WNBA Named Top 5 Most Innovative Company For Some Reason

Fast Company just released its updated 2025 list of the "world's most innovative companies," and it has some, uh, interesting inclusions. 

At the top of the list is Waymo, the autonomous, self-driving car company that's become ubiquitous in some major cities. Sure, that makes sense. Number two is Nvidia, another understandable choice as one of the world's most valuable companies and a leader in chips and computing applications. 

Number three is Nu Bank, a Brazilian-based bank with unique credit card offerings. A little more specific, but a unicorn start-up that brings in more than $8 billion in revenue and more than $1 billion in net income. Sounds pretty innovative. 

Number four? 

Uh…the WNBA. The what now? 

That's correct, number four in Fast Company's most innovative company rankings is the WNBA. The company that's never once turned a profit in nearly 30 years of operation. What in the world?

Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever speaks during the Caitlin Clark #22 Jersey Retirement  Ceremony after the game between the USC Trojans and Iowa Hawkeyes on February 2, 2025 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. Photo: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Jasey Michelle Bradwell/NBAE via Getty Images)

WNBA Riding Caitlin Clark Popularity Doesn't Mean Innovation

The WNBA is currently riding a wave of popularity, with increased attendance and television ratings for specific games. The games that Caitlin Clark plays in. 

That's its big innovation, having arguably the biggest star the league has ever had fall into its lap. 

Clark is a unique draw for a sport that's struggled to draw much interest or sustain any momentum. And there's no doubt that she's helped bring the WNBA to a much wider audience and brought in a tremendous amount of new revenue. But there's nothing about her impact that's innovative on the part of the WNBA. 

In fact, the WNBA's response to Caitlin Clark, in general, has been antagonistic. Commentators around the league have either dismissed her impact or said she owes her success to players who came before her. 

Other players have purposefully gone after her in games, or in Angel Reese's case, taunted her. If anything, the WNBA has demonstrated something akin to anti-innovation. Not a great list there, Fast Company.