by Ethan Johnson
August 19, 2000

Will my subscription to Fast Company ever die? I've received numerous "death notices" (the last one I got sealed the deal for me to let my subscription lapse), but the proverbial beat goes on.

I told Mar recently that I liken Fast Company to the recording industry trade mag Mix, which I enjoyed once upon a time upon first reading, and eventually relegated to the ashbin of history. Only the difference is that Mix was guilty of basically writing ad copy for various equipment manufacturers and passing it off as "the latest recording industry news", whereas Fast Company basically relies on "new economy" flacks (and Tom Peters for good measure) to do most of the heavy lifting, which results in sidebar panels that read like a bloated resume that should be eyed warily by any HR denizen worth their salt. Is it good riddance yet?

Lest I should receive any flames for calling Jeff Bezos (CEO of Amazon.com) a "new economy" flack, howza 'bout reading a copy of Fast Company? Feeling any deep insight yet from the world's best and brightest up-and-comers? Or are you getting more out of a few strategically placed full-page advertisements?

Practicing what I'm preaching, I went to the heart of the action: the Fast Company web page, whereupon I found the following excerpt:

I recently spoke to a bunch of purchasing officers in New Orleans. I said, "If you're not ready to be enterprise- and industry-reinvention evangelists, then do yourself and everyone else a favor: Get out of your job. It used to be that whoever bought the biggest case of booze at Christmas would get the account the next year. No more."

I sent essentially the same message to the leaders of the American Medical Association and of the Anheuser-Busch Independent Wholesalers group. The same opportunity exists for them.

(Tom Peters)

Ah yes. Evangelists. Not doers! Not someone who plans their work and works their plan! Hell no! Why do anything of any real value when you can be an evangelist and compel others to do the dirty work?

My knee-jerk smartass reaction to the above excerpt was, "you mean that the biggest case of booze won't land the big accounts anymore? What the heck else does Anheuser-Busch have to offer, anyway?"

However, Fast Company at least grants some sort of contrarian viewpoint to be given one whole page (less space, when viewed online). To wit, on the same page referenced above:

The catchphrase "new economy" has been co-opted by consultants, contractors, and anybody else with an interest in touting the intangible. Along with stock prices, entire industries ( including Fast Company ) have sprouted up in response to this "new paradigm" of business that has come about through technological advances.

I don't buy it. And I get a kick out of watching everyone who does. At a time when most people are intensely focused on the future, I'm preoccupied with the past. Why? Because after a whopping 24 years on Earth, I'm ready to conclude that nothing really ever changes.

(Jonathan Hoenig)

Pow, right in the kisser. "Touting the intangible". There's that evangelism again.

Scarier still, consider this response posted by a reader who was blinded by the light that is Tom Peters:

Tom Peters' quote just became the impromptu theme of our three day company 'sales revolution' that begins tomorrow!!!

(Edited for sloppiness)

I can hear Peggy Hill's melodious tones now: "Bill, we're going to Nationals!

Is Fast Company all bad? No. Are there flashes of brilliance? Yes. Are the hefty volumes (this month: 400+ pages) deserving of the hours required to sift through reams of chaff in search of wheat? No.

So if the circulation manager (or is that Chief Circulation Evangelist?) is reading this, please discontinue your practice of sending renewal notices dripping with self-importance and frankly, corporate elitism. Your magazine IS available online, so I really see no point in home delivery anymore. Let my subscription die with dignity. What happens to my career is not the result of anything said or done by Fast Company. Once I realized that, your magazine ceased to serve any useful purpose. And in the spirit of the "new economy", I'm cutting costs to become more efficient (no more sifting through a ream of full-page ads looking for actual articles), more profitable (there's $20 back on the dinner table), and environmentally responsible (sheez, how many forests am I saving by saying "no" to your magazine?).

Maybe if enough people like me let their subscription lapse, Fast Company will one day be that lean and mean machine we've been hearing so much about. <EM>