Features

Revolution in San Jose

A hard-core republican turns Cisco into a socialist enterprise -- one with $26 billion in cash. By Ellen McGirt

What Would John Do?

"If you watch what is occurring today, people are acting like the sky is falling," says Cisco CEO John Chambers. But he has learned through numerous economic downturns -- he cites 1993, 1997, 2001, and 2003 -- that it's entirely possible to come out stronger than you were before. "Every time, we have gained market share, and two years later, our customer and employee satisfaction was greater," he says. Here's his advice for facing tough times. By Fast Company Staff

Solar Goes Supernova

At a time of economic pain and planetary peril, a renewable global powerhouse takes shape. Just when we need it most. By Chris Turner

Infographic: The Graph

Projected share by source of annual global energy production, in exajoules per year.

Social Enterprises of the Year

Edward Norton's $9,000,000,000 Housing Project (that's $9 Billion)

The actor's "family business" has helped shelter tens of thousands of Americans. Now it is taking on the credit crunch with innovative financing and a green-building initiative. By Ellen McGirt

A High Point

At High Point in Seattle -- a green community -- market rate condos and townhouses mix with affordable housing funding largely by Enterprise. By Fast Company Staff

Eureka!: Social Enterprises of the Year

By Fast Company Staff

Do Something: An IPO

CEO: Nancy Lublin By Jeff Chu

Mercy Corps: The Bank of Banks

CEO: Neal Keny-Guyer By Jennifer Vilaga

The Academy for Urban School Leadership: A Teacher-Training Residency

Executive Director: Don Feinstein By Kate Rockwood

DataDyne: EpiSurveyor

Founders: Rose Donna & Joel Selanikio By Kate Rockwood

Civic Ventures: Silicon Valley Encore Initiative

President: Marc Freedman By Sara D. Anderson

The Institute for OneWorld Health: Not-for-profit Drugmaking

Founder and Board Chair: Victoria Hale By Jennifer Vilaga

The Acumen Fund: Portfolio Data Management System

CEO: Jacqueline Novogratz, CIO: Brian Trelstad By Anne C. Lee

Husk Power Systems: Rice-Fired Electricity

Founders: Manoj Sinha & Chip Ransler By Sara D. Anderson

Hopelab: Video Games for Health

President and CEO: Pat Christen By Jennifer Vilaga

Have a Solid Holiday

The death of moving parts means your stocking will be stuffed with smaller,faster, stronger -- and quieter -- gadgets. Our geek rings in the solid-state revolution. By Paul Hochman

FastTalk: Beauty Potion

Fast Talk: Beauty on the Inside

Ingestibles are the hot growth segment in the $45 billion beauty business, with the potential to transform cosmetics counters into apothecaries. By Mary Lisa Gavenas

Now

Now December/January 2009

Coming in December and January: a "chip tunes" fest in New York, the World Economic Forum, and National Pie Day. By Fast Company Staff

Spend: 10 Years of the Euro

When 11 E.U. nations swapped francs and lire for euros on New Year's Day 1999, traders called the new money a "toilet currency." Nope! The euro -- now the coin of 15 E.U. realms -- has proved so strong that Alan Greenspan said it could become the world's main reserve currency. Not that all national identity was lost: Each country customizes one side of euro coinage. Here are the 1-euro coins of the original eurozone. By Theunis Bates

Infographic: Count: Really Big Business

On December 1, 1998, Exxon and Mobil announced they were getting married. The largest merger in U.S. history reunited two long-separated parts of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil. Ten years on, ExxonMobil is the world's biggest company by revenue. How big? About Egypt's size, if its revenue were valued at the equivalent of GDP. Here's the rest of the global corporate top 10, paired with the nations closest to them in size. By Jeff Chu

Next

On the Internet, Everyone Knows You're a Dog

It's not easy doing business in the reputation economy. By Anya Kamenetz

Infographic: Under Review

The majors in the opinion-sphere vary in traffic, number of listings, and the activism of their refereeing.

Missed Connections

At the annual Routes World Development Forum in Kuala Lumpur, 700 airports and 500 airlines begin the mating dance that determines who flies where. By Melissa Kinsey

Where to From Here?

Shifting routes reflect the changing economics of the airline industry. Business hubs in Asia and the Middle East are strong. European and U.S. leisure routes ain't. By Fast Company Staff

Double Feature

Investing in independent cinema is usually just for those with money to burn. IndieVest promises both Hollywood-worthy perks and a relatively safe haven. By Lucas Conley

Lottery Ticket

Indie films are notoriously risky investments, but when the stars align, they pay out big. These are the three biggest indie films of all time. By Anne C. Lee

Bounty Hunters

These next-gen job sites seek to replace executive-search firms and spirit-crushing job boards with cash incentives, matching algorithms, and social networks. By Kate Rockwood

Houston, We Have an Opportunity

Flush with oil-and-gas money but wary of a bust, the Texas metropolis launches a multimillion-dollar effort to recession-proof its economy. By Ryan Blitstein

Journey to the West

Renowned Asian designers now helm two of the U.S.'s traditionally Eurocentric architecture schools. Here's what they're teaching the new generation of American architects. By Carolina A. Miranda

The Futurist: Machine Thinking

The Motorola Sparrow

Retail's Handheld Powerhouse By Tim McKeough

The Caterpillar Self-Driving Dump Truck

A Robotic Behemoth for Mining By Tim McKeough

Columns

Made to Stick: Kill the Slogans Dead

Fight the urge to think in clever taglines. By Dan Heath & Chip Heath

Story Versus Slogan

By Fast Company Staff

Scobleizer: Sleeper Cell

Google's push to dominate the mobile experience is about a lot more than the G1 phone. By Robert Scoble

Not So Fast: With Frenemies Like These

The friend-enemy relationship (aka friend-foe, or "froe") has become essential to business -- a thrillingly intricate dance that would impress even Bruno and Carrie Ann. Imagine Apple without the record labels, Google without Yahoo, and Harvey Weinstein without everyone else. The relationship can be so baffling, we humbly offer this field guide. By Steve Johnson

More Great Stuff

Editors Letter: Bright Spots

By Robert Safian

Contributors

Feedback

Letters. Updates. Advice By Fast Company Staff

Updates

Online Exclusives

2008 Gift Guide Central

'Tis the season to covet wildly. Can't figure out what to put on your wish list? Can't decide which gifts to give? Don't fret. Fast Company's Gift Guide Central has you covered. There's something here for everyone on your list. There's even something here for you. Explore our seven guides featuring the coolest tech gadgets, video games, designer-inspired widgets, business books, office gifts, and gifts for under $25.