Good morning. U.S. tech firms, significantly in software program, have dominated the 2025 Fortune Future 50 record.
Snowflake, a cloud-based information storage firm, takes the highest spot on the record launched this morning, adopted intently by information, analytics, and AI supplier Databricks. Each firms are fueled by the rise of AI in enterprise—their platforms allow organizations to unlock and activate their very own information as the inspiration for synthetic intelligence. Rounding out the highest 5 are Celonis, DataRobot, and Astera Labs.
Since 2017, Fortune has partnered with the consulting agency BCG to publish the Future 50, an annual index of world firms, each publicly traded and venture-backed personal companies, with the strongest prospects for above-average, long-term development. The record highlights prime scorers in “corporate vitality,” a measurable and manageable high quality that displays an organization’s innate capability to develop.
Snowflake shouldn’t be solely well-positioned for development but in addition getting ready for management modifications. Earlier this month, the corporate introduced that Brian Robins will grow to be CFO on Sept. 22, succeeding Mike Scarpelli, who’s retiring. Robins served as CFO of GitLab since 2020 and, earlier than that, held CFO roles at Sisense, Cylance, AlienVault, and Verisign, a Nasdaq-listed firm.
“Snowflake is at the center of the AI revolution,” Robins stated in a press release. He added, “I am thrilled to be a part of this hyper-growth phase.” Robins plans to assist the corporate scale effectively to attain its imaginative and prescient.
Sridhar Ramaswamy, CEO of Snowflake, echoed that sentiment: “Brian’s deep commitment to operational rigor and long-term high growth aligns perfectly with the strategic direction of Snowflake.”
Robins will likely be tasked with sustaining Snowflake’s momentum. For the quarter that ended July 31, the corporate reported earnings of 35 cents per share, practically double from the identical interval final yr. Income climbed 32% to $1.1 billion, surpassing estimates of $1.09 billion.
With a brand new finance chief, rising demand for AI-powered options, and continued income development, Snowflake is aiming to stay a dominant drive. View the whole Fortune Future 50 record right here.
Leaderboard
Joshua Reed was appointed CFO of Alkermes plc (Nasdaq: ALKS), efficient Sept. 15. Reed brings over 30 years of monetary management expertise. Most not too long ago, he served as CFO of Omega Therapeutics, a then publicly traded biotechnology firm. Earlier than that, Reed was the CFO at Aldeyra Therapeutics. Earlier in his profession, he spent greater than a decade at Bristol Myers Squibb, culminating in his position as VP and head of finance operations for the U.S. and Puerto Rico.
Travis T. Thomas, CFO of Ring Power, Inc. (NYSE American: REI), has resigned efficient instantly to pursue different alternatives. In response to the corporate’s announcement, his resignation was not the results of any disagreement between Ring Power and Thomas relating to monetary, operational, coverage, or governance issues. Rocky Kwon, presently VP of accounting, controller, and assistant treasurer, has been appointed interim CFO. The corporate has begun a seek for a everlasting alternative.
Massive Deal
People’ belief within the accountable use of AI has improved since Gallup started measuring the subject in 2023, in keeping with a newly launched report. This yr, a few third (31%) of People surveyed stated they belief companies to make use of AI responsibly—3% stated “a lot,” and 28% stated “somewhat.” In 2023, solely 21% expressed belief in companies’ use of AI.
Nonetheless, skepticism stays. Forty-one p.c of respondents this yr stated they don’t belief companies a lot in terms of utilizing AI responsibly, whereas 28% stated they don’t belief them in any respect.
The findings come from the most recent Bentley College–Gallup Enterprise in Society survey, primarily based on responses from 3,007 U.S. adults in a web-based ballot.
In response to Gallup, the problem companies face as they deploy AI is obvious: “They must not only demonstrate the technology’s benefits but also show, through transparent practices, that it will not come at the expense of workers or broader public trust.”
Courtesy of Gallup
Going deeper
“Unconscious Uncoupling: CFO Business Partnering 2025” is a report by Datarails primarily based on a survey of 240 U.S. heads of gross sales, advertising and marketing, HR, IT, customer support, and R&D departments relating to their relationships with CFOs. Though finance groups have advanced into strategic enterprise companions, practically all enterprise executives (97%) nonetheless view their finance chief’s major position as “limiting spending.”
General, 51% of executives ranked poor communication as their largest grievance within the relationship. IT executives reported having the strongest “business partner” relationship with the CFO’s workplace, in keeping with the survey.
“Without finance partnership, businesses will continue to lose significant opportunities to drive growth,” stated Didi Gurfinkel, CEO and co-founder of Datarails.
Overheard
“In the same way that every company became a technology company, I think that every company will become an AI company.”
—Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev informed David Rubenstein final week throughout an interview on Bloomberg Wealth.
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