Fast Company Digest

Much attention has been given to the idea of a 4-day workweek, but editor Kathleen Davis argues that trimming two hours off of each workday instead is the better option. And as more companies continue to experience data breaches, writer Rob Pegoraro explores the importance of minimizing the data you retain to limit the potential damage from a breach.

This week, amid the flurry of news and changes at OpenAI, senior writer Ainsley Harris explains how skirmishes over AI safety have exploded into all-out war. And Black Friday shopping . . . for months? Writer Chris Morris explores how the “biggest shopping day of the year,” morphed into endless, meaningless promotions.

This week, writer Sarah Bregel explains a promising new development for peanut allergy sufferers: a clinical trial of a new toothpaste that could prevent severe reactions with a special ingredient. And while many companies have adopted hybrid policies that have employees work in the office during the middle of the week, contributor Vineet Jain argues that Mondays are the best day to work in the office.

This week, contributor Chris Mailander explains the three types of CEOs most at risk of poor decision-making and the three common scenarios where they are most likely to get things wrong. And Skims founder Kim Kardashian discusses her company’s new partnership with the NBA and WNBA, and of course, that controversial nipple bra.

This week: What happened to the recession? Forecasters have been predicting doom and gloom for more than a year, but the economy has grown by 4.9% in the past three months. Also, it’s been a year since Elon Musk bought Twitter, renamed X, for $44 billion dollars. And what a year—full of mass layoffs, strict rollbacks of content policies, and a new pay-for-play verification system. So what’s the social media company worth now?

A decade and a half after the 2008 financial crisis, the four too-big-to-fail banks are reporting remarkable profits while midsize and smaller banks are mostly struggling. Writer Jim Surwicki explains how this reflects the new reality in banking, where rising interest rates are helping the bottom line of big banks while causing trouble for smaller institutions. And a ​​body language expert explains how nonverbal communication skills help leaders be truthful, authentic, and present.

This week, how a mysterious kidnapping more than 100 years ago delayed the development of solar power. And on the platform once known as Twitter, the methods we used to use to reach customer service now only reach . . . bots.

Job seekers say they can't find work, while the labor market seems to have 9.6 million job postings. Writer Sam Becker explains the mismatch and what to expect next in the job market. And Fast Company’s branding expert Jeff Beer looks at how Major League Baseball’s rule changes for the 2023 season not only made the game safer and faster but also increased falling game attendance.

This week, the new trend of daily-ish habits, like reading, networking or exercising 3-4 times a week, might relieve some of the stress of an all-in habit change. And as the FTX crypto exchange fraud trial starts this week, our reporter takes a look at Sam Bankman-Fried’s parents' influence on their son as he’s accused of one of the largest corporate fraud scandals of all time.

What would it take to end our dependance on fossil fuels faster? Climate activists and the UN have some proposals. Also, a comprehensive guide on the efforts to control and capitalize on AI, as lawmakers scramble to craft new guidelines.