Motional earned a spot on Fast Company’s eighth annual Best Workplaces for Innovators list, recognizing businesses that are creating cultures where innovation can thrive at every level.
The 2026 Best Workplaces for Innovators list recognizes 100 companies across industries such as entertainment, biotech, consumer packaged goods, marketing, education, and healthcare. To be considered, applicants detailed their investment in innovation, internal programs, and company culture. Fast Company’s editors evaluated each application and conducted extensive research to develop a score for each company. A distinguished panel of judges then reviewed the top-rated companies to determine the final honorees.
"Innovation at Motional is rooted in a culture where team members feel safe to explore bold new ideas, are fully empowered to shape AI solutions for transportation, and are passionate about improving the safety of our roads, ” says Laura Major, President and CEO at Motional. “Being recognized on Fast Company’s Best Workplaces for Innovators list is a testament to our team's relentless curiosity, collaborative spirit, and shared commitment to inventing the future of mobility."
Driven by a culture of innovation, Motional achieved key internal milestones in 2025, headlined by over 50 new patent filings through the Intellectual Property (IP) program. Motional’s annual cross-functional Innovation Challenge engaged teams across engineering, operations, and business to generate high-value, patentable ideas. Furthermore, Motional’s annual AI Summit convened 100+ machine learning engineers to accelerate the integration of cutting-edge AI across Motional’s core autonomy systems, enterprise tools and workflows to drive speed, agility, accuracy, and cost efficiency.
“The most innovative workplaces don’t simply ask their employees to come up with great ideas; they create the conditions that make great ideas possible,” says Brendan Vaughan, editor-in-chief of Fast Company. “This year’s honorees understand that innovation is ultimately a cultural commitment that requires empowering people to think differently, take risks, and turn ideas into actions. We’re proud to recognize the companies and executives who are leading by example.”
The full list of honorees is available at https://www.fastcompany.com/best-workplaces-for-innovators/list.
