Shopify Is Now the World's No. 3 Employer

Ads are awesome. Ignorance is expensive. And the American dream is alive on the wild web.

Today, Shopify ranks No. 3 on Forbes' list of the world's best employers, Kourtney Kardashian's Lemme is driving 40% of Ulta's wellness sales, and AI can now write acne prescriptions in Utah. Darkroom partner Oren John and Madvertising founder Carson Hoffman join us live to talk creative and how ads are getting consumerized. Here's what we're riding into at noon.

Streaming on YouTube, plus X ✶ LinkedIn

✶ 2026 WORLD'S BEST EMPLOYERS

Shopify ranks No. 3 on Forbes' World's Best Employers 2026, up from No. 14 last year. Microsoft is No. 1 for the third year running, Delta Air Lines holds No. 2, and Costco and Nvidia round out the top five (Forbes).

Forbes and Statista surveyed more than 300,000 employees in more than 50 countries at companies with over 1,000 workers. The final list has 900 companies, and none of them pay to be on it (Forbes). Shopify President Harley Finkelstein's reaction: "We help people chase the dream of entrepreneurship. Turns out it's one of the best jobs in the world 💚" (Harley Finkelstein on X).

✶ PRODUCTS & PLAYBOOKS

Kourtney Kardashian's Lemme is four years old, and it's already the No. 1 wellness brand at Ulta, nationwide at Target and Kroger, and in about 2,000 Walmart doors. It has 13,000+ affiliates and 53,000 creator videos. Every launch starts on Kourtney's feed, which has 200M+ followers. Then the team pushes the winners through retail, affiliates, and paid social (Fan Bi on X). It isn't all smooth: a class action filed in July says Lemme marketed its "GLP-1 Daily" capsules as a natural alternative to Ozempic and Wegovy (Rob Freund on X).

✶ HEALTH & AI

Nolla Health says it's the first organization in the US to get regulatory approval for an AI to issue initial prescriptions, not just refills (Luis Wenus on X). It's starting with acne in Utah. Adults 18+ scan their face in the Nolla Derm app, answer a short intake, and can get a prescription in about 10 to 15 minutes. The pilot costs $4.99 a month (Nolla Health).

✶ PRODUCT LAUNCH

Caraway's first powered appliance is a $495, 10-cup coffee maker. Only glass and stainless steel touch the water, and it's free of PFAS, lead, and cadmium. It took five years and 200 iterations, has more than 10 patents pending, and is sold only at CarawayHome.com and Crate & Barrel (PR Newswire). Founder Jordan Nathan has been sharing the launch update on LinkedIn.

✶ WATCH & REACT

Higgsfield calls Ads Studio "the first ROAS-driven static ads content machine." It says the tool does "10,000 hours worth of deep research of your brand," monitors trending formats in real time, and makes ads based on industry best practices. It's free to try in the Higgsfield ChatGPT extension (Higgsfield on X). The same day, Higgsfield claimed "every viral AI influencer was made on Higgsfield" (Higgsfield on X).

PARTNER, DARKROOM

Oren joined Darkroom as a partner this summer to lead its creative and creator teams (Lucas DiPietrantonio on X). He also created Cut 30, a course on short-form video, and has co-hosted Darkroom's creator villa at Cannes Lions (PR Newswire).

FOUNDER & CHIEF (M)AD OFFICER, MADVERTISING

Carson makes psychology-based static and out-of-home ads for DTC brands. He started his agency while still in college, graduated in 2024, and went full time (LinkedIn). His X bio: "I have a crippling ad addiction I share with the internet" (@carsonbhoffman).

Follow the guests: Oren John on LinkedIn ✶ Carson Hoffman on X

Daniel Berk asked 75,000 people to send him $1 each on X Money so he can buy a Tesla Cybertruck "and never get stuck in the Charleston floods ever again" (Daniel Berk on X). His wife doesn't think he can pull it off (Daniel Berk on X). Now there's a sponsor play: five logo spots on the truck, with bidding starting at $4,200.69 (Daniel Berk on X).

"I will tattoo your brands logo on me for only $500 (I am shameless)" (Cory Dobbin on X).

Marketing Brew asked Chain, Fishwife, and Chili's what works. One example: Fishwife's illustrated tote with Whole Foods was in stores only, for a limited time, and sold out in a week (Marketing Brew).

Carpenter designed a limited-edition Black Label bottle inspired by her album Man's Best Friend, with a "Sabrina blue" colorway and paw prints. It's priced like regular Black Label (The Spirits Business, SC Daily on X).

"Move over, bumper stickers." For about $300, HoloGlass turns your car window into a digital display for almost any video or message (Rich DeMuro on X).

Andrew describes Foxwell Founders as a group of top marketers and founders who are real friends, not just a networking list. You can find it at foxwellfounders.com (Andrew Foxwell on X).

If a free AI tool can do the job, a $60 package has to offer something more. It's worth asking which of your products are next in line (Polymarket on X).

"Why would I worry about missing a shot I haven't taken yet." Cole Jaczko says this Michael Jordan clip "completely removed anxiety from my life." His take: Jordan's real skill was being present, which helped him focus on what he could control (Cole Jaczko on X).

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