés threw his He’s attracting talent to ThinkFoodGroup, dona- things into a couple of old backpacks tions to World Central Kitchen, and customers to and headed to the airport. “I didn’t take that much,” he says. “Some money, his restaurants. He is a walking, tweeting, pot- a knife, a fishing vest”—the same tan Orvis vest, now sweat stained and sun stirring, brand-building experiment. faded, that he sports in numerous recent photographs from Puerto Rico. Kimberly Grant, formerly the COO and presi- When he arrived in Haiti, he says, “it was chaos.” Hundreds of thousands dent of Ruby Tuesday who was hired in 2014 to were dead; more than a million were displaced. For almost two weeks, An- be ThinkFoodGroup’s CEO, recalls accompanying drés and his companions trekked across the country, sometimes sleeping Andrés to a charity dinner in Miami last year that in the homes of locals or under the stars. The alSol team set up more than was “black tie, very formal, full of celebrities,” a dozen solar cooking facilities around the island, and Andrés taught resi- she says. “José gets up there to give a speech, and dents how to use them.

THE ALL-NEW 2018 WRANGLER ©2018 FCA US LLC. All Rights Reserved. Jeep is a registered trademark of ThinkFoodGroup CEO Kimberly Grant takes a methodical, geographic approach to growing the restaurant company.

Andrés returned from the trip invigorated, and over coffee with Robert by women. In Nicaragua, it joined forces with Egger, the head of DC Central Kitchen, a charity that distributes unused a Central American NGO to help members of a food from local restaurants to the city’s homeless population, he made a coffee-roasting collective sell their beans directly proposal: Why not create an international version of the group? It could to major American markets. All of these projects be called World Central Kitchen. Egger, who worked alongside Andrés for remain operational today. years at DC Central Kitchen, where Andrés was a volunteer—and later a Back in the States, Andrés helped Egger open major fundraiser—agreed. “José,” he says, “has a record of pulling stuff out L.A. Kitchen, a sister institution to the one in of his ass and making it work.” D.C., and presided over the creation of the Chef Initially, World Central Kitchen had two full-time employees (both have Network—a small army of what is today around since left), and the organization’s attention was focused on Haiti, where 100 food industry pros, including Anthony Bour- it established a sanitation training program for local cooks and built a dain and Andrew Zimmern, who contribute to bakery, still active today, that helps feed the residents of an orphanage in WCK in various ways, including outreach trips the town of Croix-des-Bouquets. “My feeling was that a lot of NGOs were around the globe. As these culinary and philan- doing important work in Haiti, but in the long term, the problems weren’t thropic efforts grew, the awards piled up: Andrés getting ﬁxed,” Andrés says. “Or the problems were getting bigger.” He was received an honorary doctorate from George looking to implement projects like the bakery, that would become part of Washington University and a National Humani- the fabric of the community, that wouldn’t just feed people, but would also ties Medal from President Barack Obama. train locals in a profession. By early last year, the accolades—and his Soon, Andrés was raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for WCK ongoing dispute with the Trump family—had from large donors such as the Crown family. The organization partnered made Andrés one of the most famous chefs in with 11 restaurants, including a handful in the ThinkFoodGroup portfolio, the country. But it was his work after Hurricane for a World Food Day fundraiser in 2014, with 10% of all earnings going to Maria that made him a household name. As An- WCK. In Zambia, it opened a bakery modeled after the one in Haiti. In the drés tells it, he had no concrete plans when he Dominican Republic, it invested in a beekeeping company run entirely and ﬁlmmaker Nate Mook, who had volunteered

92 FASTCOMPANY.COM MAY 2018 Photograph by Samantha Casolari on numerous WCK initiatives, boarded a plane Puerto Rico. A top official at FEMA, which had funded some of the World to Puerto Rico in September, mere days after the Central Kitchen’s programs there, responded by writing off Andrés as a category 5 storm swept across the island, killing “colorful . . . businessman looking for stuff to promote his business.” dozens and leveling the power grid. “I just knew There’s no question that the relief work has helped increase Andrés’s I needed to be there,” Andrés says. visibility. Hundreds of articles have been written about the chef’s efforts It became immediately clear to them “that no in Puerto Rico alone, and he has become a frequent source for journalists one there was really dealing with the hunger situ- looking into government aid efforts on the island. But, he says, none of ation,” Mook says. “There was food, but no one this is commercially motivated, any more than his volunteer work in the was equipped to prepare it. So José made some soup kitchens in New York and D.C. was. “Sometimes,” he says, “you have calls, and we ended up in this beachside kitchen to hold your ground. You have to speak from the heart.” He is the head of [of a restaurant] run by José Enrique”—the best- the largest restaurant empire in the capital city of the United States. More known chef in Puerto Rico. “There were holes in than half a million people follow him on Twitter. He has a soapbox, and he the roof, and all this water was coming in, but intends to use it. there was a generator. And we started cooking.” Eventually, they established 23 kitchens that On paper, World Central Kitchen and churned out what Andrés estimates to be more ThinkFoodGroup remain wholly sep- than 3.3 million meals, leaning on local volun- arate entities. In practice, the distinc- teers for help with cooking and distribution. tion is blurry: Each effort informs the On Andrés’s insistence, many of the meals were ANDRÉS CALLED FEMA “THE MOST other. Andrés’s commercial success hot—big, steaming pots of paella and chicken and INEFFICIENT PLACE ON EARTH” and rising profile make it easier for rice. “It worries me that the only thing someone ON TWITTER. A TOP OFFICIAL AT THE World Central Kitchen to attract top should get right after a disaster is some kind restaurant talent to its Chef Network; of military-style NutraPack or whatever they’re AGENCY CALLED ANDRÉS A “COLORFUL . . . WCK’s philanthropy, in turn, has a called,” says Andrés. “People need real food. They BUSINESSMAN LOOKING FOR STUFF halo effect on ThinkFoodGroup—and need the comfort of it.” TO PROMOTE HIS BUSINESS.” motivates its more than 1,200 em- Andrés ended up spending more than 10 ployees. “I came to ThinkFoodGroup weeks on the island, spread over multiple trips. in large part because of the outreach work José was doing,” says Eric Mar- He found the work rewarding yet aggravating, tino, COO of the company’s fast-casual division. “It makes you go, ‘I’ve got due to the way he saw the Trump administra- to find a way to match that.’ ” In February, Martino orchestrated a collabora- tion mishandling the relief situation. As with tion with DC Central Kitchen so that graduates of its job training program all things Trump, Andrés didn’t bother keeping receive placement at a local Beefsteak outpost. “A s an organization, as you his opinions to himself. “The most inefficient expand, you want to have that,” he says. “You want a reminder from the top place on earth,” he wrote in one Twitter post last that this is more than about serving food.” fall, under a photograph of the Federal Emer- Since the beginning, Andrés’s restaurant empire has been in a more or gency Management Agency headquarters in less constant state of expansion, both in terms of scope and geographic

THE SPIRIT OF FREED OM ©2018 FCA US LLC. All Rights Reserved. Jeep is a registered trademark of During a 2014 visit to a culinary school in Haiti, Andrés demonstrates techniques for cutting vegetables. His World Central Kitchen nonprofit has built or renovated more than 40 school kitchens in the country, which feed 15,000 students daily.

reach. Initially, the chef stuck primarily to the Spanish cuisine he’d mastered further result of its partnership with food-service during his time as a young chef at El Bulli, the Catalonian restaurant con- management company the Compass Group. sidered the pinnacle of molecular gastronomy until it closed in 2011. Jaleo, Meanwhile, in Texas in February, Andrés opened on the Mall in D.C., is credited for popularizing Spanish tapas in the U.S. But a new location of Zaytinya, his Mediterranean- the critical and popular success of the place also gave Andrés the confidence inspired offering. Eventually this Zaytinya out- to experiment with a more diverse menu, often at considerable professional post will be one of several ThinkFoodGroup risk. Minibar, an expensive D.C. restaurant known for cutting-edge culinary establishments in the Dallas area—an approach techniques (e.g., mojitos as squares meant to be chewed, not drinks to be the company has used effectively in L.A. and D.C. sipped), could have been a costly, pretentious flop when it opened in 2003. “Think about it in terms of efficiency,” CEO Grant Instead, the establishment earned two Michelin stars. Similarly innovative says. “Could Zaytinya be [our] only Dallas restau- efforts, like the Asian-Peruvian fusion joint China Chilcano, which launched rant? Yes, but if you have a cluster of restaurants, in D.C. in 2015, and the seafood-centric Bazaar Mar, which opened in Miami you’re able to share the burden of food procure- a year later, have helped ratchet ThinkFoodGroup’s revenue to, as of last ment, you’re able to share staff—you can have one year, well over $150 million. sommelier who moves between the locations.” Today, Andrés is not as intimately involved with every new restaurant When I visit the restaurant, which is located opening as he once was. More and more, he serves as final arbiter—of in the wealthy northern Dallas suburb of Frisco, menu choices, of restaurant design—with CEO Kimberly Grant and others the mood on a cloudy winter day is one of upbeat /Getty Images /Getty attending to everyday development details. There are plenty to go around. In disorder. The open-air kitchen is raucous and addition to opening new Beefsteak locations this fall—including one at the busy; the recently hired waitstaff darts from table Cleveland Clinic, in Ohio—ThinkFoodGroup will debut a massive Spanish- to table, catering to friends and family who have

inspired food hall in the new Hudson Yards, in the shadow of Manhattan’s been pressed into service as testers. “It’s crazy, but The Washington Post High Line, in partnership with fellow El Bulli veterans Ferran and Albert all restaurant openings are, because nothing is Adrià. In December, the company announced that it would provide food and ever ready exactly when you need it to be,” says

beverage services for the Esports Arena in the Luxor hotel, in Las Vegas—a Joe Raffa, ThinkFoodGroup’s D.C.-based executive Joseph/ Marvin

94 FASTCOMPANY.COM MAY 2018 chef. Still, he has grown accustomed to the pro- At Zaytinya in Frisco, the lunch service winds down and the staff settles cess. “If you can deal with the occasional gray in for a communal meal before another wave of friends and family show up hair, there’s a lot of joy to it, and a lot of creativ- for dinner. Grant retreats to a corner with Michael Doneff, ThinkFoodGroup’s ity. Nothing is ever a cookie-cutter replication, CMO, to discuss plans for additional restaurants for the Dallas cluster. They’d even if we’re working with an existing brand. recently spotted a storefront they liked in the rapidly ballooning uptown area. You bring in new menu items: We’re going to do “It’s just a question of when the landlord can deliver it,” Doneff says. a lot more beef here, because it’s Texas. You cre- “Right,” Grant agrees. “But we’ll get there.” ate a unique vibe.” A few weeks later, they do. And the cycle starts again. Like most new ThinkFoodGroup properties, the Frisco Zaytinya had been developed over the More than two decades after the opening of the first Jaleo, in D.C., the sur- course of more than a year, starting with a series rounding area has been so densely colonized by ThinkFoodGroup that you of scouting trips. Once a general area is identi- can hardly walk a block without passing a property operated by the com- fied, the discussion turns to the type of restaurant pany: Oyamel and China Chilcano on that will best fit the neighborhood. In the case of Seventh Street; Zaytinya, Minibar, Frisco, ThinkFoodGroup had been approached by and the experimental cocktail space backers who knew specifically that they wanted Barmini on Ninth; the corporate head- a Zaytinya, but Grant told me she would have quarters on D Street. proposed something similar, regardless. “We One overcast afternoon, I trail could have done Bazaar Meat”—the company’s “IF YOU HAVE A CLUSTER OF Andrés as he ping-pongs from one steak-centric chain—“but that wouldn’t have RESTAURANTS” IN A CITY, CEO restaurant to the next, his thick differentiated us enough in this market. Ditto GRANT SAYS, “YOU’RE ABLE arms pumping, his Camper sneakers for Oyamel,” ThinkFoodGroup’s Mexican brand. unlaced. At Oyamel, he chuffs down After a lease is signed, design and construc- TO SHARE THE BURDEN OF FOOD some guacamole. At Jaleo, he won- tion begin, with Andrés regularly cycling through PROCUREMENT, YOU’RE ABLE ders aloud why the back door is ajar— to offer suggestions and feedback. When launch- TO SHARE STAFF.” “Needed some air,” the host said, a ing Bazaar Meat, in 2014, “we knew we were go- response that did not placate Andrés, ing to do a meat restaurant, and we all sat down who noted the “arctic temperatures”—and points out that not enough oys- together to discuss concepts,” Raffa remembers. ters had been ordered from a local supplier (“Sorry, chef, sir, it won’t happen “We had some stuff to show him. Some he liked, again”). At Zaytinya, he samples a batch of caviar that local importers have and some he didn’t. Then we came back to his brought in (“Very nice,” he says with a nod), and then, catching sight of his office, and every wall was literally covered in wife, Patricia, who is having lunch with the wife of the Spanish ambassa- printouts of pictures and menu items. He was dor, he lowers his head and curses. “My outfit,” he says, gesturing down at exploding ideas. And it was so specific: It was, his sneakers. “She’ll kill me.” (Neither woman, ultimately, seems to notice.) ‘Get me this steak I ate 12 years ago at this small Then it’s back out into the cold. Near the corner of D and Ninth, a young restaurant in Spain.’ ” man wearing a suit under his coat flags down Andrés. “Thank you,” he says,

THE PROMISE OF AD VENTURE ©2018 FCA US LLC. All Rights Reserved. Jeep is a registered trademark of taurants. FoodGroup’s Think- feature Miami and Vegas, Las Hills, Beverly in Texas. HotelsFrisco, SLS D.C. and in locations, two atits menu terranean scale Spanish cuisine. 96 Zaytinya drés’s mezze-focused City. An- Mexico and land; Mary- Bethesda, D.C.; in dining—now has out posts to small-plateAmericans 1993—and introduced Jaleo José Andrés Las Vegas–based at around $275 per person. starts experience course multi- This 2016. in stars Michelin two earned D.C., mecca in Washington, molecular gastronomy Minibar Restaurants amemoir. wrote just also named Pepe). Somehow, he (including afoodtruck 12-year-old ThinkFoodGroup inhis eateries 29 at the directionongoing creative offers Andrés José HE SPINS PLATES THE MIDPRICED HIGHEND FASTCOMPANY.COM MAY 2018 MAY FASTCOMPANY.COM , which launched in launched , which , Andrés’s 12-seat , Andrés’s

offers aMedi- offers

Bazaar offers up- offers é by

res- sangria. The cho, and nonalcoholic ish sandwiches), gazpa- upserving flautas (Span- D.C.metropolitan area, food truck, roams the Clinic. Cleveland toOhio’s year this expand will that chain focused three-year-old vegetable- Beefsteak pop-up restaurant. Inlate restaurant. pop-up sometimes doubles as a Lab FASTCASUAL FASTCASUAL is a test kitchen that kitchen atest is

is Andrés’s Think Pepe F ood- , a relief efforts in Puertorelief efforts disaster- his about book the American Kitchen. for Dishes Spanish Spain: America Tapas: ATaste in ofSpain tiple cookbooks, including Andrés has published mul- Books Hudson Yards. York New in City’shall expansive Spanish food an open will Andrés 2018,

and Made in from the Think the from sandwiches colorful and left), (below steak Beef- at burger, atomato right), (below Mar Bazaar at Bagel,” “Everything include rants I maginative dishes from Andrés’s restau-

A F Central Kitchen. Central drés’s nonprofit, World proceeds will go to An- Some at HarperCollins). thony Bourdain’s imprint September (through An- Meal at aTime, at Meal One Rico, Puerto building True ofRe- The Story land: called Rico, Products Tienda, Andrés sells his own his sells Andrés Tienda, La called asite Through oodLab (bottom). We Fed an Is- an We Fed

is due in due is —Cory Fernandez hour travel special. Haiti Undiscov ered NatGeo’s and series, travel Spain PBS’s wonders: Andrés seeking out culinary Two featured have series TV oil. olive and roasted piquillo peppers, such as vinegar, sherry staples ofSpanish brand

a 26-part food-and- Made in , aone-

Courtesy of ThinkFoodGroup shaking the chef’s hand. “You keep fighting the (“Salty!” Andrés says. “Too salty?”) A fantastically fragile butterfly made of good fight, promise?” flash-frozen pumpkin oil. (“Good.”) And a little piece of something fried “Okay,” the chef says. “Yes! I will.” in tempura. He heads off again, at a canter, toward the What is it? door of the cocktail bar Barmini, as his assis- “Cod semen,” one of the R&D chefs says. tant, Satchel Kaplan-Allen, struggles to keep Andrés’s jaw hinges open. “Can you not call it that?” up. Kaplan-Allen has only been working at the “Yes, chef.” company since the fall, but he already wears an “I mean, even the Japanese, they call it ‘cod milt.’ ” expression that I’ve seen on the faces of Andrés’s “Shirako,” the R&D man says with a nod. longest-serving employees—a mixture of admi- “Better.” ration and exasperation. “I’ve learned that the Andrés glances down at his phone. In a half hour, he is due at Think- best you can do,” Kaplan-Allen says, “is to just FoodGroup’s pop-up space, near Eighth Street, which tonight will be giv- hang on for dear life. Because he never stops.” ing away pupusas—a kind of stuffed Barmini, which directly adjoins Minibar, tortilla popular in Central America—to ThinkFoodGroup’s most culinarily adventurous fans of D.C. United, the local soccer club. restaurant, is not yet open for service, but the A few months earlier, Andrés says, he’d place hums. Behind the bar, a staffer is mixing inadvertently found himself in hot wa- test cocktails, and in the kitchen, a few members “I’VE LEARNED THAT THE ter with United’s supporters after news of ThinkFoodGroup’s R&D team are messing BEST YOU CAN DO IS TO went public that ThinkFoodGroup, with around with experimental dishes that might one JUST HANG ON FOR DEAR the support of Compass Group, would be day make it onto the Minibar menu. ” the primary vendor for the team’s new Andrés takes a seat at the bar for a tasting. LIFE, SAYS ANDRÉS’S stadium, at Buzzard Point. Salvadorean Raffa, ThinkFoodGroup’s executive chef and An- ASSISTANT, SATCHEL pupusa vendors had been a regular pres- drés’s culinary deputy, says R&D is empowered KAPLAN-ALLEN. “BECAUSE ence outside the old Robert F. Kennedy to range widely when it comes to new menu HE NEVER STOPS.” field for more than a decade, and there items—“to tear things apart and put them back was widespread worry that Andrés would together, over and over again.” But it is Andrés get rid of them. He turned to social media to call the reports “fake news”; the who gets the final say. “José has a palate that vendors would stay. Now, as a demonstration of his good will and allegiance can’t be matched, and an uncanny sense of to the club, he’s proposed a pupusa night. what will work and what won’t,” Raffa explains. Nearing the pop-up space, where hundreds of fans are already as- “When he goes, ‘This is what I think is going to sembled, Andrés’s face softens. He wades into the crowd, shaking hands work,’ I listen. We may argue, but in the end, and posing for selfies. But he can’t stay long: In an hour, he’s supposed to you trust him.” give a short talk at the U.S. Institute for Peace on his relief work. He hasn’t The dishes are produced. Snail eggs with prepared any notes. tapioca, meant to be consumed in a single slurp. [email protected]

THE ALL-NEW 2018 WRANGLER ©2018 FCA US LLC. All Rights Reserved. Jeep is a registered trademark of Warner smiled as he suggested that the company its own “conversational health.” It invited other Twitter may not be able to commit as many resources as organizations to participate in this process, and Facebook and Google can because it has a “more Twitter says it will reveal its first partners in July. (Continued from page 67) complicated, less lucrative business model.” The effort is intriguing, but the crowd- The big question now is what government sourced initiative also sounds eerily similar to intervention might look like. Warner suggested Twitter’s Trust and Safety Council, whose mis- suspension. The company has also made it more several broad policy prescriptions, including sion since it was convened in February 2016 has difficult to bulk-tweet misinformation. antitrust and data privacy regulations, but the been for advocates, academics, and grassroots Such crackdowns haven’t yet eliminated one with the greatest potential effect on Twit- organizations to provide input on the company’s the service’s festering problems: After Febru- ter and its rivals would be to make them liable safety approach. ary’s mass shooting at a Parkland, Florida, for the content on their platforms. When asked Many people who worked for Twitter want high school, some surviving students became if the European Union, which has been more not a metric but a mea culpa. According to one targets of harassment, and Russia-linked bots forceful in its regulation of the technology in- source who has discussed these issues with the reportedly spread pro-gun sentiments and dis- dustry, could serve as a model, the senator re- company’s leadership, “Their response to ev- information. Nobody, though, can accuse Twitter plied, “[I’m] glad the EU is acting. I think they’re erything was basically, ‘Look, we hear you, but of not confronting its worst elements. The pres- bolder than we are.” you can’t blame Twitter for what happened. If sure on Dorsey to keep this momentum going If the U.S. government does start taking a it wasn’t us, it would’ve been another medium.’ is coming from Wall Street, too: On a recent more activist role in overseeing social networks, The executives didn’t own up to the fact that we earnings call, a Goldman Sachs analyst pressed it will unleash some of the same nettlesome is- are responsible, and that was one of the reasons Dorsey about the company’s progress toward sues that Europe is already working through. On why I quit.” eliminating bots and enforcing safety policies. January 1, for instance, Germany began enforc- Even Senator Warner believes that before his “Information quality,” Dorsey responded, is now ing a law known as (deep breath) Netzwerkdurch- colleagues consider legislation, the tech com- Twitter’s “core job.” setzungsgesetz, or NetzDG panies’ CEOs ought to testify for short. Rather than es- before Congress. “I want This past Valentine’s Day, Senator Mark Warner tablish new restrictions on them all, not just Dorsey. entered his stately corner suite in Washington, hate speech, it mandates I want Mark and I want D.C.’s Hart Senate Office Building, poured himself that large social networks 1 [Google cofounders] Sergey a Vitaminwater, and rushed into an explanation remove material that vio- [Brin] and Larry [Page],” he of why Silicon Valley needs to be held account- lates the country’s existing said. “Don’t send your law- Percentage of able for its role in the 2016 election. As the Demo- speech laws—which are far yers, don’t send the policy active Twitter cratic vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence more stringent than their guys. They owe the American accounts that are Committee, Warner is swamped with high- U.S. equivalents—within bots, according to public an explanation.” profile hearings and classified briefings, but the 24 hours of being notified a 2017 study When Twitter debuted its topic is also personal for the self-described “tech of its existence. “Decisions new health metrics initiative, guy” who made a fortune in the 1980s investing that would take months in the American public seemed in telecoms. a regular court are now [made] by social me- to finally get one, after Dorsey tweeted about Warner is coleading the committee’s investi- dia companies in just minutes,” says Mirko Twitter, “We didn’t fully predict or understand the gation into Russian election interference, which Hohmann, a Berlin-based project manager for real-world negative consequences. We acknowl- has increasingly centered on the growing, un- the Global Public Policy Institute. edge that now.” He continued: “We aren’t proud of fettered power of technology giants, whom he In the U.S., rather than wait for federal action how people have taken advantage of our service, believes need to get over their “arrogance” and or international guidance, state lawmakers in or our inability to address it fast enough. . . . We’ve

ﬁx their platforms. “One of the things that really Maryland, New York, and Washington are al- focused most of our efforts on removing content 2017 International AAAI Conference on Web and Social Media offended me was the initial reaction from the ready working to regulate political ads on social against our terms, instead of building a systemic tech companies to blow us off,” he began, lean- networks. As Warner said, the era of Silicon Val- framework to help encourage more healthy de- ing forward in his leather chair. “ ‘Oh no! There’s ley self-policing is over. bate, conversations, and critical thinking. This is nothing here! Don’t look!’ Only with relentless the approach we now need.” pressure did they start to come clean.” Whether or not the federal government steps One week later, Dorsey continued to acknowl- He saved his harshest words for Twitter, in, there are many things Twitter could still do to edge past missteps during a 47-minute live video which he said has dragged its feet far more than protect its platform from abuse. One relatively broadcast on Twitter. “We will make mistakes—I Facebook or Google. “All of Twitter’s actions were straightforward measure would be to label auto- will certainly make mistakes,” he said. “I have in the wake of Facebook’s,” Warner complained mated accounts as such, which wouldn’t hobble done so in the past around this entire topic of in his gravelly voice, his face reddening. “They’re legitimate feeds but would make it tougher safety, abuse, misinformation, [and] manipula-

drafting!” The company was the only one to miss for Russian bots to pose as heartland Trump tion on the platform.” ion, Estimation, and Characterization.” Paper presented at the the January 8 deadline for providing answers supporters. The company could do more to The point of the live stream was to talk more to the Intelligence Committee’s inquiries, and, discourage people from creating objectionable about measuring discourse, and Dorsey tried making matters worse, Twitter disclosed weeks content in the first place by making its rules to answer user-submitted questions. But the later that Kremlin-linked bots managed to gen- more visible and digestible. It could also build hundreds of real-time comments scrolling by erate more than 450 million impressions, sub- trust by embracing transparency as more than on the screen illustrated the immense chal- stantially higher than the company previously a buzzword, sharing with users more about how lenge ahead. As the video continued, his feed reported. “There’s been this [excuse of], ‘Oh, exactly Twitter works and collaborating with filled with anti-Semitic and homophobic insults, well, that’s just Twitter.’ That’s not a long-term outside researchers. caustic complaints from users who fear Twitter viable answer.” Toward this end, and inspired by research is silencing their beliefs, and plaintive cries for Warner stated that he has had offline con- conducted by nonprofit Cortico and MIT’s Labo- the company to stop racism. Stroking his beard, versations directly with Facebook CEO Mark ratory for Social Machines, the company an- Dorsey squinted at his phone, watching the bad

Zuckerberg, but never Dorsey. Throwing shade, nounced in March that it will attempt to measure speech ﬂow as he searched for the good. Source: Onur Varol et al., “Online Human-Bot Interactions: Detect

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By David Lidsky Illustration by Peter Oumanski

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5. Which picture of your avocado toast will get the 10. This site uses machine learning to analyze histori- most Instagram likes and attract more followers? cal data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection Post better Lisa chooses the best photo among ones you Get through to predict how long it’ll take to get through cus- pictures select to determine which will fare better. customs toms at more than 40 U.S. airports. Lisa BorderWait.net Bonus features: After scrutinizing an image, Lisa Bonus features: Users can specify exact termi- generates hashtags that can be added to a post nals, arrival date and time, and resident status to to further boost its potential to be seen. get a more accurate assessment.

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