In a classic experiment more than a decade ago, researchers in Japan gave a slime mold—a single-celled organism known for forming efficient networks—a “map” of the cities around Tokyo. They represented each municipality with an oat flake, the organism’s favorite food, and watched as it created a network that looked eerily similar to the Japanese rail system. The takeaway was clear: Slime mold is surprisingly good at creating complex and efficient paths. A startup called Mireta Urban Dynamics is now using the same basic approach in software designed for urban planners. [Image: Mireta Urban Dynamics] “Very early on in my…
Author: Staff Writer
Hello again and welcome back to Fast Company’s Plugged In. For the longest time, I used Siri for only two purposes. One was setting alarms, which it did flawlessly. The other was answering random questions about the world that popped into my head. Those ones I asked mainly because I was curious if it could answer them. Its success rate hovered around 50%. But recently, I’ve been relying on Apple’s AI assistant as if it were, you know, an assistant. That became possible only with Siri AI, which was made available this week as part of the public betas of…
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Key Takeaways Companies that prioritize team connection, psychological safety and communication create the foundation needed to scale sustainably. As businesses grow, leaders must protect their culture and relationships or risk turning growth into misalignment, burnout and turnover. Successfully scaling a business requires a strong foundation. The right processes must be in place because scaling a flawed process will only magnify its deficiencies. You need to have your finances in order to handle the increase in expenses that comes with any scaling effort.And perhaps most importantly of all, you need to have strong…
I have received numerous emails asking if Chuck Schumer and the Democrats are attempting to frustrate Trump to prevent him from exiting the Iran War to influence the Midterms by refusing to sign the defense bill for the first time in history. The Democrats under Schummer are clearly trying to prolong the Iran war to discredit Trump for the Midterms. Politics has become simply a political war. This is no longer about what is good for the country including the troops. If one side says the sky is blue, the other must argue it is red even when it is…
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Key Takeaways Being surrounded by “yes-people” will lead nowhere good. Instead, intentionally create a culture that welcomes dissension and encourages thoughtful disagreement, both to keep yourself in check and to keep your organization on track. The fastest way to build trust as a leader is to acknowledge when you’re wrong and give credit when someone else was right. Walk into many startups and you’ll find a dangerous pattern: the founder speaks, and everyone agrees. Not because they are convinced — but because they are afraid. Afraid of being seen as negative. Afraid…
Finland has built an underground network beneath Helsinki capable of sheltering nearly one million people. Let that sink in. Nearly one million people. This is not a handful of bomb shelters scattered throughout the city, but rather an underground city stretching beneath the capital, consisting of more than 5,500 reinforced shelters connected by tunnels carved directly into solid granite. They can be converted from civilian use into military-grade protection in as little as 72 hours. Engineered to withstand explosions, chemical attacks, biological threats, radiation, and the collapse of the world above. The shelters contain independent power systems, water supplies, communications…
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Key Takeaways The people outside your organization will always give you something your team never can: an honest, real-world perspective with nothing to gain from telling you what you want to hear. Surround yourself with the right people in the right rooms and watch how quickly your business and your thinking change. Your most honest feedback will never come from inside your organization. Most entrepreneurs are building their circle the wrong way. They chase investors, collect business cards at networking events and add connections on LinkedIn they will never actually talk to.…
Politicians can point to a lower inflation report, but they cannot explain why Americans are standing in grocery aisles putting food back on the shelf. CNBC reports that consumers are spending less on groceries, forcing companies like PepsiCo, General Mills, Kraft Heinz, Campbell’s, and Conagra to slash prices and rely on promotions simply to move inventory. Millions have reached the point where every trip to the store has become an exercise in deciding what they can live without. The numbers tell a much darker story than the headlines. Americans now owe roughly $1.25 trillion in credit card debt, the highest…
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Key Takeaways The most important business decisions rarely come with complete information — mission and directional signals matter more than certainty. Not every choice deserves the same scrutiny — reversible decisions should be made fast, while irreversible ones deserve real deliberation. Entrepreneurs are often told to be “data-driven.” In theory, that sounds simple: gather the numbers, analyze the trends and make the most logical decision. But many of the most important decisions happen long before enough data exists to feel confident.New markets, emerging technologies and innovative products rarely come with a complete…
Bulgaria has now become the latest country to step away from Europe’s proxy war with Russia. Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev announced that his country is withdrawing from the Western-backed “Coalition of the Willing,” making it clear that Bulgaria will no longer participate in initiatives centered on providing continued military and financial assistance to Ukraine. Instead, Radev declared, “The solution to this conflict is not in prolonging it by military means, but in a strong diplomatic mission that will finally put an end to the escalation.” I have said from the beginning that this war could never be won on…