WHEN THE FORTUNE CHANGE THE WORLD LIST made its debut in 2015, the business world was beginning an unprecedented pivot-publicly embracing social responsibility. Widening income inequality, the Global Financial Crisis of 2008-09, and a growing awareness of climate change had made the public increasingly skeptical of businesses' motives. CEOs responded with commitments to do better for people and the planet. "Stakeholder capitalism" was in; pure profit-seeking was out.
Since then, as society has become more polarized, it's gotten harder for business leaders to highlight efforts like these; some critics dismiss them as lip service, while others deride them as "woke." But our list has spotlighted hundreds of companies that let their actions speak for them-harnessing the creative impulses of capitalism to address social problems, and generating revenue while doing so. This year's edition, our 10th, showcases 52 businesses that continue that legacy, selected by our reporters and editors from a short list of about 250.
With 2024 on track to be the warmest year on record, environmental impact remains a central focus of our list. And companies that are creatively deploying AI make a major mark on this year's roster - as do the companies training young people, by the hundreds of thousands, to use it well. You'll find these innovators and many more on the following pages.
HOW WE CHOOSE THE COMPANIES
The Change the World list recognizes companies that have had a positive social impact through activities that are part of their core business strategy. As we assess nominees, among the factors that matter most are:
MEASURABLE SOCIAL IMPACT
We consider the reach, nature, and durability of the company's impact on one or more specific societal problems.
BUSINESS RESULTS
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der October - November 2024-Ausgabe von Fortune US.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der October - November 2024-Ausgabe von Fortune US.
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THE NEW GOLD RUSH
Gold prices have soared amid global uncertainty and a central-bank-driven buying spree. But this time, the gold mining industry looks very different.
A New Season for Giving
As the PGA TOUR kicks off its 2025 season alongside its sponsors in Hawai'i, the organization is continuing to make an impact in local communities.
WELCOME TO ELONTOWN, USA
The small town of Bastrop, Texas (pop. 12,000), has become a home base for Elon Musk's business empire. What comes next is anyone's guess.
100 MOST POWERFUL PEOPLE
Our inaugural, authoritative ranking of the leaders whose innovation and impact have elevated them to the top of the business world.
ARE CEO SABBATICALS THE ULTIMATE POWER MOVE?
WHEN VENTURE capitalist Jeremy Liew and his wife were dating, they talked about how one day they would take a year to travel the world. \"That's how we'd know we'd made it,\" Liew says.
WHAT ARE THE BEST METRICS FOR MEASURING A STARTUP'S POTENTIAL?
IN HIS 2012 ESSAY \"Startup = Growth,\" Paul Graham talks about a 5% to 7% weekly growth rate as table stakes for startup success. If you're growing 10%, he says, you're doing \"exceptionally well.\"
TECH POLYMARKET'S ELECTION ACCURACY MADE SHAYNE COPLAN A STAR-BUT AN FBI RAID POINTS TO TROUBLE AHEAD
IN NOVEMBER, Shayne Coplan had a week he'll remember for the rest of his life: He got a phone call from the highest echelons at Mar-a-Lago. He went on TV for the first time. And his New York City apartment was raided by the FBI.
WHY BIG TECH IS THE NUCLEAR INDUSTRY'S NEW BEST FRIEND
OVER THE PAST several years, Big Tech firms like Google and Microsoft have trumpeted ambitious plans to go carbon-neutral, or even carbon-negative, by 2030. But then the generative-AI boom came along and threw a giant wrench in their plans.
WHAT PALMER LUCKEY, THE MAN REVOLUTIONIZING WARFARE, IS AFRAID OF
PALMER LUCKEY, the founder of the $14 billion Al-powered weapons startup Anduril, has become the face of change in the defense industry.
GLOBAL BUSINESS BRACES FOR TRUMP 2.0
AROUND THE WORLD in 2024, voters chose change: in South Africa, France, Britain, and Japan. But nowhere does the anti-incumbent trend matter more than in the United States.
