Celebrating American Ingenuity: 13 Innovations That Changed the World
WHO:
Fast Company - Commander Abrashoff promotes a bottom-up philosophy in military leadership.
Fast Company - Steve Jobs is featured in recorded interviews discovered by Brent Schlender.
Fast Company - Drew Greenblatt is the owner of Marlin Steel, a manufacturer of wire baskets.
Fast Company - Yvon Chouinard is the founder of Patagonia.
Fast Company - Mark Rober is a popular YouTube science creator.
Fast Company - Demis Hassabis is the leader of Google DeepMind.
Fast Company - Reddit is described as a home for online discussion of more than 100,000 topics.
WHAT:
Fast Company - The article discusses 13 innovations that have changed the world.
Fast Company - The last three versions of the software that powered the Space Shuttle had just one error each, with each version containing 420,000 lines of code.
Fast Company - Marlin Steel transformed from a commodity seller to a specialty maker of wire baskets.
Fast Company - Disney's development of a groundbreaking digital experience for its theme parks is described as a tale of corporate politics and personal feuds.
Fast Company - Low-cost homes designed by Rural Studio are built more like airplanes than houses.
Fast Company - The OXO Swivel vegetable peeler is highlighted as a timeless industrial design icon.
Fast Company - The article mentions a series of stories written by Charles Fishman leading up to the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.
Fast Company - The article discusses the design of a better sticker to signify voting participation.
Fast Company - Demis Hassabis is balancing the aim of solving humanity's challenges with the pressure to produce new technologies for Google.
WHERE:
Fast Company - The naval leadership class is held on a warship docked in San Diego.
Fast Company - Disney World is the location for the corporate infighting described in the article.
Fast Company - Rural Studio is associated with the design of low-cost homes.
WHEN:
Fast Company - The 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence is mentioned as a current celebration.
Fast Company - The 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing occurred in 2019.
WHY:
Fast Company - Drew Greenblatt's company faced price competition from Chinese manufacturers, prompting a need to innovate.
Fast Company - The article discusses the motivation behind creating a better voting sticker to encourage civic participation.
HOW:
Fast Company - Commander Abrashoff's leadership philosophy blends innovative practices with empowered individuals.
Fast Company - The design of low-cost homes challenged construction, permitting, and zoning norms.
(UPDATED July 3, 2026 15:44 UTC)
A recent article from Fast Company highlights Commander Abrashoff's bottom-up philosophy in military leadership, emphasizing the importance of empowering individuals within organizations. It also showcases innovations like the OXO Swivel vegetable peeler and low-cost homes designed by Rural Studio, which are built more like airplanes than traditional houses. Additionally, the piece touches on the corporate dynamics at Disney World and the ongoing efforts of Demis Hassabis at Google DeepMind to balance technological advancements with solving humanity's challenges.