Fast Company chooses the most innovative companies in the world in 2023
Portrait of the best ideas that are transforming the business world and society itself, the list of the World's Most Innovative Companies of 2023 selected by Fast Company It was 100% produced by people.
We may have consulted the ChatGPT – artificial intelligence chatbot created by OpenAI, a top-ranked organization – over some companies, but only because we wanted to see how it would do. In other words, a very human curiosity.
Firstly, choosing the most innovative company this year was one of the easiest decisions made by the team that worked on the project. OpenAI – the creative laboratory behind ChatGPT and another series of tools boosted by generative artificial intelligence that left the internet in an uproar at the end of last year – was therefore the unanimous choice.
Still, OpenAI is just one example of how advances in the field of artificial intelligence are reinventing all types of activities, from discovering new medicines (in the case of DeepMInd) to working in offices (Canva).
Let's go to the rankings
However, the ranking of the 50 most innovative companies of 2023 reveals interesting and inspiring cases that go far beyond the “hottest” trends on the market today.
Healthcare is becoming more equitable – for transgender people (Folx Health), women (Maven Clinic), children (Hazel Health) and low-income patients (Cityblock Health) – by companies that are customizing their services to serve communities that have traditionally been neglected.
Iconic brands are changing how they communicate with their fans, empowering creators and connecting with culture (McDonalds, Tiffany & Co.), at the same time, as the restaurant and consumer products sectors are reinventing themselves, by placing content at the center of the business (MrBeast).
On Earth, the soil has been regenerated (Regrow Ag); victims of climate disasters can rely on clean energy from mobile sources (Solar Sesame); and one of the most influential brands in the world, Patagonia, made the planet its sole shareholder (Holdfast Collective).
In space, public and private organizations (NASA, Axiom Space) are increasingly advancing in initiatives that can be implemented in orbit.
DIGITAL AND SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION
As we worked to put together the list and learned more about the innovations underway at large companies that have been in business for years (like McDonalds, Tiffany & Co., Ford, Disney), in newcomers who managed to quickly make their way and gain cultural relevance (Giant Spoon, Mschf, MrBeast) and in organizations that, technically, cannot be considered “companies” (NASA, Workers United, Purdue University), the business world was undergoing significant changes, especially in the technology sector.
With the notable exception of Apple, all of the major technology companies – including several in the rankings, such as Amazon, Meta, Alphabet and Microsoft – have recently laid off thousands of people.
This says a lot about a theme that runs through this year's list: the gap that long separated technology companies from the rest of the business world has practically disappeared. As older companies embark on digital transformation processes, they increasingly adopt the operational culture of Silicon Valley.
Therefore, practically every company is a technology company nowadays. But they are all, at the end of the day, just companies. In other words, what makes some of them really stand out is that intangible, almost magical quality that we celebrate in each edition of the ranking: innovation.
Check out the list of the 50 most innovative companies selected by Fast Company in 2023 below:
The 50 most innovative companies of 2023
- OpenAI
- McDonalds
- Airbnb
- Holdfast Collective
- Nubank
- Microsoft
- Roblox
- Webtoon
- Ramp
- Tiffany & Co.
- Hoka
- On
- Workers United
- Armis
- From Software
- Purdue University
- NASA
- Brystol Myers Squibb
- Illumination
- LanzaTech
- Ford
- Canva
- Giant Spoon
- Chainalysis
- The Walt Disney Company
- EIf
- Deep Mind
- Folx Health
- Cityblock Health
- Maven Clinic
- Hazel Health
- 3XN
- Ultima Genomics
- Sorare
- CounterCraft
- Flashfood
- Valve
- LearnPlatform
- Formic
- Airtable
- Regrow Ag
- Eventbrite
- Eight Sleep
- Solar Sesame
- Loom
- MrBeast
- 3give
- Robust Intelligence
- Axiom Space
- Mschf
Per @ Fast Company
My talent is helping entrepreneurs build their professional brands, so that they have a life of their own and become increasingly stronger in the market. Creatively conceptualizing in an authentic way, building new spaces through digital and physical channels; and executing strategic marketing actions to achieve results. 👨🚀
