For 20 years, design was viewed by many in Corporate America as "an identity, a differentiator, the ultimate competitive advantage," writes . Today, the passion for corporate design seems greatly diminished. What happened?
Follow
mikehofman
@mikehofman
Executive Editor and Head of Digital at Fast Company (he/him)
JournalistNew York, NYJoined October 2008
mikehofman’s Tweets
Big, under-the-radar news with huge implications for the spread of mis- and disinformation
Quote Tweet
In Texas, popular social-media platforms are now going to be banned from doing pretty much any content moderation, after a 5th Circuit panel upheld HB20. New piece from me on why the decision was wrong, and the havoc it will wreak if not overturned.
fastcompany.com/90789428/texas
Show this thread
1
Post-pandemic, notes that employee burnout is driven by dissatisfaction with work—some of which is in response to how employers treated them during the pandemic. “Some companies showed up and some companies showed their butts” she says #fcfestival
Quote Tweet
@KathleenEDavis hosting an episode of The New Way We Work on stage at @FastCompany innovation festival in NYC #fcinnovationfestival #beyondburnout
3
6
On doing her own stunts, says she likes being physical, and trusts her body. “It’s like math: if you train, you can do it.” Director Anthony Russo replies, “I like your analogy but, like math, not everyone can actually do it” #fcfestival
1
49
129
“Creative differences are what make the difference between a good and great movie… I think they’re healthy,” says “We give directors creative control but then we’re talking with them all day about the script, the casting, what about this, what about that” #FCFestival
She also joked (ruefully) that diversity in the boardroom used to be what shade of pale blue a person’s Oxford was
Quote Tweet
“I’ve been a professional for 40 years and the first time I worked in a diverse workforce was during the Obama administration.”
“One you experience the power of diversity, you don’t go back.”
- @PennyPritzker
#FCfestival @FastCompany
0:15
98 views
2
“What is happening now is an an unearthing of who does the work and how that work is valued,” says This is true, she adds, within companies and industries as well as within the labor movement itself. #fcfestival
3
Show this thread
Financialization is a bad trend for people at every level, argues . “CEOs have less power in a world of unchecked capitalism too… unions put power back in their hands” to avoid financial engineering like stock buybacks and instead reinvest profits. #fcfestival
2
The mood of labor right now continues to be confidently assertive: “Unchecked capitalism is no way to live,” says at #fcfestival, while says “we have a lot of work to do but right now in this moment everyone is up for it.”
1
7
15
Show this thread
On the interplay b/w traditional entertainment media & digital media, notes that he was discouraged from having a website for Freaks & Geeks. Similarly says his team advised him to keep Billy on the Street videos off YouTube for a few years. #fcfestival
1
Touting the rewatchability of comedies like You’ve Got Mail and Broadcast News, says Bros is “a fun moviegoing experience, which is different from the latest four-hour, gritty version of Batman, as fun as that is.” #fcfestival
2
Fresh off a successful premiere at TIFF, talks about the reason why it took so long to make a studio gay rom com. He also jokes “it’s not a documentary.” #fcfestival
Quote Tweet
"Hollywood is an interesting place—I think it’s often been at the forefront of cultural change. Culture in this country has been one or two steps ahead of politics, especially when it comes to LGBTQ+ visibility." — @billyeichner at @FastCoFestival
4
At #fcfestival, Ken Chenault says using the term “woke” as a pejorative is deeply worrisome—almost akin to the way the term “red” was used during the McCarthy Era. Responding to question about stalled DEI initiatives in Corporate America
2
“Our supply chains are completely messed up and I don’t care what business you’re in or what business you think you’re in—you’re affected by that,” says , noting that a shift to supply chain resiliency is going to be lengthy and expensive.
3
“The role of a leader is to define reality and give hope,” says chair and fmr Amex CEO Ken Chenault at #fcfestival
1
2
On treating being a CEO like being a designer: “Design is not just how something looks, it’s how it works,” says ’s #fcfestival “Running a company in a design-led way is actually good for business.”
1
2
On managing a software org at scale: “When you have 1,000 people in a dept, autonomy is disempowering,” says . “You have people going off in 1,000 different directions.” #fcfestival
2
1
This was a fascinating tangent for a tech co CEO to follow, but dovetailed with something Ideo’s Heather Boesch said yesterday about how social activities like shopping have become lonely research projects. Genuine q: why do we now live this way?
Quote Tweet
"There's a loneliness epidemic & the more time we spend on screens, it seems the more lonely people actually become... I'm not saying we're here to solve that problem but a lot of people are coming together to think about how to build that community for the next gen," Chesky says
Show this thread
5
“The biggest reason why things don’t scale is that people don’t want them to scale. Nobody gives a shit about your product,” says an animated at #fcfestival, Day 3
1
2
Sounds like a challenge for the writers of Black Mirror
Quote Tweet
"As long as we live in a physical world, people will return to physical experiences." — Francois Nguyen CDO, North America @frogdesign at the @FastCoFestival
2
Heather Boesch of notes shopping used to be a social experience, but now “every time I want to buy a dress it’s me alone at 2 am on my laptop. So how do we recapture some of the fun so that every time I want something new it doesn’t become this lonely research project?”
Show this thread
Speaking of the complexity of managing physical and digital customer experiences at #FCFestival, of observes a paradox between usage and expectation: most of us want to bank online, but we also want to know the branch is there (and open!) when we need it
1
1
2
Show this thread
At #FCfestival COO Laura Miele brags that the animation in games has by now far surpassed that in film. “We are within a millimeter of accuracy in terms of muscle movement” in depicting athletes in esports titles, she says.
2
2
Quote Tweet
#Travel intel: At the @FastCoFestival Marriott International CEO Tony Capuano says his favorite properties are the @RitzCarlton Kyoto and the @StRegisMaldives 
2
At #FCFestival, IBM’s says “we’re in the consolidation phase” of moving data to the cloud, seeking a common platform or common approach to the multiple environments that have sprung up within most orgs.
Speaking of warehouse workers, says “you have this unbelievable business model… if [workers want to organize] sit down with them.” He also says $25/hr is a good starting wage but not enough to raise a family on. #fcfestival
Show this thread
Are rising salaries driving inflation and therefore a problem? “Getting people to be paid more money is a good thing. I don’t care what the CEO makes or what the board makes, I just want you to treat your employees fairly,” tells at #FCFestival
1
1
1
Show this thread
Amid organizing at Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s, says grocery workers were called “essential” during COVID. “You don’t hear so much about them now, but grocery store workers were working in Puerto Rico yesterday even w/flooding. We should respect the work they do.”
1
Show this thread
Speaking out strongly in favor of paid family leave, says “if you’re a company in America and you’re not doing it, you’re putting yourself at a competitive disadvantage” when it comes to hiring and retaining workers. #FCFestival
1
2
3
Show this thread
Speaking at #FCFestival, says employees “should” have more power when it comes to wages and benefits in this environment. “I’m a strong believer in treating your employees with respect,” he says. Also says his first job was at
1
1
3
Show this thread
Chloe designer came to #FCFestival in between shows in NYC and Europe. She says she hates holiday gift guides and consumerism, and prefers instead to donate holiday profits to worthy causes
1
1
4
At #FCFestival, says energy is a sleeper policy issue coming out of the midterms. “If we’re not getting oil from Russia, are we getting it from Venezuela or Iran instead? Are we going to allow pipelines? We hate trade offs but we sometimes have to make them.”
1
1
But “it is essential for CEOs to stand up for the values that matter to their businesses,” he says.
2
Show this thread
Kicking off #FCFestival with a talk on stakeholder capitalism: “There is no way you can run a consumer facing brand and avoid the culture wars. I can say that air is really important for you, and 5% will disagree with me,” says CEO Dan Schulman
1
4
Show this thread
On Monday, we're excited to kick off #FCFestival – live for the first time in *two* years.
Day 1⃣ is special for Fast Track ticket holders: think of it as an urban field trip with insider access to NYC's most innovative companies.
A list of Fast Track panels on Monday: 🧵 ⬇️
0:21
1.5K views
3
13
19
Show this thread
A fascinating development that is also worrisome
The phone-before-feet demo
Quote Tweet
You have to think about some unexpected stuff when designing shoes these days:
1
The challenges of designing a system only meant to be used once
1
Interesting reporting on the emerging, complicated secondary market for used Teslas, by
