Volkswagen is the real April Fool

Happy April Fool's Day! One of the very few silver linings to the pandemic hitting last March was that it spared the planet another year of terrible branded April 1st jokes. But this year, they’re back. And Volkswagen kicked things off even earlier than expected. The German carmaker posted a press release on Monday saying that Volkswagen Group of America was changing its name to “Voltswagen of America” to underscore its belief that electric vehicles are the future.   Was this a premature April Fool's joke or an iconic brand submitting itself to thirsty trend-chasing? Or both? Either way, it's a whole lot of WTF. Read my story here.   — Jeff Beer Editor's Note: We're off on Friday, but will see you back here Monday afternoon.    Forget Voltswagen, Volkswagen is the real April Fool It’s not a joke. It is a joke. It’s not a joke. It is a joke. It’s not . . .   READ MORE   This couch will make you rethink how (and why) you buy furniture Floyd’s first sectional wants to follow you from an apartment to a house.   READ MORE   Your COVID-19 vaccine could be in the back of a van Texino’s outfitted camper vans bring COVID-19 testing and vaccines to you.   READ MORE   Hand dryers can spread ‘a cloud of fecal matter’ around bathrooms. Why are they still everywhere? The news gets worse: Paper towels are bad, too.   READ MORE

See the high-maintenance beauty routines of Westminster show dogs New York-based photographer Cait Oppermann proves that America’s top dog show is a serious affair–and even the dog knows it.   READ MORE       innovation by design Apply now for the 2021 Innovation by Design Awards The Innovation by Design Awards, now in their tenth year, honor the designers and businesses solving the problems of today and tomorrow. There are 37 categories, and the judges include renowned designers and business leaders from some of the most innovative companies in the world, as well as Fast Company’s own writers and editors.  APPLY NOW

Support strength in journalism Join Fast Company Premium for $1   You can update your details here. If you don’t want to receive Compass anymore, unsubscribe here. If you were forwarded Compass and like it, subscribe here. View this newsletter online. 7 World Trade Center, 29th Floor, New York, NY 10007-2195