Latest news with #NicholasKristof
Fast Company
a day ago
- Business
- Fast Company
It's one of the most valuable companies in the world, and its logo is baffling
Although less familiar than many of its tech rivals, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is kind of a big deal. Its valuation, north of $1 trillion, ranks the chipmaker ninth globally among publicly held companies, and its strategic significance in the silicon arms race led New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof to label it 'the most important company in the world.' So when TSMC's massive new manufacturing plant (or 'fab,' as those in the semiconductor business like to call it) arose recently in the desert north of Phoenix, Arizonans might have expected to see a polished logo adorning the building's facade. Instead, many were likely flummoxed by the TSMC symbol. Was it supposed to be a crossword puzzle? A disco ball? A badminton racquet? A screen door replete with dead houseflies? In fact, the logo, which debuted in 1988, one year after the company's founding, represents 'a stylized semiconductor wafer design,' as a TSMC trademark application puts it. A wafer is a thin, circular slice of silicon which is cut into rectangular 'dies' that are used to make computer chips. The flat section of the wafer, visible at the bottom of the TSMC logo, is called, well, a 'flat' and is used for orientation in the manufacturing process. The black rectangles in the logo seem to represent defective dies as they would appear on a wafer map, a diagram outlining the usable sections of the silicon disc. One might find this an odd design element to include, but it appears to have been a bit of a convention among '80s wafer logos. San Jose semiconductor maker Integrated Device Technology's 1981 logo featured two such defective dies. When it reversed the coloring of its logo in the '90s, did it realize the resulting implication was that an overwhelming majority of its dies were duds? Subscribe to the Design latest innovations in design brought to you every weekday SIGN UP TSMC took the opposite tack, slightly revising its mark in 2001 to reduce the number of those troublesome black rectangles while improving legibility. Otherwise, though, the logo has remained unchanged and, frankly, it doesn't work well in 2025. Not only is the wafer symbolism inscrutable to the modern eye, but by today's standards, its design is overwrought, amateurish, and dated, in keeping with an overall company brand that's as dry as soda crackers. Beyond employing the most obvious graphic design solution of adopting the company's product as a logo, the firm has named itself using the largely-abandoned tactic of simple descriptiveness, which, if still in vogue, might have resulted in Apple being known as the Northern California Computer Company or Amazon going by Seattle Online Bookstore, Inc. Until recently, this may not have been seen as a problem for companies that, like TSMC, were not public-facing. There was a sense that branding elements like names and logos were shiny baubles that served only to catch the eyes of the public, and that were irrelevant within the context of B2B relationships. As economic historian Mira Wilkins put it in a 1992 paper, 'Most industrial organization economists consider the brand name as highly important in sales to the final consumer. They take the view, however, that profit-motivated firms are wiser than individuals, so trade marks are not needed to convey information to producers.' Such thinking is going by the wayside as modern economists let go of long-held assumptions about perfect human rationality, and it would seem time for even the stodgiest B2B companies to start caring more about their brands. TSMC, in particular, has been embroiled in geopolitical intrigue that has put it in an unprecedented spotlight. The face that it presents to the world matters more than it ever has, and it's about time for TSMC to sunset its old wafer. The super-early-rate deadline for Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies Awards is Friday, July 25, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply today.
New York Times
02-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
U.S.A.I.D. Might Be Dead, but the Waste Is Alive and Well
The United States Agency for International Development no longer exists. As of July 1, what's left of it has been absorbed into the State Department. President Trump and Elon Musk dismissed the agency as wasteful spending. But on a reporting trip to West Africa, the columnist Nicholas Kristof found that by eliminating U.S.A.I.D., America has left lifesaving resources to deteriorate — with deadly consequences. Below is a transcript of an episode of 'The Opinions.' We recommend listening to it in its original form for the full effect. You can do so using the player above or on the NYT Audio app, Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube, iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts. The transcript has been lightly edited for length and clarity. Nicholas Kristof: I am Nicholas Kristof. I'm a columnist for The New York Times. This year I've been reporting a great deal on the cuts in American aid funding. U.S.A.I.D. has provided humanitarian assistance all over the world, and it's had an enormous impact. By one count, it saved more than three million lives each year, and then this year it was dismantled over a weekend by Elon Musk. You know, I keep thinking that Elon Musk and Donald Trump promised that they were rooting out waste in U.S.A.I.D., but instead what I see is that they created it. I am just back from Sierra Leone and Liberia in West Africa, and they are two countries where you see, as you walk through the villages and go to clinics and schools, the impact of U.S.A.I.D. cuts. You see kids dying. You see aid not being available. And in Sierra Leone, I just spent a morning in villages where kids were not getting the medicine they needed. I went to a warehouse behind a fence, and a security guard let me in, and I found millions of doses of medicines that had been donated to Sierra Leone. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
New York Times
23-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Iran's Retaliation Could Be Just the Beginning
By Nicholas Kristof Produced by Vishakha Darbha In this episode, the Times Opinion columnist Nick Kristof weighs in on the uncertainties following the United States' surprise bombing of Iran and Tehran's retaliation. 'President Trump thinks that this is going to be successful and worth it, but the enemy gets a vote as well,' Kristof cautions. (A full transcript of this audio essay will be available within 24 hours of publication in the audio player above.) Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@ This episode of 'The Opinions' was produced by Vishakha Darbha. It was edited by Alison Bruzek and Kaari Pitkin. Mixing by Sonia Herrero. Original music by Carole Sabouraud and Pat McCusker. Fact-checking by Mary Marge Locker and Kate Sinclair. Audience strategy by Kristina Samulewski and Shannon Busta. The director of Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser. The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We'd like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips. And here's our email: letters@ Follow the New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Bluesky, WhatsApp and Threads.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Yahoo
Opinion: Keep firing at the pornography industry
In a blistering column last week, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof exposed the cavalier attitude employees at porn companies have about videos featuring children. His reporting centered on the vilest form of evil afflicting this visual cancer on society, concluding that various 'tube' sites on the internet carry hundreds of thousands of videos with children as the main subjects. He interviewed a victim who, at age 15, had been unwittingly drugged at a stranger's house and sexually abused while being filmed. The resulting trauma she endured was staggering, as were her relentless efforts to have the images removed. 'I am sharing my story because I want there to be laws and safeguards in place to prevent this from happening to anyone else,' she told Kristof. Indeed, modern society owes her that for allowing such things to happen. Images of child pornography are illegal under federal law. And so it's encouraging to see Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, sponsoring the Interstate Obscenity Definition Act, which would establish a uniform definition of obscenity under the Communications Act of 1934 that would be enforced across state lines. The bill is meant to make it easier to protect children from being exposed to pornography, which is another side to the problem about which Kristof wrote. Any movement against this relentless monster should be seen as good. Confusion and unclear definitions 'have allowed extreme pornography to saturate American society and reach countless children,' Lee said in a statement. 'Our bill updates the legal definition of obscenity for the internet age so this content can be taken down and its peddlers prosecuted.' Whether the focus is on children who become exposed to pornography or those who become subjects of it, the concern is similar. Regularly viewing such things leads to a host of problems, and it is becoming endemic. An essay published on noted that the porn industry today generates more income each year than the revenues of the NFL, NBA and MLB combined. 'Every second, $3,075.64 is being spent on pornography,' it said. Studies have shown how pornography desensitizes viewers, leading to addictive behavior as they consume more in order to achieve the desired stimulus. A behavioral study published by the National Institutes of Health concluded, 'In all facets of the users' lives, negative consequences (from pornography) were seen. Due to the explosion of new technologies, online pornography has risen to an alarming level, which has very injurious effects on societies and individuals. Therefore, it is high time to get rid of this addiction to protect our lives from its harmful effects.' Two years ago, the Deseret News reported on a survey by Common Sense Media that found more than half of children had watched pornography online by age 13. Getting rid of it entirely runs headlong into First Amendment issues, but Congress can act to better protect children. Nine years ago, Utah lawmakers passed a resolution declaring pornography a public health hazard and calling for research, public education, prevention and policy changes. But Washington can do much more than any state to attack the problem. As the Deseret News reported, Lee's bill would amend the definition of obscenity to be more explicit and direct. It also would delete language in the current law that prohibits such content only if there is proof of 'abusing, threatening, or harassing a person.' Law enforcement would have more power to keep obscene content from being transmitted across state lines — a challenge in the internet age but an absolute necessity for effectiveness. Earlier this year, Lee also introduced the Shielding Children's Retinas from Egregious Exposure on the Net (SCREEN) Act. That would require strengthened age verification technology on pornography websites. Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, is a co-sponsor. Unfortunately, pornography has gained a foothold of acceptance in American culture. About 60% of men and 40% of women have viewed it, according to In addition, the website reports that 51% do not believe watching pornography is wrong. However, 84% of American adults say child pornography is morally wrong and should be illegal. Logically, it makes little sense to believe that celebrating an 18th birthday should automatically make such a thing proper entertainment, but that is a bigger battle. Meanwhile, we hope bills such as these can begin to put a dent in a growing industry that does tremendous harm to the most vulnerable among us.
New York Times
19-03-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Musk Said No One Has Died Since Aid Was Cut. That Isn't True.
By Nicholas Kristof Produced by Derek Arthur What does it look like when some of the world's richest men withdraw assistance for the world's poorest women and children? After Elon Musk claimed no one had died from cuts to American foreign aid spending, the Opinion writer Nicholas Kristof traveled to South Sudan to see the impact for himself. In this episode, he shares how millions of people now face death and starvation and why Americans — including those who believe in 'America First' — should care. Read Kristof's interactive essay with photos and charts at (A full transcript of this audio essay will be available within 24 hours of publication in the audio player above.) Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@ This episode of 'The Opinions' was produced by Derek Arthur. It was edited by Alison Bruzek and Annie-Rose Strasser. Mixing by Carole Sabouraud. Original music by Pat McCusker and Carole Sabouraud. Fact-checking by Mary Marge Locker and Kate Sinclair. Audience strategy by Kristina Samulewski and Shannon Busta. The director of Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser. The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We'd like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips. And here's our email: letters@ Follow the New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Bluesky, WhatsApp and Threads.
