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Just a few months into Donald Trumps second term, are the manosphere influencers who championed him already starting to backpedal? In a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, host Joe Rogan raised concerns about the presidents decision to send undocumented immigrants directly to El Salvadors mega-prisonswithout trial, lawyers, or, as critics argue, any semblance of due process. “What if you are an enemy of, lets not say any current president. Lets pretend we got a new president, totally new guy in 2028, and this is a common practice now of just rounding up gang members with no due process and shipping them to El Salvador, youre a gang member. No, Im not. Prove it. What? I got to go to court. No. No due process,” said Rogan. We gotta be careful we dont become monsters, while fighting monsters. For those who had been sounding the alarm during Trumps campaign, it was a painful watch. Watching Joe Rogan figure this shit out in real time is painful, one commenter wrote. That ol Even a broken clock is right twice a day idiom comes to mind, another added. As one Reddit comment pointed out, Why does he need to use a hypothetical president to make this point? This entire commentary describes the current administration. View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Tennessee Holler (@thetnholler) This election cycle, Trump owes at least part of his victory to Rogan and other manosphere influencers who endorsed him. After hosting the now-president on The Joe Rogan Experiencein what became one of the most-watched podcast episodes of all time, with 58 million views at the time of writingRogan followed up with a full-throated endorsement just one day before the 2024 election. Are we now seeing the first cracks appear? Rogan isnt the only vocal Trump supporter expressing unease in recent weeks. Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy, who publicly backed Trump during the campaign, voiced frustration after the presidents rollout of sweeping tariffs sent markets into a nosedive. Portnoy claimed he lost $7 million in the aftermath. So, Trump rolls out the tariffs, right? Portnoy said in a livestream posted April 7. This is a decision that one guy made that crashed the whole stock market. Thats why were calling it Orange Monday and not Black Monday. Just days earlier, Portnoy had reaffirmed his support for Trump. I voted for Trump, I think hes a smart guy, he said in a clip. I also think hes playing a high-stakes game here. Im gonna roll with him for a couple days, a couple weeks, see how this pans out. By Monday, he said his estimated losses had climbed to $20 million.
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E-Commerce
The Fast Company Impact Council is an invitation-only membership community of leaders, experts, executives, and entrepreneurs who share their insights with our audience. Members pay annual dues for access to peer learning, thought leadership opportunities, events and more. Across industries, a new era of climate innovation is accelerating. The momentum is visible in the data: Global clean energy investment surpassed $2 trillion for the first time in 2024, double the amount invested in fossil fuels. While solar panels, wind turbines, and grid-connected batteries often grab the headlines, the low carbon economy is growing in far more corners than many realize. Since founding Supercool last summer to cover proven and scaling climate solutions, Ive seen needle-moving innovation accelerating across farms, factories, and finance departments. One sector in particular shows remarkable progressthe built environment, which accounts for 34% of global carbon emissions. From hard tech and material breakthroughs to AI-powered intelligence to novel business models, here are three approaches to decarbonizing buildings happening now. 1. Hardtech innovation: Build with carbon-negative materials The engineered materials we use to build our suburbs and citiesprimarily timber, concrete, and steelcreate a lot of carbon emissions in their manufacture. Concrete and steel account for nearly 18% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Wood-based materials like oriented strand board (OSB), which are commonly installed in new homes, generate most of their manufacturing carbon emissions from burning wood to generate heat during production. Plantd transforms the built environment using carbon-negative building materials derived from alternative biomassa hardy, fast-growing grass. Four years ago, I cofounded the company with two former SpaceX engineers. To realize its ambitions, Plantd established a new agricultural supply chain innovating at every step, from building an in-house tissue culture lab to establishing full-scale greenhouse operations to supplying commercial farmers with the companys proprietary grass. [Photo: Courtesy of Plantd] Why grass? Because it grows incredibly fast, like bamboo, rapidly removing atmospheric carbon in the process, and possesses the structural characteristics to be transformed into durable engineered building materials. Yet, the key to sequestering carbon in our materials is Plantds manufacturing technology. Our team pioneered a modular, electric-powered production line that turns grass into finished products that replace plywood and OSB in new home construction. Its a first-of-its-kind technology that distinguishes a Plantd production facility from every other engineered wood facility in the world; ours is the only one without a smoke stack on top of the building. This past fall, D.R. Horton, the largest homebuilder in America, which builds about one in every 10 U.S. homes, ordered 10 million Plantd panels, enough to form the walls and roofs of 90,000 new single-family homes. 2. Software innovation: Give buildings brains An even bigger source of building-related carbon emissions is the energy required to operate them. Globally, this accounts for 26% of all greenhouse gas emissions. The top culprit: HVAC systems. The heating, cooling, and ventilation equipment needed to keep us comfortable indoors are responsible for about 35% of all energy used in U.S. buildings. The challenge is that thermostats, even the smart ones, arent very bright. They can track whats already happened and react to whats happening right now, but they cannot anticipate changes in weather, occupancy, carbon intensity of the grid, and energy costs. BrainBox AI can. Using AI-powered intelligence, its cloud-based control system connects to the hundreds, sometimes thousands, of HVAC components in a building and sends them real-time instructions. The companys platform provides over 15,000 buildings worldwidefrom Nordstrom to Family Dollarwith the intelligence to see six hours into the future with 96% accuracy. By knowing the future, BrainBox AI cuts energy, costs, and carbon emissions and improves comfort. Its an easy-to-install solution that works with existing systems and equipment. The results? HVAC-related emissions reductions of up to 40% and energy savings as high as 25%. 3. Finance innovation: Make efficiency upgrades free Many buildings are stuck with legacy equipment that gets the job done but consumes far more energy than their more efficient modern counterparts. Yet, new equipment can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, often placing upgrades out of reach. Budderfly has built one of the fastest-growing businesses in America by removing the cost barrier. The company identifies energy-intensive businesses like fast food chains and offers them a deal that sounds almost too good to be true: free upgrades to energy-efficient systems, including HVAC, lighting, refrigeration, and secrity. Budderfly foots the bills and shares the monthly energy savings with its customers. Scale is key to making this business model work. Budderfly has raised nearly $1 billion to pay for the equipment it installs in customer locations. Its rapid expansion enables it to secure preferential pricing from global equipment suppliers that individual owners and franchisees could never obtain independently. Budderfly also takes over billing, which is one less thing for customers to worry about, and gives the company a trove of data to drive further energy reductions and cost savings. From Taco Bell to McDonalds to Sonic, clients are guaranteed to see savings from day one. In 2024, Budderfly generated $200 million in revenue and now operates in more than 7,000 locations nationwide. Its customers collective energy use dropped 43% last year. The takeaway Whether its growing new materials, giving buildings the ability to think ahead, or reimagining who pays for energy systems, the low carbon economy isnt just coming someday. Its already being built. Josh Dorfman is the CEO and host of Supercool.
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E-Commerce
The Fast Company Impact Council is an invitation-only membership community of leaders, experts, executives, and entrepreneurs who share their insights with our audience. Members pay annual dues for access to peer learning, thought leadership opportunities, events and more. Theres no question that artificial intelligence has taken the world by storm. However, as the initial excitement over the technology fades, we find ourselves in a new phase of thoughtful exploration. There are many innovative AI startups that have captured the worlds attention; however, many organizations still struggle to develop a clear roadmap to take full advantage of this transformative technology. So, whats the hold up? And how can business leaders avoid fleeting trends, effectively align their teams, and successfully integrate AI to achieve measurable impact and ROI for their business? Embrace the journey AI is already transforming industries, boosting efficiency and automating tasks ranging from data entry and language translation to document processing. And the benefits are clearrecent Accenture research found that the vast majority of organizations are seeing stronger-than-expected returns from their generative AI investments. Still, its important to keep a balanced perspective. While many AI solutions promise substantial benefits, the real challenge is identifying those that add tangible value. With new technologies emerging almost weekly, some leaders may also hesitate to invest because they are unsure if a better option is just around the corner. AIs true power comes from practical, enterprise-ready applications. For business leaders wondering where to start, the key is identifying the right challenges to tackle and knowing when and how to implement solutions effectively. Here are seven actionable tips to help you navigate this exciting landscape and build an AI decision-making framework tailored to your organizations needs. 1. Identify the use case First, pinpoint your specific needs and business objectives. Start within your organization, identifying pain points AI can address. Think about what AI does well, like spotting patterns, crunching numbers, and making predictions. Could it help with document translation, content creation, or customer insights? With so many potential applications, determining where to start might seem daunting. A focused, purposeful approach ensures youre investing in AI solutions that deliver real results. 2. Consider specialized models Over the last two years, we’ve seen much of the excitement around general purpose AI models outpace their value. As you evaluate AI tools for your organization, consider specialized AI models offering tailored solutions for specific industry needs. General AI models can do many things pretty well, but for higher stakes and more specific demands, specialized models often address complex, industry-specific challenges more effectively. For example, healthcare AI models can help doctors identify diseases more accurately, while banks use credit-scoring AI to determine whos likely to pay back loans. Language AI tools like DeepL are also specialized to businesses communicating across languages and markets. Specialized AI offerings are trained on domain-specific data optimized for particular tasks or industries, delivering enhanced quality and accuracy with lower risk of errors. Theyre also often designed with built-in compliance features aligned with industry regulations. This makes them more cost-effective, with clearer ROI. 3. Are humans the answer? When youre holding a hammer, everything looks like a nail, right? As the founder of an AI company, you might be surprised to hear me say this, but just because AI is the big thing right now doesnt mean its the singular solution for every problem or opportunity. So before diving into the deep end, consider if a human solution might actually be more effective than AI. Weighing what people, supported by AI, do best versus what AI can offer on its own, will help ensure you take the right approach for your organization’s needs. 4. Start with pilot projects If youre about to deploy an AI solution for the first time, begin with pilot projects to test your AI integrations in smaller, controlled environments. Starting small with a more limited investment reduces overall risk and can allow you to gather real-world data, monitor performance, and assess alignment with business goals before scaling. Pilot projects can also help build confidence within your teams and among leadership, making way for more successful full-scale AI deployments. 5. Invest in tech (and training) To truly harness AI’s potential, focus on bringing in new talent and continuously training existing employees. Depending on the implementations complexity, you might need new positions like data scientists, machine learning engineers or specialists. Upskilling your existing workforce can be equally essential to ensure employees can adapt and thrive alongside technological advancements. 6. Have a solid data strategy in place AI requires large volumes of data to perform its best, so it’s essential to have a solid data strategy infrastructure in place. Your plan should address how your organization will collect, securely store and access data; ensure compliance with evolving data privacy regulations, copyright standards and ethical guidelines; and assign responsibility for ongoing data governance and management. Answering these questions up front will save your company stress and problems later. 7. Refresh your ROI framework and adjust it regularly Most business leaders can recall digital initiatives that didn’t meet expectations, which can lead to concerns that their AI investments might follow a similar path. To enhance your ROI, outline your initiatives measurable goals, such as efficiency, cost savings, or an enhanced customer experience. Establish baseline metrics to understand current performance; then track improvements directly linked to AI. Its important to be adaptable, regularly revisiting goals and metrics to reflect evolving business priorities, market conditions, and technological changes. Unlike standard digital projects, AI initiatives can uncover new opportunities or shift mid-course. Also consider AI’s long-term strategic advantages, which may take time to come to fruition. From hyperbole to high performance To make AI work, organizations should shift their focus from what’s trending to enterprise-ready solutions that deliver lasting and specific value. Define your use cases up front, adopt an agile ROI framework, a robust data strategy, and commit to continuous improvement. This will unlock AI’s transformative potential and build a foundation for long-term competitive advantage. Jarek Kutylowski is CEO and founder of DeepL.
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E-Commerce
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