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The Kid Who Turned Down $1 Billion

When Mark Zuckerberg showed up in Palo Alto three years ago, he had no car, no house, and no job. Today, he's at the helm of a smokin'-hot social-networking site. Here's why this 22-year-old CEO spurned Yahoo and Viacom to go it alone. By Ellen McGirt

Facebook by the Numbers
By Fast Company Staff

How Friendster Blew It
Jonathan Abrams, founder of Friendster, shares some painful lessons. By Fast Company Staff

Slideshow: 8 Things You Can Do With Facebook
Facebook is one of the hottest Web 2.0 properties in Silicon Valley. Learn what you can do if you join the social network that Mark Zuckerberg built. By Tamara Schweitzer

Keeping It Real

The appeal--and risks--of authenticity. A guide to making your brand real. By Bill Breen

Will the Real Juan Valdez Please Stand Up?
To evoke authenticity, marketers use many tactics. Here's how five pairs of industry rivals tackle the challenge. By Fast Company Staff

An Authenticity Timeline
From Disney's opening of Main Street USA in 1955 to user-generated content, here's a look at how authenticity has evolved over time.

Where Does Innovation Come From?

How creative businesses in technology and media are unearthing new ideas in unexpected places--from an American Idol--style contest at Adobe Systems to eBay's new "disruption" team. Meet the new cool hunters. By Fast Company Staff

Scouting Online
Hollywood's emerging crop of online talent scouts are dedicated to discovering talent online, matching up creators of obscure Web videos with the online divisions of traditional media companies, portals, and ad agencies, all of them hungry to try a new sort of storytelling. Meet the United Talent Agency. By Danielle Sacks

Finding Genius on eBay
In the old days, eBay was ambivalent about independent software developers and charged them fees, based on the number of people who used their programs. Now, eBay's Disruptive Innovation team seeks out developers who can make it easier for consumers to use eBay -- and they're getting paid for their worth. By Chuck Salter

Making Connections in Silicon Valley
One of the most effective behind-the-scenes connectors in the Valley, Sylvia Paul, started out throwing some of the hottest parties at computer-industry conventions in the '80s. Now she links the hard-core geeks, entrepreneurs, media insiders, and the political activists, too. By Alan Deutschman

Showcasing Ideas with Adobe Idol
In American Idol fashion, product managers unveil new concepts in front of a panel of colleagues they hardly know, looking to gain traction for their ideas. This is Adobe's Champion Showcase, a quarterly event in which the company plans to rev up innovation. By Scott Kirsner

Slideshow: Before They Were Fads
Many era-defining trends started out as an innovative idea that simply -- perhaps inexplicably -- caught on, though sometimes not for years. Here's a few that helped lay the groundwork for many of today's popular fads. By Fast Company Staff

Slideshow: Deconstructing the iPhone

Surprise: Some of the breakthrough features of Apple's new iPhone are already offered by competing devices. But that won't stop us from lusting for one. By Doug Beizer

Flight Plan

The math wizards at Dayjet are building a smarter air taxi--and it could change the way you do business. By Greg Lindsay

Time = Money
Round-trip options for a business trip with three days' advance notice. By Fast Company Staff

Space Shot: Genzyme Center, Cambridge, MA

At the Genzyme Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the sunshine is everywhere. By Michael A. Prospero

Slideshow: Bright Spot In Boston
By Fast Company Staff

Final Word

NBC Universal's Beth Comstock on the what-I-want-when-I-want-it viewer--and frickin' impatience. By Fast Company Staff

Fast Talk: Threat Reduction

Symantec's Zulfikar Ramzan on figuring out online crime before the criminals do. By Alex C. Pasquariello

Fast Talk: Philly Soul

Ivory towers no longer, universities today drive the vitality of their communities, says Penn president Amy Gutmann. By Alex C. Pasquariello

Fast Talk: Rebel With a Hog

Rich Christoph designed Harley-Davidson's latest ride--and kept it just legal enough. By Michael A. Prospero

Next

Lessons From the Tarmac

Take it from David Neeleman and JetBlue: Recovering from a crisis is about the trust you build beforehand. By Chuck Salter

Instant Feedback - Part 2
More panel responses to the May 07 article "Lessons From the Tarmac." By Fast Company Staff

Hard-Driving

Satellite radio goes TiVo. By Tracy Staedter

The Red Zone

At the Boston Consulting Group, put in too many hours and you'll get flagged. By Joe Robinson

Cube Talk

Everything you know about workplace culture comes from Dilbert? Try some alternative views. By Fast Company Staff

Spreadsheets and Bedsheets

This season: TV embraces the workplace, with a vengeance. By Susan Karlin

Cliché Watch

How much are your hackneyed personal strengths really worth? By Fast Company Staff

Another Rubber Tree Plant

In the Arizona desert, the start of something big--or anyway something that feels good on your hands. By John Rosenthal

Failure Doesn't Suck

Sir James Dyson on getting it right after 5,126 tries--and how to move air at 400 mph. By Chuck Salter

Failure Doesn’t Suck - Part 2
More from our interview with inventor Sir James Dyson on the role of anger, optimism, and mistakes in the creative process. By Chuck Salter

Podcast: Sir James Dyson On Getting It Right
It took Sir James Dyson 5,127 tries to get his vacuum right, and three years to perfect a hand dryer. Listen as he explores the link between failure and greater creativity. By Fast Company Staff

Be Creative. You Have 30 Seconds.

A right-brain education for career left brainers. By Linda Tischler

A Student Portfolio
Assignments from "Essentials of Industrial Design." By Fast Company Staff

Search and Co-Opt

PodZinger has a way out of the Web-video conundrum: Make piracy pay. By Adam L. Penenberg

Video: Video Searchers
PodZinger searches the audio in a video--and may revolutionize the Web in the process. By Adam L. Penenberg

Video: Spy Masters
Not enough Arabic translators in American intelligence? A new technology by military contractor BBN does the translating for them, and even creates watchlists of words like "bin Laden," "plutonium," and "bomb." By Adam L. Penenberg

It's Not Just Who You Know

The rise of the "professional Web" lets you collect colleagues like Pez dispensers. Resist the urge. By David Lidsky

Slideshow: NASCAR Car of Tomorrow

A next-generation race car makes the sport safer and more cost effective. The challenge: keeping the thrill alive. By Michael A. Prospero

Secret Sauce

Behind Whataburger's cult status--and rapid same-store growth--is its corporate Olympics. By Jordan Breal

And Career Makes Three

Mothers don't have to opt out. And they don't have to feel guilty about it, either. By Linda Tischler

First Look
Pop!: Why Bubbles Are Great for the Economy By Fast Company Staff

Slideshow: Pack Up Your Troubles

As airport hassles grow, and as airlines begin to charge for checking a second bag--thanks, British Airways--luggage forwarding looks smart. Services such as, uh, Luggage Forward can be a boon, but the FlyLite virtual-closet service goes one step beyond. Here's a peek at the future of bagless travel. By Heath Row

Shed Twenty Pounds

Thanks to high-tech and design advancements, outdoor adventurers can now cut their load in half. By Christopher Percy Collier

Columns

Made to Stick: Success Can Make You Stupid

Did you win because you were smart or because you tipped the scales in your favor? By Chip Heath and Dan Heath

More Great Stuff

Letter from the CEO

Handing over the keys. By John Koten

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