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Last week, Congress released more than 23,000 pages of documents from the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epsteins estate to the public. Since then, the bombshell release has garnered commentary from the Trump administration, thousands of internet users, Saturday Night Live, and, now, merch sellers on Etsy. In recent years, a certain contingent of ultra-niche online merch sellers (and, most likely, dropshippers) have decided that any notable event is fodder for potential T-shirts, mugs, and bumper stickers. In recent months alone, sellers have profited off of merch designed to covertly signal anti-Trump messaging; merch promoting “Alligator Alcatraz,” the Trump administrations migrant detention facility in the Florida Everglades; and merch based on a series of New Jersey drone sightings that spawned conspiracy theories across the internet. Just days after the new Epstein documents were released, merch sellers on sites including Etsy and Amazon have already turned the disclosures into NSFW statements. Etsy and Amazon flooded with merch inspired by the Epstein emails Of all the information included in the documents revealed by Congress (including one message in which Epstein claimed that Trump knew about the girls), most merch sellers are focusing on a specific email exchange in March 2018 thats become a major subject of internet scrutiny. In the exchange, Epsteins brother, Mark Epstein, asks Epstein how hes doing. When Epstein responds that hes with Steve BannonTrumps former White House chief of staffMark Epstein follows up, Ask him if Putin has the photos of Trump blowing Bubba? Given that Bubba is a well-known nickname for former president Bill Clinton, netizens have begun speculating that the comment might refer to a sex act between Trump and Clinton. The comment even got some national airtime on Saturday as part of SNLs cold open on November 15. (Both Trump and Clinton have denied any knowledge of Epstein’s abuse or sex-trafficking operations and neither appears to have been explicitly implicated of wrongdoing in the emails.) Mark Epstein has since gone on record to multiple publications claiming that he was just jokingbut thats not stopping merch sellers from capitalizing on the theory. A look into the NSFW merch designs Out of the dozens of new Etsy and Amazon listings that have popped up since the files were released, one of the most common themes is a riff on the phrase Big beautiful bill, which Trump used to describe a major tax and spending law that he signed in July. In these merch items, however, the bill in question is Clinton. The items, many of which are not safe for work and potentially offensive, feature President Trump and former president Clinton along with a variety of suggestive phrases. (See here, here, here, and here for examples, but click at your own risk.) While most of the merch is fairly predictable, a few sellers have opted for more creative designsincluding one image of Trump and Clinton inspired by the iconic film Brokeback Mountain. Etsy and Amazon did not immediately respond to Fast Companys request for comment on whether its aware of an uptick of merch in this vein, and whether the merch fits within their terms for seller designs.
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E-Commerce
It’s not just executives or knowledge workers in offices who are using artificial intelligence. It’s being adopted in fields like healthcare, retail, hospitality, and food services, too. But frontline workers often aren’t prepared for AI adoption. In fact, many are completely unaware that it’s being implemented in their workplaces at all. Workplace management platform Deputy surveyed 1,500 frontline workers across the U.S., U.K., and Australia for its “2025 Better Together Survey: How AI and Human Connection Will Transform Frontline Work.” The survey found that nearly half of workplaces (48%) use AI. However, only 1 in 4 workers say they regularly interact with it. But, surprisingly, 10% don’t know if their workplace is even using the technology to begin with. That could be due to the fact that employers aren’t being totally transparent about whether their companies have adopted AI. Just 17% of shift workers say their employer was open about the company’s AI use. Likewise, only 15% say they were consulted about new AI tools in the workplaceeven though they want to bewith 63% of frontline workers saying that communication about AI is essential. “Employees are sending a clear message: They want to be part of the conversation about how AI is used and introduced in their organizations,” Dan Schawbel, managing partner at research and advisory firm Workplace Intelligence, said in a press release. “When workers feel informed and included, trust growsand thats what unlocks the full potential of AI. Empathy, transparency, and inclusion arent just soft skills; theyre the foundation of successful AI adoption,” he said. While AI’s role in the workplace isn’t always clear, what is clear is that the workers using it are having positive experiences with the technology. In fact, 96% of shift workers say they are happy with the technology’s role, which shows up in tasks like scheduling, in AI-powered kiosks for ordering, as well as streamlining administrative tasks, and more, in their workplace. Likewise, 94% say it makes their job easier. That’s likely why nearly 1 in 4 employees who were surveyed said they’d rather have more AI support than an extra week of PTO (23%) or even a promotion (24%). And that’s likely why workers want to be in the know when it comes to how their organization is using the technology: 27% say they desire more transparency and communication about the technology and how it’s being used. “New tech arrives. We’re supposed to just figure it out,” one food worker who took part in the survey said. In retail, the statistic is even higher, with 31% saying more communication is needed, likely because the technology is so visible to customers. “They put in self-checkout without even telling us why,” one retail worker explained. “Customers ask us questions we can’t answer.” Interestingly, while workers report positive experiences with AI, only 37% feel optimistic about the technology’s future at their workplace, which could point to how the technology is implementedoften with little communication. As another worker put it: Employees can’t integrate AI properly if it’s never been introduced to them, which leaves employees feeling the need to push back rather than use the tools to their advantage. “If you explain it, we’ll accept it,” that same worker said. “If you don’t, we’ll resist.”
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E-Commerce
When you open Microsoft Excel to review quarterly results or check Waze to optimize your route to the office, youre tapping into technologies born not in corporate boardrooms, but in university labs. Thinking of innovation, our minds often jump to the titans of tech: Jobs, Musk, Altman, Gates, Bezos. But behind everyday tech innovations and healthcare breakthroughs are academic researchers whose work catalyzed billion-dollar industries. The unsung heroes of the lab and lecture hall have laid the groundwork for some of the most transformative technologies of our time. A few make celebrity status as Nobel prize winners, but the glory of most academics is poorly understood for its formative early impact on products now essential to our livescivic, commercial, and medical. As we gather for the World Changing Ideas Summit on November 19 in Washington, DC, cohosted by Fast Company and Johns Hopkins University, we shine a spotlight on those whose curiosity-driven research has sparked breakthroughs that quietly shaped the world around us. ACADEMICS AND THE INNOVATION ECONOMY Here are four ways academic researchers have quietly shaped America’s innovation economy and impacted daily life. 1. GPS: The backbone of modern logistics You have probably tried to optimize your driving time and cherished every minute saved from your commute. Google Maps has over 2.2 billion monthly active users, and 71% of U.S. smartphone users rely on it weekly. At the root of this technology is the global positioning system (GPS), whose origins trace back to 1957. When Sputnik launched, two young physicists at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL)William Guier and George Weiffenbachdriven by the national urgency of the Cold War and scientific curiosity, used the Doppler shift of Sputniks radio signals to determine its orbit. They and others at APL soon realized the inverse was also true. Their breakthrough inspired the worlds first global satellite navigation system, sponsored by DARPA and the U.S. Navy. This innovation, aimed at solving national security challenges for the U.S. government, became the foundation for modern GPS, revolutionizing navigation and telecommunications for military, government, and civilian applicationsfrom global defense operations to everyday delivery routes. 2. Spreadsheets: A new language for business According to a survey, 84% of office workers use Microsoft Excel daily. Thank you, Bill Gates, right? Not so fast. The spreadsheet was not actually born in the Seattle tech scene; that credit goes to Dan Bricklin and Bob Frankston, students at Harvard and MIT. VisiCalc, the first spreadsheet software, was thought of as a magic blackboard, revolutionizing business modeling. The two werent aiming for market disruption, but simply trying to make homework easier. Bricklin was frustrated by tediously recalculating financial models by hand; Frankston, an experienced coder, helped bring it to life. VisiCalc launched in 1979 from a shared belief that computers should empower people. Their work was nurtured in university settings, supported by federal research grants and computing infrastructure. What began as an academic collaboration became the backbone of how we financially model todayfrom managing family budgets to forecasting industry trends. One could argue that this technology catalyzed our data-driven economy. 3. Self-driving cars: Autonomy realized Science fiction has arrived! Thats what I was thinking as I stepped into my first self-driven Jaguar in San Francisco, courtesy of Waymo. Waymo alone operates over 1,500 robotaxis across major U.S. cities, with plans to expand to 3,500 vehicles by 2026. The roots of this revolution trace back to Sebastian Thrun, a German-born scientist, whose childhood love of robotics and desire to reduce traffic fatalities led him to Stanford. There, he directed the Artificial Intelligence Lab and spearheaded a team that won the DARPA Grand Challenge, a competition funded by the U.S. Department of Defense. That success caught Googles attention and ultimately led to the creation of Waymo and a multi-billion-dollar industry. 4. Cancer detection: Learning what to look for Cologuard has been used over 16 million times. detecting more than 623,000 cancers and precancers, with 80% caught in the early stages. This technology started with the journey of Bert Vogelstein, a Johns Hopkins oncology researcher fixated on a simple scientific question: Why do some cells become cancerous? At Johns Hopkins, supported by sustained federal funding from agencies like the National Institutes of Health, Vogelstein, Ken Kinzler, and colleagues spent decades unraveling the genetic mutations behind tumor development. Their work led to the discovery of p53, a key tumor suppressor gene, and laid the foundation for our modern understanding of cancer as a genetic disease. Researchers insights into cancer cell origins enabled industry to develop methods for detecting disease. Today, we rely on genetic tests for early cancer detection, prenatal screenings, and personalized medicine. IT TAKES THREE PARTS So how do ideas from a university lab end up in your pocket or your car? Its a well-tested recipe. American innovation thrives on a three-part formula: federal investment, university research capabilities, and private sector development. Federal funding fuels foundational science, long before theres a market. Universities cultivate talent and ideas, allowing researchers to follow where the science leads rather than what a corporate budget dictates. Once science shows promise, the private sector tailors the science toward specific applications and scales those ideas into products and companies. Since 1980, federally funded academic research has resulted in over 17,000 startups and $1.9 trillion in economic output. But as global competition intensifies, the U.S. must double down on its research ecosystem. This tripartite innovation ecosystem is not just a source of economic strength. Its a reflection of our American values: open inquiry, public good, and the belief that big ideas can come from anywhere. This three-pronged approach unleashed a century of American technological leadership. At a time when federal research funding is being severely cut, we are wise to remember its central role in our economyand its promise for American leadership throughout this century. Christy Wyskiel is senior advisor to the president for innovation and entrepreneurhip, and executive director of Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures.
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E-Commerce
Being the children of Francis Ford Coppola had a profound impact on the filmmaking sensibilities of Sofia and Roman Coppola. But their mother, Eleanor Coppola, may have played a larger role in nurturing their creative pursuits. She taught me how to be in charge without being loud, and the importance of being real, Sofia writes in her introduction to Two of Me: Notes on Living and Leaving, Eleanor Coppolas posthumous memoir, published by A24 on November 11. [Cover Image: A24] Sofia and Roman convened in New York City last week for a conversation about the book and their mother, who died in April 2024 at the age of 87. One of Eleanors last wishes was to have Two of Me, which she wrote over the course of a decade using material from the diaries she kept for 50 years, published as a book. Eleanors other last wish was to have the 100 hours of video footage she shot on the set of Sofias 2006 film Marie Antoinette edited into a documentary, which is expected to be included in a 20th-anniversary edition of the film to be released next year. An artist and filmmaker whose mediums ranged from sculpture and conceptual art to photography and dance, Eleanor made her first documentary, Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse, after her husband asked her to shoot behind-the-scenes footage on Apocalypse Now. In 2016, at the age of 80, she became the oldest American woman to direct a debut feature film when she released the comedy Paris Can Wait. At an event last week, moderated by Vogue editor Keaton Bell and held at Barnes & Noble Union Square, Sofia and Roman shared some of the ways in which their mother influenced them, both as artists and as people. Here are the five biggest lessons they learned from her. 1. Stories are made of details Whether its the neon lights of Tokyos Shinjuku district in Lost in Translation or the elaborate floral arrangements in Marie Antoinette, Sofia Coppola is known for her filmmaking style that focuses on small details. She credits her mother with teaching her the importance of paying attention to such details. I got a lot from her just being this quiet observer, Sofia said. I notice details and I think thats in my films, which comes from her eye. 2. Everything is art Shortly after Sofia was born, Eleanor presented a gift to husband Francis in the form of one of Sofias dirty diapers, as it was the only work of art that Sofia could create at the time. Eleanor also once turned her home into a performance art space where she welcomed friends to observe a young Sofia watching a video of her own birth on a TV. What inspired me in my work is, she was very interested in conceptual art, specifically, and conceptual films, Roman said. She dabbled in that in the ’70s. And so the notion that anything can be a work of art, and that sense of play and idea art is something Ive brought into my work. 3. Film is not the only visual art form An avid appreciator of many different forms of art, Eleanor often brought her children to museums all over the world. One of Sofias most memorable experiences with her mother was being taken to see a performance by the German dancer and choreographer Pina Bausch. I was, like, Oh, we have to go to some weird modern dance with Mom. And it was one of the most incredible, most beautiful things Ive ever seen, Sofia said. Im really glad she brought us to see a lot of really interesting contemporary art that she was excited about. 4. Challenges are opportunities As an adult dealing with some personal issues and financial issues, Roman Coppola learned how his mother valued the experience of struggling in life. I was sort of moping a little bit, and she was, like, Wow, this is really great. There are a lot of things you have to figure out now in your life, and youre really going to take that on, Roman said. Some of the lessons werent just average things, but how to sort of embrace difficulty. It spoke to her confidence, but also just instilled that push to strive to pull yourself out of things and to work hard and be committed. 5. Mothers can also be filmmakers Eleanor didnt let her role as a mother prevent her from pursuing creative and artistic endeavors. She stressed to Sofia that it was important to make time to be both a mother and an artist. I learned from my mom that it was okay to do both, Sofia said. I think every mom that works feels guilty about it, so youre always torn. But she really encouraged me, and I was excited that I could do both.
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E-Commerce
Looking for some holiday cheer? Customers who want to try Starbucks’ new holiday treat, the Frozen Peppermint Hot Chocolate drink, will have to go to Target, where it will be exclusively available throughout the holiday season at all in-store Starbucks cafes. The drink is a creme Frappuccino with a blend of mocha sauce, milk, and ice, poured over a layer of peppermint-flavored whipped cream and red and green sprinkles, finished with another layer of that same whipped cream and sprinkles. Starbucks is hoping to capitalize on the holiday season and the holiday craze around its special drinks and limited-edition cups. And customer enthusiasm is high, as evidenced by this year’s limited-run Bearista cupswhich have customers literally fighting and lining up at 3 a.m. to shell out $30 a pop. “Last Thursdays Holiday launch was our biggest sales day ever in North America,” Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol said in a recent note. And according to the company, millennials and Gen Z customers are driving Q3 improvements in customer value perception. The new Frozen Peppermint Hot Chocolate appears to be an attempt to keep that momentum going. The collaboration between the coffee chain and the big-box retailer debuts Monday for Target Circle 360 loyalty members, just in time for the busiest and most profitable time of the year: the run up to Christmas Day. The rest of us will have to wait till tomorrow, Tuesday, November 18. Both Starbucks and Target have been hit hard by consumer backlash and boycotts respectively, at a time when Americans are buying less due to increased inflation and higher living costs. Starbucks, which recently announced a wave of store closings, is under pressure to increase profits. At the same time, management is facing baristas striking for higher pay and better hours. (Last week, unionized workers went on strike at more than 65 Starbucks locations across 42 cities.) Meanwhile, Target is facing its own problems as customers boycott the stores due to its rollback of diversity, equity and inclusion programs (DEI). It’s also contending with lower in-store foot traffic. Starbucks financials Starbucks reported fourth-quarter earnings on Wednesday, October 29, with quarterly same-store sales growing for the first time in nearly two years and global same-store sales rising 1%, but same-store sales in the U.S. staying flat for the quarter (which turned positive in September). The company reported earnings per share (EPS) of 52 cents adjusted versus 56 cents expected, and revenue of $9.57 billion, beating expectations of $9.35 billion. Target is set to report its third-quarter earnings results this week.
Category:
E-Commerce