Surgeon General, Miranda Kerr Speak at Final Day of Festival

The Wall Street Journal’s Future of Everything Festival entered its final day with a series of discussions featuring government officials, top executives, artists and entrepreneurs across healthcare, technology, retail and entertainment.

Access is complimentary for Journal subscribers. Here is a rundown of the day’s program and what to expect:

Surgeon General Vivek Murthy addressed Covid-19 vaccine patent waivers and the race between vaccines and virus variants.

Vivek Murthy says at The Future of Everything Festival he isn’t concerned that sharing intellectual property will dent incentives for manufacturers to develop vaccines during the next pandemic.

Dr. Murthy’s interview was followed by a discussion featuring the next generation of Crispr scientists, who outlined the possibilities of curing common diseases with gene-editing technology.

Next, Oscar-nominated composer Nicholas Britell explained how he created music for television and film, including “Succession” and “Moonlight.”

Rite Aid Corp.’s chief executive, Heyward Donigan, talked about the evolution of pharmacies, as they take on a larger role in administering Covid-19 vaccinations.

CEO Hayward Donigan says that pharmacists are trained to advise customers on homeopathic options and that the company is watching the cannabis market after expanding its offering to include CBD products, at The Future of Everything Festival.

The festival then features a series of interviews on the creator economy and virtual technologies. OnlyFans CEO Tim Stokely discussed the company’s rapid rise in the past year, as well as its approach to content moderation. Twitch’s CEO, Emmett Shear, spoke about keeping users coming back, being a part of Amazon.com Inc., and creating community standards for its sprawling platform.

CEO Tim Stokely says at The Future of Everything Festival that the company’s absence from the Apple platform has more to do with the way it pays creators than the adult content on its site.

Microsoft Corp.’s Alex Kipman showcased how virtual- and augmented-reality technologies could buoy remote work and team collaboration.

The day concludes with a set of retail and fashion discussions. Miranda Kerr, supermodel and founder of Kora Organics, delved into the future of the clean-beauty industry, as competitor Honest Co. , co-founded by actress Jessica Alba, made its public debut. Poshmark Inc. CEO Manish Chandra dissected its user growth in the pandemic and the future of sustainable e-commerce.

Wrapping up the day, Nordstrom Inc. CEO Erik Nordstrom spoke about what’s next for the department-store retailer, as it addresses changing consumer shopping habits and fashion trends emerging post-pandemic.