From autonomous robotaxis, to blind box and nostalgia marketing here are 5 of the most innovative business moves and trends in 2025.

BY VICTORIA SALVES, EDITORIAL FELLOW

Illustration: Inc; Photo: Getty Images, Gap, POP MART

In an age where every industry is oversaturated by AI, innovation can seem stagnant, but some of 2025’s most notable innovations stand out precisely because they were intentional about the way they interact with their audiences. 

From Waymo’s autonomous robotaxis, to Labubu’s blind box strategy and big pharma’s weight loss wins, here are 5 of the most innovative business moves and trends in 2025: 

In a moment where nearly every industry is chasing automation, driverless cars could easily be dismissed as just another tech hype. And many are just that. But robotaxi company Waymo just passed a meaningful threshold on the road to true innovation. 

Every year, more than 40,000 Americans die in a traffic accident as a result of human error. Waymo’s data suggests a different future: its vehicles have 81 percent fewer injury-causing crashes than human drivers and have caused zero fatalities to date. 

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To be fair, Waymo still operates on a small scale. Originally Google’s self-driving car project in 2009, Waymo currently operates in Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles (although a unanimous decision by the city of Santa Monica has ordered Waymo to halt its noisy overnight operations at charging stations from 11pm to 6am after receiving complaints from nearby residents), Phoenix, and the San Francisco Bay Area. 

Recently, the autonomous robotaxi service ramped up its expansion efforts, announcing tests in five new cities—Miami, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Orlando—and plans to officially launch early next year. The company has also announced additional launches in several major cities slated for summer 2026. 

Although the cost of a Waymo ride is significantly higher than one with Uber or Lyft, it turns out that 70 percent of users who have experienced a ride with Waymo prefer a driverless vehicle over other rideshare or taxi options. 26.4 percent of users say they are willing to pay a premium for the added comfort of a private and driverless ride over forced social interactions with a human one. Waymo is also a considerable alternative for users concerned by reports of sexual assault occurances from other rideshare options. 

In a year consumed by political and economic uncertainty, emotional spending has been a defining consumer trend and a dominant force, behind 2025’s breakout product of the year: Pop Mart’s Labubu. 

The elflike vinyl and plush figurine became hugely popular this year, thanks to celebrity endorsements from the likes of Rihanna and David Beckham, TikTok-hype—and a “blind box” strategy that has been the secret marketing ingredient behind its explosive success. 

The formula is simple: Buyers don’t know which Labubu they have purchased until they open the box. Additionally, each series includes a secret Labubu with a 1 in 72 chance of being found. This fuels anticipation around drop dates both online and in-store, repeat purchases and a red-hot resale market—including one Labubu that sold at auction for $170,000. The boom has even created a wave of counterfeit “Lafufu”........

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