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For eight years running, World Changing Ideas has celebrated the people and companies working to make the world safer, cleaner, more sustainable, and more equitable. It’s no small featbut it’s inspiring to see the progress these groups are making and the impact that their projects are already having. This year’s World Changing Ideas Awards recognizes 100 projects around the world that are pursuing innovation for good. To get there requires an editorial team that spends months poring over applications, vetting projects, and ultimately telling the stories that bring these projects to life. Here is a behind-the-scenes look at how we make it happen. METHODOLOGY More than 1,500 applications were submitted to the World Changing Ideas Awards 2025. A team of staff editors and writers, alongside trusted freelancers, assessed each application based on our criteria, which include: IMPACT We look for projects that have created (or are trying to create) substantive, positive change in the world. We want the impact to be something that can improve lives, society, or the environmentnot just business bottom lines. DESIGN We think about this both conceptually and physically. We look for projects that have well-thought-out plans for how theyll create their impactand how they will avoid potential negative externalities. Functionality and aesthetics are also important when we evaluate applications. SCALABILITY Projects may be small right now, but do they have the potential to grow and bring the change to more people? We look for ideas that have the ability to change the world. This can mean projects that create enormous change for a small number of people, as well as projects that will create small but substantive change for an enormous number of people. Either way, we look for projects that can scale to serve the entire market they’re targeting. INGENUITY We evaluate projects that range from conceptual to just launched to fully operational. But no matter what stage the idea is in, we judge it on whether it’s bold, new, and innovative. The best entries offer a path-breaking solution to an important problem. World Changing Ideas taps the collective knowledge of our editors, reporters, and outside writers, says Morgan Clendaniel, Fast Company‘s digital executive editor. We use these writers’ deep understanding of AI, urban design, climate tech, and transportation to create this curated list of the projects delivering the most impact and ingenuity in their sectors.” Each winner is chosen after multiple rounds of judging and conversations about a project’s role in the current needs and challenges of this moment. This monthslong process ensures that every project chosen to receive a World Changing Idea award is representative of the best work in its field. Meet the team Writers: Maria Jose Gutierrez Chavez, Yasmin Gagne, Steven Melendez, Adele Peters, David Salazar, Grace Snelling, Kristin Toussaint, Talib Visram Judges: Jeff Beer, Elissaveta M. Brandon, Morgan Clendaniel, Shalene Gupta, Jessica Hullinger, Veronica Irwin, Lily McDonald, Steven Melendez, Jocelyn Mintz, April Mokwa, Alex Pasternack, Adele Peters, Clint Rainey, Aimee Rawlins, Danielle Renwick, David Salazar, Elizabeth Segran, Grace Snelling, Eric Sullivan, Kristin Toussaint, Talib Visram Editor: Aimee Rawlins Copy Editors: Joanne Camas, Charissa Jones Coordinator: Shealon Calkins Design/Photo: Alice Alves, Jeanne Graves, Heda Hokschirr, Haewon Kye, Eric Perry, Sandra Riao, Daniel Salo, Maja Saphir, Mike Schnaidt, Amy Wong Development: Bryan Cuellar, Cayleigh Parrish
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Theftosterone (noun): When a woman shares an idea with her colleagues, perhaps in a meeting, and five minutes later, a man says almost the exact same thing, posing it as his own original idea in an effort to bolster his professional reputation at the expense of hers. (This aggression is exacerbated when the collective response to the woman is lackluster but the man gets credit for his great suggestion and is all too happy to bask in the praise without the slightest sense of guilt.) It doesnt matter how smart or accomplished the woman is, men still conversationally steamroll them and sometimes outright steal their ideas. We call this phenomenon theftosterone.It happens even in the highest court in the land. Transcripts of fifteen years of Supreme Court oral arguments show that as more women have joined the court, male justices have increased their interruptions of the female justices. Many male justices interrupt female justices at double-digit rates per term, but the reverse is almost never true. During a twelve-year span, when women made up 24% of the bench, 32% of interruptions were of the female justices, but only 4% were by female justices. Strangely, as the gender imbalance on the court has lessened over the past several years, the incidents of this have not gone down. In fact theyve increased. When we asked people in a survey for their firsthand experience observing original-thought theft, over 72% said they had indeed seen it take place. Reassuringly, the percentage of times it was called out, either on the spot or reported afterward, was 10% higher than incidents when the perpetrator was not called out on it. THE MOST VULNERABLE Kate White, the legendary editor in chief of Cosmopolitan, says that if youre a good idea person, you need to be extra vigilant in anticipating theftosterone and warding it off before it happens. I came up the ranks as an idea person. And let me tell you, those who are not idea people often steal your ideas out of desperation.There are two ways to protect against that, White says. Whenever possible, put ideas in writing and cc people. If your boss wants you to generate ideas in meetings, use a claim-the-floor strategy.You can say something like If I could have everyones attention, Id like to take a moment to provide some vital information that I think will be eye-opening and of tremendous value. Dont just blurt out something like Maybe we should employ that strategy in California too. It might get lost in the back-and-forth and then someone (probably a guy) will bring it up five minutes later as their own.Instead, gain the floor, and say, I have an idea. I think we should consider employing this strategy in California, and let me offer some research that explains why. Dont start with all the research. Women tend to show their homework first. BLOCKING THE PUNCH But what if the theftosterone has already been perpetrated? Here are three possible courses of action: Amplification: This requires the cooperation and involvement of women colleagues. Juliet Eilperin, a reporter for the Washington Post, spoke with women who worked in the Obama administration who devised an antidote to theftosterone. Its a technique they called amplification. Heres how it works. If a woman in a meeting makes a suggestion or presents an idea, another woman immediately acknowledges it, repeats it, and gives her credit. This shuts down any possibility that a man in the meeting can later stake claim to the idea for himself. The plan was executed with so much success that women in the administration noticed that Obama began calling on women in meetings more often. Claiming Affirmation: If assembling a team of female support isnt possible for amplification, and youre forced to go it alone, its up to you to speak up. The lines you should have in your back pocket are Im glad you agree with the point I just made or Its so gratifying to get your affirmation of my suggestion from a moment ago. Male Advocates: Women would benefit from a more equitable enforcement of communication justice. This requires that men also be on high alert for the appropriation of womens ideas at work. When they spot it, they can say, That sounds like exactly what Kristin said just a few minutes ago. Do you have anything more that you could add to that? or Im glad to see that youre aligned with the idea Kristin shared a little earlier. BALANCING GENDER COMMUNICATION Unlike imitation, theftosterone is not the sincerest form of flattery. It is what its name suggests: an unjust appropriation of a womans voice. Given how long men have been engaging in this behavior, the prospect of eliminating or even dramatically curtailing these aggressions seems remote. For years the struggle to be properly respected seemed to be solely a battle for women to fight, and when they elected to go to the mat, often the consequences of being labeled militant or nasty outweighed the benefits. Men need to recognize the role they can and must play in combating this scourge to bring about more equity in communication in the workplace.Adapted from SPEAK, MEMORABLY: The Art of Captivating an Audience by Bill McGowan and Juliana Silva. Copyright 2025 by Bill McGowan and Juliana Silva. Reprinted courtesy of Harper Business, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Available wherever books are sold.
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The robotaxi race is heating up in Austin. A decade after Googles self-driving car project quietly tested on the citys streets, a new wave of autonomous vehicle companies is setting up shop. Waymo, now a dominant force in San Francisco, is expanding to the city. Tesla is preparing to debut its long-promised robotaxi. And smaller players like Zoox, Avride, and ADMT are using the Texas capital as a proving ground. What was once a fringe experiment is now a high-stakes industry comeback, deep in the heart of Texas. You have a regulatory environment thats keen to capitalize on these developments, says Alison Brooks, research vice president for worldwide public safety at IDC. At the same time, its a blue city in a red state thats predisposed towards alternative vehicles that are more environmentally friendly. The self-driving companies converging on Austin The only fully deployed and operational robotaxi company in Austin is Waymo. In 2023, the company announced it was expanding testing to the city that keeps it weird, more than two years after its Phoenix launch. Since its March launch, Waymo now has about 100 robotaxis in Austin, making up 20% of local Uber trips. By expanding our partnership with Uber to Austin, we were able to bring Waymo rides to residents and visitors in Austin even faster, a representative for Waymo tells Fast Company. Tesla is now gearing up for deployment in the city. The robotaxiwhich Elon Musk has been teasing since 2019appears finally ready for the streets. Musk, who once operated out of the Bay Area, relocated his companies to Texas and brought his robotaxis with him. According to his posts on X, some of the vehicles have already begun driving. (Tesla did not respond to a request for comment.) For the past several days, Tesla has been testing self-driving Model Y cars (no one in drivers seat) on Austin public streets with no incidents. A month ahead of schedule.Next month, first self-delivery from factory to customer.— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 29, 2025 Several smaller robotaxi companies are also testing in Austin. Zoox, owned by Amazon, is operating vehicles with safety drivers across multiple districts. Avride is running tests as well, though its planned debutthrough a partnership with Uberwill take place in nearby Dallas. ADMT, Volkswagens robotaxi subsidiary, has been testing in Austin since 2023. As these autonomous vehicle companies converge on Austin, the city is becoming a key arena for robotaxi competition. It may not have the highest adoption of self-driving vehiclesPhoenix and San Francisco still lead in that regardbut with Teslas entry, Austin is fast becoming the most competitive testing ground. A friendly regulatory environment Why Austin? Many point to the citys favorable regulatory environment. In Texas, state law preempts local law, which means the relatively relaxed Senate Bill 2205passed in 2017sets the statewide standard for AV regulation. Still, Austins active local government has played a key supporting role, offering infrastructure and coordination through efforts like the Autonomous Vehicle Working Group, which brings together staff from several city departments. A spokesperson for the City of Austin tells Fast Company that, while the city cannot directly regulate AVs, it can support companies with valuable information. Each robotaxi company has received maps of school zones, schedules for special events, and guidance on emergency vehicle protocols. The spokesperson notes that Tesla, though not required to inform the city of testing, has communicated with the Working Group. Many companies view this top-down modelless restrictive than frameworks in states like Californiaas an advantage. While California has an extensive permitting system, Texas only mandates that AVs are registered, insured, and have systems to record crash data. A representative for Avride cited the favorable regulatory environment in Austin, adding: The state has clear and supportive laws that allow us to operate and scale our technology confidently, in a statement to Fast Company. Of course, regulations carry weightboth protective and limiting. They can restrict innovation but also safeguard the public. IDCs Alison Brooks and Remi Letemple, a senior research analyst at the firm, both reference the Cruise crash in San Francisco as a cautionary tale. In 2023, a Cruise robotaxi dragged a pedestrian along the street, prompting a full recall of the companys fleet. How do we get an environment that balances innovation with regulation in a way that avoids catastrophic events? IDCs Brooks asks. Thats the tension that I think exists in all of those markets. When I talk to adjacent mobility folks, theyre watching this market very carefully as well for the same reasons. When asked about the risk of crashes or technical failures, the City of Austin spokesperson responded: The City works with AV companies before and during deployment to obtain training for first responders, establish expectations for ongoing communication and share information about infrastructure and events. Austins intrinsic benefits Beyond regulations, Austin offers several regional advantages. Its consistently high temperatures tend to keep pedestrians off the streets, reducing unexpected interactions for autonomous vehicles. The city is dense enough to challenge AV systems but not so congested as to make navigation unmanageable. A representative from Avride also highlighted the presence of the University of Texas, noting its strong tech talent pool. Demographics add to Austins appeal as a testing ground. The city has a sizable base of affluent residentsit now ranks tenth among U.S. cities with the most millionaires. Despite the tech influx, Austin remains largely liberal. Local disability advocates have especially championed robotaxis for broadening access. A representative for Zoox tells Fast Company that locals have established that they like to move around with on-demand rideshare. Austin also presents unique environmental features including horizontal traffic lights, suspended cable traffic signals, and train track crossings that will help train our AI to better understand and navigate various road patterns and driving conditions, the Zoox representative writes. Pushback to the AV surge has been muted. Some Austin residents worried about Cruise, specifically cyclists who watched a Cruise vehicle veer into a bike lane in 2023. Kara Kockelman, a professor of transportation engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, says that the only safety worry she’s heard from Austinites was that Cruise cars “came too close to their vehicle.” Now, Cruise AVs are gone from the city’s roads. “With Waymo, [Austin residents] only complain if it obeys the speed limit,” Kockelman says. “They drive really well, but they do need to speed up.” Still, Austins local benefits may not translate elsewhere. Other cities have more pedestrians, more complex roadways, or more cautious consumers. I dont think Austin can be patient zero, even if it becomes a success. Its not scalable to other states, says IDCs Remi Letemple. Every city has its own infrastructure and its own barriers.
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