At the very least, Miranda hopes the album resonates with fans of the film, which tells the story of a street gang making their way through New York City to their Coney Island home. “It’s a movie we know really well and [the album is] a love letter to that movie,” Miranda told the audience. “If you’re a fan of the movie, you’re going to be so happy.”

Taking a provocative stand

With less than 50 days to go until the U.S. presidential election, the current political landscape has been a recurrent theme of the festival. Even though immigration reform is sorely needed, it shouldn’t be political.

But world-renowned chef José Andrés says the mangled handling of immigration is a byproduct of a blue-red divide that is not actually serving the needs of Americans or the economy.

“I go to blue states and red states in emergencies, and you know what I realized?” Andrés asked the audience. “In the worst moments of humanity, the best of humanity shows up, and you will see people in a kitchen helping feed fellow Americans, not because they’re Republicans or Democrats, but they’re Americans helping Americans, people helping people.”

It’s likewise important to look beyond the “woke” wars that make headlines to what’s really happening inside of businesses, Elizabeth Gore, cofounder and president of Hello Alice, said during a panel discussion. “What you see on the news is not what you see on Main Street at all,” she told festivalgoers.

Speeding up vs. slowing down

The festival has highlighted how different innovators find inspiration—with some people invigorated by the latest technologies, while others prefer to slow down the pace.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, is very keen on artificial intelligence. In fact, he told festivalgoers that a collaborative AI tool—Copilot Pages, a new feature released by Microsoft earlier this week—has already become a part of his daily habit. “When innovation meets collaboration, the possibilities are boundless.”

While Nobel Laureate and biochemist Jennifer Doudna has been behind CRISPR, the groundbreaking gene-editing technology, her creativity really flows without technology. “I have always done my best thinking when I’m not sitting in the lab or at a desk, but when I’m frankly out in nature, or even just in my backyard pulling weeds in my garden,” she said.

Similarly, Miranda said he’s often struck by ideas that won’t leave him alone while walking the dog, taking a shower, or driving. “My best ideas come when I can’t write anything down.”

This post originally appeared at fastcompany.com
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