Stakeholder capitalism is entering new era. So is ‘Fast Company’

Fast Company has been covering a sea change in American business over the last 15 years or so. Companies big and small have embraced the idea that they ought to be accountable not just to shareholders but to all stakeholders—including workers, customers, communities, suppliers, and the planet.

Some refer to it as “stakeholder capitalism.” Others like “conscious capitalism.” And for those of you who prefer “woke capitalism,” hey, thanks for joining us.

But then, within the last year or two, it all fell apart. Even before Trump retook the presidency, CEOs had begun shuttering DEI programs and climate initiatives, and clamming up about the “greater good” they were pursuing. What happened? How did a megatrend that transformed boardrooms and C-suites unravel so rapidly?

That’s the big question we asked James Suro­wiecki to dissect in this issue’s cover story, “How ‘Business for Good’ Went Bad.”

Surowiecki, a veteran business journalist and author of The Wisdom of Crowds, does not disappoint. He deftly explicates a number of questions inside the big one. Perhaps the most disturbing: Was corporate America’s embrace of stakeholder capitalism ever real in the first place?

In addition to those big words on the cover, I’d like to call your attention to some smaller type: Summer 2025. Yes, our print magazine is now quarterly, down from five issues last year. I’d like to explain the thinking behind this change, and what it means for the print magazine.

There’s no point in denying the obvious: Print media ain’t what it used to be. I wouldn’t be much of a business journalist myself if I pretended otherwise. Fast Company is susceptible to the same shifting business dynamics and consumer behavior that have forced countless publishers to cut back or eliminate their print products.

And yet! We still believe deeply in print. We know that it delivers a special kind of experience for readers, one that no other medium can match. The beautiful, tactile object you are holding was reported, written, edited, and designed specifically to allow you to engage with the latest ideas of the innovation economy without the distraction and chaos of the daily news cycle. Read it on the weekend, ideally in a hammock.

The coverage areas will be familiar: tech, design, marketing and branding, creativity, social impact, the future of work, and more. But unlike the up-to-the-minute news coverage you’ll find on fastcompany.com and our social channels, the magazine offers a view from 30,000 feet.

In every article, data report, photo essay, long-form interview, and list of recognition program winners, our reporters analyze and contextualize industry trends, take readers deep inside the world’s most compelling companies, and mine the wisdom of the business leaders who are building tomorrow’s world today.

We hope you enjoy it, and we welcome your feedback at [email protected].

A playful punch

For this issue’s headline typeface, we chose Mānuka Slab. Its tall, condensed proportions are “like a typographic punch in the guts,” says designer Kris Sowersby, making it perfect for an issue that explores how stakeholder capitalism got the wind knocked out of it. Mānuka is inspired by 19th-century wood type, evoking posters that promoted the circus and civil protest. But it has a lighter side: Check out the pigtail of the uppercase Q and the ball terminal of the J—fitting for the issue’s tribute to Sharpie markers. And like Sharpies, condensed typefaces never go out of style. —Mike Schnaidt, creative director