The Facebook IPO Players Club: Dustin MoskovitzThey were doing just fine before, but Facebook's biggest minority owners are about to be catapulted into a far more elite bracket. As we ponder what they'll do with with new millions (maybe over $4 billion for Dustin Moskovitz!), here's a look at what got them where they are today.Who he is: Dustin Moskovitz was born May 22, 1984--the year the Apple Macintosh landed, if that makes you feel old--and he's just eight days younger than Mark Zuckerberg. Wikipedia calls him an "internet entrepreneur," Continue Reading

The Facebook IPO Players Club: Li Ka-shingThey were doing just fine before, but Facebook's biggest minority owners are about to be catapulted into a far more elite bracket. As we ponder what Li Ka-shing will do with his extra millions, here's a look at what got him where he is today.Who he is: Sir Li Ka-shing is a Chinese businessman based in Hong Kong, currently chairman of Hutchison Wampoa Limited and Cheung Kong Holdings. In 2010 the companies he manages were worth about 15% of the entire Hong Kong stock market, which qualifies Ka-sh Continue Reading

The Facebook IPO Players Club: Eduardo SaverinThey were doing just fine before, but the biggest of minority owners of Facebook are about to be catapulted into a far more elite bracket. As we ponder what they'll do with with new millions (billions, for cofounder Eduardo Saverin), here's a look at what got them where they are today.Who he is: Eduardo P. Saverin is a Brazil-born "internet entrepreneur and investor," from a wealthy family that moved to Florida when it was discovered Eduardo's name was on a kidnap-for-ransom hit list--he now liv Continue Reading

The Facebook IPO Players Club: David ChoeThey were doing just fine before, but the biggest of Facebook's minority owners are about to be catapulted into a far more elite bracket. As we ponder what they'll do with with new millions (around $200 million for the... colorful and creative David Choe), here's a look at what got them where they are today.Who he is: David Choe, the New York Times says, is a "very successful artist with gallery shows and pieces exhibited in major museums." His website describes him thusly: "David Choe was born Continue Reading

The Facebook IPO Players Club: Jim BreyerThey were doing just fine before, but the biggest of minority owners of Facebook are about to be catapulted into a far more elite bracket. As we ponder what they'll do with with new millions (money being no stranger to early investor Jim Breyer), here's a look at what got them where they are today.Who he is: When we profiled him back in 1997, Jim Breyer was simply a Managing General Partner at Accel Partners, who spent the "bulk of his working hours in meetings" but who "comes to the table Continue Reading

Planned Parenthood's Unplanned Branding BonanzaThe fact that the beloved charity that owns the pink ribbon decided to pull its financial support of Planned Parenthood (a decision that was reversed three days later) in the end will help the Planned Parenthood brand even more than it damages the brand of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, a nonprofit to which some 200 organizations like Ford, Major League Baseball, and BofA connect. Here are the four key ways Planned Parenthood benefits: Positive PR.  The decision provi Continue Reading

How Susan G. Komen For The Cure Torpedoed Its BrandWhat a difference a week makes. On Tuesday, January 31, Susan G. Komen For The Cure announced that it would not renew its grants to Planned Parenthood for breast cancer exams, claiming that it doesn't permit funding to organizations under investigation by Congress. This is equal to more than half a million dollars for low-income women who otherwise would have no options for breast cancer screening and other services.This announcement was not made publicly, but instead communicated to Komen’s Continue Reading

Marketing Lessons From An Accidental Con ManIn a previous Fast Company article, I wrote about hitchhiking. Specifically, what I’ve learned about hitching a ride in semi-rural South Africa and how these strategies apply to marketing. I learned something by accident last month that took my thumbing skills to a whole new level. I Buy a Bicycle I live in an area with steep hills, dangerous switchbacks, potholes the size of dorm refrigerators, and occasionally incompetent and frequently insane motorists. So naturally I thought: “A mountain b Continue Reading

India's $35 Aakash Tablet Comes ApartMonths after India's healthily anticipated $35 tablet was first unveiled, its owners are embroiled in a spat that is raising questions about its future.A $35 Indian Aakash tablet may turn out to be a pipe dream after all. In the most recent twist in the development of the unbelievably cheap piece of tech, the Indian government is trying to break a manufacturing stalemate by taking the decision away from the Indian university that created tablet prototypes. As we wrote in early November, pr Continue Reading

"Bouncer" Protects Android Market, Apple Drums Up 278 Claims Against Samsung, Panasonic Forecasts $10 Billion LossBreaking news from your editors at Fast Company, with updates all day. Introducing The Android Market "Bouncer." Google's newly announced Bouncer is a service that detects security threats coming from apps in the Android app store. The service checks out any app uploaded to the app store for known security threats, and watches it for suspicious behavior. The service also analyzes new developer accounts. --NS Apple Drums Up 278 Claims Against Samsung In Australia. Apple has extended its legal Continue Reading

Super Bowl Command Center Monitors Parking Gripes, Terrorist ThreatsThe private company behind the Super Bowl's official Social Media Command Center isn't just tweeting fans transit tips, they're monitoring social media for game-day threats by would-be terrorists. And Madonna.What do Justin Bieber and potholes have in common? This isn't, actually, a joke. The Super Bowl Host Committee in Indianapolis, along with Indiana-based private social media company Raidious, have set up a giant Social Media Command Center in downtown Indianapolis (right, and Continue Reading

This Week In Bots: Nothing's Gonna Stop Them Now--The Robot Revolution Is EverywhereQuadrocopter Swarms Go TinyIf you're a fan of This Week In Bots you'll be exquisitely familiar with quadropters--the technology is blooming right now because the battery, motor, and control technology is ubiquitous and the stable flight platform offered by the design promises so much for the future of aerial robotics. That's why we've seen them dance, perform ridiculous aerobatics, and even build things. Now UPenn's GRASP lab, behind so many of these innovations, has taken the design and added a Continue Reading

Be Like Mark: 8 Ways To Emulate Facebook's Zuckerberg, The Unlikely LeaderWhether you love him, hate him, or are just a little jealous of his newly minted multi-billionaire status, you have to admit that Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook, has made some visionary leadership moves.In less than 10 years, Zuckerberg’s taken an idea for an online social network from his Harvard dorm room and delivered it into the homes, offices, pockets, and purses (via mobile phones) of 845 million users around the world. Last year, more than half of Facebook’s users logged in Continue Reading

Votizen Brings The Empowerment Of The Internet To ElectionsBefore political campaigns were all over blogs, Meetup.com, YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook, there was USA.gov, cofounded by David Binetti in 2000. The site, which was the platform for the first ever webcast from the Oval Office, is now the U.S. Government's official portal. Binetti's new venture is a Silicon Valley tech startup called Votizen, a social network where voters can campaign for a candidate or a cause. Users reach out primarily to friends or acquaintances, leveraging their own social Continue Reading

The Facebook IPO: A Mega, Meta Mashup Of MediaWe sifted through media coverage of Facebook's imminent IPO to bring you the mother of all news roundups. Get ready to ride the linked-up lightning.Now it's Facebook's turn to share. Facebook Inc. filed for an initial public offering... that could value the social network between $75 billion and $100 billion, putting the company on track for one of the biggest U.S. stock-market debuts of all time. The company that has redefined the way millions of people worldwide interact and share in Continue Reading

Chevy, Pepsi, and Doritos Turn Fan-Made Super Bowl Ads Into Brand Buzz.boxxy1 {display:inline-block;vertical-align:top;width:250px;margin-right:15px;} .boxxy2 {display:inline-block;vertical-align:top;width:340px;} .boxxy2 span {color:#00b3e6;} Chevy is the latest to ditch Madison Avenue and ask fans to create its Super Bowl ad. Past examples show the move isn't just cost effective--it builds brands' buzz (we have stats!) and helps young careers. Nick Simotas, cofounder of GoodLookingLiars.com Winning spot: "First Date" for Pepsi Max, 2011. (Internal monologues Continue Reading

Why Girls Need MentorsBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City) According to a new study produced by The Girl Scouts of the USA, four out of ten girls say they have had no opportunities to interact with successful women during the last school year. That could be why so many of them (38%) said they weren’t sure if they [...] Continue Reading

White House Takes To Google+ Hangout Again To Speak To Entrepreneurs (And Us) About Startup AmericaSteve Case, U.S. CTO Aneesh Chopra, and NEC Director Gene Sperling use Google's new-ish social tool to talk about Startup America on behalf of the White House. We're in line to ask a question right now. First President Barack Obama gets into this Google+ Hangout thing, and before you know it, his whole cabinet is doing it. Not that they're on there swapping reviews of the latest Kardashian exploits, mind you. Rather, Steve Case, U.S. CTO Aneesh Chopra, and NEC Director Gene Sperling are answeri Continue Reading

Facebook's Timeline Movie Maker, Starring Your Jacked EgoThe visualization tool brings home the point that your Timeline is supposed to be a survey of your young life so far. And it makes you want to upload more and better pictures.Facebook’s new Timeline Movie Maker does one thing very, very well: It makes you want to upload more photos to Facebook. More photos from earlier in your life, more photos of you with all your friends, and photos that show all the places you’ve been. It’s probably the most effective user engagement tool Facebook has right n Continue Reading