How Microsoft VP Tom Burt protects individuals and governments from cyberattacks

This story is part of Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business 2022. Explore the full list of innovators who broke through this year—and had an impact on the world around us.

As Microsoft’s corporate VP for customer security and trust, Tom Burt leads the division of the company that protects customers—individuals, corporation

A first-of-its-kind law in Houston poses a major threat to privacy

Houston’s troubling steps toward becoming a surveillance city should serve as a warning to people around the United States. Houston’s new ordinance co-opts businesses to spy on neighborhoods and poses extreme threats to our freedom by requiring companies to install cameras on their property—at the businesses’ expense—wi

Urbanista is releasing a completely solar-powered pair of earbuds

The Swedish audio company Urbanista says it will soon announce the world’s first solar-powered wireless active noise canceling earbuds.

The company already has a pair of solar-powered over-the-ear headphones, the Urbanista Los Angeles, which Fast Company honored in its 2022

Why the rise of precision agriculture exposes our food systems to new threats

Farmers are adopting precision agriculture, using data collected by GPS, satellite imagery, internet-connected sensors, and other technologies to farm more efficiently. While these practices could help increase crop yields and reduce costs, the technology behind the practices is creating opportunities for extremists, terroris

Why Amazon’s “dead grandma” Alexa is just the beginning for voice cloning

Earlier this summer, at the re:MARS conference—an Amazon-hosted event focusing on machine learning, automation, robotics, and space—Rohit Prasad, head scientist and vice president of Alexa A.I., aimed to wow the audience with a paranormal parlor trick: speaking with the dead. “While A.I. can’t eliminate that pain of loss, it can definitely make their memories last,” he said, before showing a short video that starts with an ado

These sites and apps will help you find a late-summer beach read

This article is republished with permission from Wonder Tools, a newsletter that helps you discover the most useful sites and appsSubscribe here.

Books provide a welcome alternative to the onslaught of negative news and hot takes. Read on for some free sites and apps I recommend for finding and enjoying books this summer, whether you prefer pap

An ADHD diagnosis can be expensive and inaccurate. This company’s test addresses both problems

Despite being a strong student in high school, Sydney Dodini struggled during her freshman year at Brigham Young University. She kept showing up late to lectures and found it difficult to focus during class. When she flew home in the spring, she asked her father, Aaron Dodini, a psychologist who specializes in ADHD testing, to give her a QbTest, an FDA-cleared ADHD diagnostic screening tool that can be done online.

ADHD, or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, is one of the more c

What the Q2 earnings reports told us about the gig economy

The largest gig-work companies reported earnings last week, and investors were quick to look for any signs that economic pressure is tightening consumer spending.

But things weren’t so grim after all. Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash all reported strong revenues, showing that people will still order takeout and hail rides in an economy affected by decades-high inflation. Travel also continues to rebound as COVID-19 pandemic restrictions end, with Airbnb reporting strong overall results.

Flying cars, almost a reality—then the lawyers got involved

Don’t call it a flying car.

The vehicle, which looks like a space-age tadpole that’s sprouted spike-tipped wings, can take off and land vertically, meaning that it doesn’t require a runway, and once it’s aloft, it flies like a small airplane. Make the mistake of referring to one of these not-helicopter-not-airplanes as a “flying car” to anyone in the burgeoning market and invariably they’ll squawk: “It sounds too much like science

Your forgotten digital footprints could hurt your job prospects. Here’s how to act now

Applying for a new (or first) job can be time-consuming. The job application process, particularly for graduate schemes, involves multiple steps: tailoring your application, psychometric testing, interviews, and participation in a day or more of assessments online or in person.

The process can also involve intrusive scrutiny of your digital footprints. Behind the scenes, up to 80% of employers and recruitment agencies use social media content as part of their assessment of


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