CATEGORIES

Screen Play

Joe Thomas and his co-founders were two weeks away from running out of money for their software startup when, in 2016, they launched a new product and went all in on prerecorded videos as a workplace communication tool.

AI Gets to Work

It's leading-edge, it's downright scary and it's here. Following AI's breakout year, we take a look under the hood at how entrepreneurs are applying the tech and what you need to know to stay competitive.

Shelley Zalis

On that elusive work-life balance, her own version of perfection, and pivoting with positivity.

ONLY THE STRONG SURVIVE FEMALE FOUNERS 250

SUCCESS often breeds success-but triumphs also arise out of necessity. Consider that Airbnb, Uber, and Rent the Runway started during the Great Recession. In many ways, the past year was defined by similar tumult. While the U.S. never technically entered a recession, the retrenchment in investment and ad spending paired with the psychological-if not direct-toll of tech layoffs yielded tough times indeed. But female founders are nothing if not resilient, and their achievements defied the conditions they faced, giving us cause to expand our list to 250 of them. They're not ranked, but they are organized around themes. In the pages that follow, you'll find snapshots of courage from women who've overcome trials-such as keeping the internet running in war zones, coping with the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, or facing personal crises. You'll also learn how this year's top female founders grew their collective 2023 revenue to more than $8.86 billion, raised $6.2 billion in funding to date, and kept it together not just to survive, but to thrive.

Beauty Filter

Countless companies have elevated everyday items to iconic: Apple upgraded the nerdy MP3 player, Nest turned thermostats into real estate selling points, and Aesop made hand soap a status symbol.

Steve Young Shares Lessons From the Private Equity Playbook With a First-Time Founder

The athlete-turned-investor helps Tessa Barton prepare to scale her bootstrapped photo-editing startup, Tezza.

AI in HR Tech: A New Era in Human Resources Technology

The next generation of HR software is here, powered by artificial intelligence (AI). Now, your business can harness the transformative power of AI in HR tech.

Get Curious About the World Around You

Curiosity isn't a luxury of philosophers. It's a business and leadership essential.

Family Office

Grace Na learned the ins and outs of the denim industry from her in-laws. Now, they're two of her top team members for her own brand, Pistola.

AI Isn't Coming for Your Job At Least Not Yet

So far, the technology has replaced only a small number of workers. But the future risks many more.

Goodbye, Tough Guy

More executives are going on all-male retreats to open up, feel less lonely, and build empathy.

Is the Bitcoin Bull Market Safe to Buy?

ETFs have made Bitcoin investing easier than ever. But they may be adding air to a bubble.

THE NEW HOLLYWOOD POWER PARADIGM

Inside the sisterhood of stars changing the narrative.

HOW BOEING BROKE DOWN

Boeing's strategy sent the stock soaring more than 1,000% over 20 years. But it contained dangerous flaws that are only now coming into view amid a drumbeat of terrible news.

The CEO Leading 'Korea's Google' in Its Battle Against Big Tech

Choi Soo-yeon has led Naver through crisis and maintained its search-engine lead over Google. Now she's aiming to outmaneuver the giants again in Al.

Today, CHIPS.Tomorrow, Everything.

Why the CHIPS Act is rewriting the rules for every big American business.

Memo to Silicon Valley: Bring It On

New York City's Runway was the pioneering leader in Al-generated video for years. Now ChatGPT maker OpenAl is coming for it.

The Art of Banking

To appeal to the ultrawealthy, banks like UBS keep fine art-and art expertsclose at hand.

SAUDI ARABIA'S POWER PIPELINE

The oil earnings flowing from the most profitable company in history are helping the Saudi kingdom shake up the global economyand the old geopolitical order.

THE [FOREVER] FOUNDER

Michael Dell turned his dorm-room PC company into the go-to hardware provider for 99% of the Fortune 500. Now the longest-standing founder-CEO in tech has a chance to cash in on the AI bbom—and make himself and his company bigger than ever.

THE TRUTH EVEN HE CAN'T DUCK

Aflac's DAN AMOS has spent his 34 years as CEO selling insurance against illness and death. Now he has to confront his aging customers' mortality and his own.

Writing a Great Retelling

When I say retelling, it's Sherlock Holmes who comes to mind. Just in recent film and TV, Robert Downey Jr. and Benedict Cumber-batch stand out for their interpretations of Arthur Conan Doyle's beloved character.

Septet as Memoir

Poet Wayne Lee set out on a journey to write nothing but septets for a year—not knowing it would help him grapple with one of the most emotionally challenging years of his life.

Alyssa Cole

In Alyssa Cole's newest thriller, One of Us Knows, the lead character Kenetria Nash is the host of what's known as a \"system,\" a group of personalities that inhabit the same body.

Out to Sea

THE CHALLENGE: Write a drabble-a short story of exactly 100 words-based on the photo prompt below.

A Long-Haul Writer’s Lament

Advice for Those at the Start

Daniel Willcocks

When Winter Comes; The Self-publishing Blueprint (Nonfiction books for authors, horror, and suspense fiction; Activated Authors [nonfiction]; Devil's Rock Publishing [fiction])

The 26" Annual 101 Best Websites for Writers

Creating this list is a yearlong project that involves an overwhelming number of bookmarked sites on our browsers. Th ere are so many great websites for writers—with more popping up practically daily—it’s no wonder this is still one of our most popular features aft er 25 years.

Better Story Structure Through Musicals and Kung Fu Movies

Build emotion and conflict for your characters and readers by taking a note from the structure of two popular storytelling forms.

Escalate Conflict to Keep Readers Turning Pages

Draw readers in through physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual conflict.