This CEO just sold his company for $21 billion. It wouldn’t have happened without federally funded...

Business 11/24 6:00A Stephanie Mehta

Kevin Conroy explains how Exact Sciences has benefited from a pro-science, public-private ecosystem. Hello and welcome to Modern CEO ! I’m Stephanie Mehta, CEO and chief content officer of Mansueto Ventures. Each week this newsletter explores...

I tried Apple’s iPhone Pocket. It’s as awkward as it is beautiful

Business 11/24 5:00A Sarah Hromack

Apple’s viral accessory feels like an unwanted appendage whose utility isn’t totally clear. I still want to carry it. The line had just died down at Hong Kong’s Apple flagship store on Canton Road when I arrived on what happened to be the release...

U.S. releases a new female crash test dummy that more closely resembles women

Business 11/21 10:00A Associated Press

The new female dummy more accurately reflects differences between men and women, including the shape of the neck, collarbone, pelvis, and legs. The U.S. government on Thursday released a new crash test dummy design that advocates believe will...

Yankee Candle designed a new luxury candle line

Business 11/21 9:00A Hunter Schwarz

Yankee Candle’s YC Collection uses a new monogram, curved glass jars, metallic lids, and new fragrances to premiumize its new sub-brand. Yankee Candle is going luxury with a new line of candles that s...

The rise of the builder C-suite

Business 11/20 7:10P Elizabeth Buchanan

Executive builders who experiment fast, own results, and deliver outcomes are defining leadership today. Executives are no longer measured by the weight of their title but by the scale of what they create, especially in an era reshaped by AI ....

The future of the future

Business 11/20 9:00A Lisa Gralnek

How we think about the future—a conversation with Nick Foster. For the 150th episode of my award-winning podcast series, FUTURE OF XYZ , I sat down with Nick Foster, former head of design at Google X and leading futures designer. We quickly found...

New York’s ubiquitous construction scaffolding gets a glow up

Business 11/20 6:00A Nate Berg

Six new designs remake the utilitarian construction shed into something near beautiful. New York City scaffolding is so commonplace it has become a kind of extra architectural skin covering the city. It s estimated that there are more than 9,000...

Design your software for disappearance

Business 11/19 7:14P Avery Pennarun

If you want your product to be loved, aim for invisibility. Most of the software that truly moves the world doesn t demand our attention: It quietly removes friction and gets out of the way. You only notice it when it s broken. That s not a bug...

What if fintech worked for the people who don’t download fintech?

Business 11/19 6:02P Edwin Endlich

A rural bank’s quiet experiment suggests a different playbook for financial wellness with default-on protection, trust-first design, and branch-led delivery. I’ve spent much of my career in fintech, but some of the most inspiring innovations I’ve...

Pittsburgh’s airport just got a nature-focused makeover

Business 11/18 5:00A Nate Berg

A new design rightsizes Pittsburgh International Airport and creates a rare amount of open space. Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) was never really meant to serve Pittsburgh. When the modern airport opened in 1992, it was built as a hub for...

In leadership, you get what you expect

Business 11/18 1:00A T. Alexander Puutio

Expectations have an uncanny way of turning into real, measurable effects on human behavior. Here’s why it matters for managers. It’s been 70 years since Douglas McGregor sketched a management theory at MIT Sloan that leaders still ignore—and...

Here’s what happened when Ironclad CEO Dan Springer read 80 frontline managers’ reviews of their...

Business 11/17 6:00A Stephanie Mehta

Ironclad CEO Dan Springer believes a better performance review process can elevate a company to another level. Hello and welcome to Modern CEO! I’m Stephanie Mehta, CEO and chief content officer of Mansueto Ventures. Each week this newsletter...

Why entry-level workers are more hopeful than their bosses right now

Business 11/17 4:55A Susan Vroman

Early-career employees are building confidence through adaptability, community, and self-direction. For years, we’ve treated confidence in the workplace as something that rises with seniority. The longer you’re in the game, the more secure you...

How PepsiCo designed Doritos and Cheetos without the orange dust

Business 11/17 4:45A Grace Snelling

Millions of white T-shirts everywhere just breathed a sigh of relief. It’s an experience almost everyone is familiar with: that moment after you’ve been mindlessly snacking on a bag of Cheetos, when you realize that your fingers are now coated in...

The leadership skills you learn from raising kids

Business 11/17 4:30A Jessica Wilen

Six lessons that cut across both domains. A few days ago, I wrapped a coaching call with a senior executive navigating a complex restructuring—work that demands steadiness in ambiguity, patience when emotions rise, and the discipline to stay...