EPISODE 0085 - jun 2, 2020
with Andy Hunter
Andy Hunter launched Bookshop.org in January as a platform to help independent bookstores take and fulfill online orders. Shortly afterward, the pandemic forced small businesses to close their physical doors and Bookshop.org found itself trying to manage three years of growth in three months. Andy...
Big Tech,
Small Business
EPISODE 0084 - MAY 26, 2020
with Natalie Nagele, Akshaya Dinesh, and Andrew Tan
The pandemic has caused enormous job losses and forced many companies to rethink the nature of work. In this episode, two Stanford students talk about the online resource they built to help fellow students whose summer internships were canceled, and Wildbit CEO Natalie Nagele returns to Rework to...
EPISODE 0083 - MAY 19, 2020
with David Heinemeier Hansson
A growing number of companies have turned to employee surveillance software to monitor their newly remote workforce. Basecamp, which has taken a hardline stance against surveillance of all kinds, decided to ban makers of this “tattleware” from integrating with our products. Basecamp CTO David...
Privacy
EPISODE 0082 - MAY 12, 2020
with Selene Idell, Annie Scholl, and Megan George Cain
The government may not consider comic book shops, indoor plant stores, and small boutiques “essential,” but these businesses are vital to the unique fabric of their neighborhoods and downtowns. Without foot traffic, they’re finding new ways to connect with customers and stay afloat, all while...
Small Business
BONUS EPISODE - MAY 7, 2020
with Esther Lee
We call up our friend and former colleague Esther Lee, who lives with her husband on a 35-foot sailboat named Hope in Jacksonville, Florida. Esther, an “idealist in hiding,” talks about how living smaller gives her more space to turn outward and care for others, especially now.
EPISODE 0081 - MAY 5, 2020
with Nancy Mork, Shannon Merenstein, and Omowalle Casselle
Endless Zoom meetings, being cut off from friends, the widespread cancellation of summer fun, ricocheting between boredom and anxiety—kids have it pretty rough! And it’s no picnic for their parents, either. In this episode, businesses built on offering in-person enrichment for children talk about...
Small Business
BONUS EPISODE - APR 30, 2020
with Nathan Anderson and Joan Stewart
Basecampers Nathan Anderson and Joan Stewart talk about their love of baking bread and how to get started if you’re a newbie. As Joan says, you just have to believe.
Just For Fun
EPISODE 0080 - APR 28, 2020
with Jason Fried and Ryan Singer
CEO Jason Fried and Head of Strategy Ryan Singer talk about the Shape Up approach to product development that we use at Basecamp. They discuss organizing work in six-week cycles, how to handle disagreement, and how so much of the process boils down to making trade-offs. You can also watch the full...
Shape Up
GOING REMOTE - APR 23, 2020
with Andy Didorosi, Kristin Aardsma, John Williams, Andrea LaRowe, and Conor Muirhead
Several of Basecamp’s working parents talk about (not) getting things done with small children around, navigating responsibilities and feelings with partners, structuring the day, primal screaming, and more. You can also watch the full video replay of this Q&A session.
Remote Work
EPISODE 0079 - APR 21, 2020
with David Sax
David Sax is the author of the new book The Soul of an Entrepreneur: Work and Life Beyond the Startup Myth. He comes on the show to debunk the Silicon Valley narrative that only a rarefied subset of people can succeed as founders, and shares examples from his book of business owners whose complex...
Small Business
GOING REMOTE - APR 16, 2020
with Merissa Dawson and Chase Clemons
Going Remote is a series of bonus episodes where different Basecampers answer questions about how they do their work remotely. In this episode, Merissa Dawson and Chase Clemons answer questions about providing customer support, including how they talk to angry customers and how they onboard new team...
EPISODE 0078 - APR 14, 2020
with Aya Cook, Deborah Hirsch, and Chris Patton
Fitness studios, like many other businesses, had to scramble to change over from in-person to virtual operations almost overnight. In this episode, three business owners in the fitness and wellness industry share their stories of how they’ve pivoted and how they’re continuing to look after their...
Small Business
GOING REMOTE - APR 9, 2020
with Jonas Downey
We’re starting a new series of bonus episodes called Going Remote. We’ll have different Basecampers answer questions about how they do their work remotely. In this first episode, design lead Jonas Downey talks about how he and his team collaborate with each other, give feedback, and communicate with...
Remote Work
EPISODE 0077 - APR 7, 2020
with Wess Daniels
We’re back from hiatus! In this episode, we sit down with Quaker theologian and small business owner Wess Daniels, the author of the book Resisting Empire: The Book of Revelation as Resistance. He talks about the value of silence; reshaping systems of money and power; and building community during a...
Greatest Hits
GOING REMOTE - MAR 25, 2020
with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson
This is the second part of a two-hour live Q&A on remote work that Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson held last week. Part 2 covers questions about interruptions, mental health, hardware and software tools, and building culture as a remote company. You can find Part 1 on our feed in your...
Remote Work
GOING REMOTE - MAR 20, 2020
with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson
Earlier this week, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson held a live Q&A about remote work. We’re splitting the session into two episodes. Part 1 covers questions about video calls, brainstorming, setting priorities, and good management during a time of stressful transition. If you’d like to...
Remote Work
EPISODE 0076 - MAR 17, 2020
with Jason Fried
Basecamp is a remote company, so we’re less disrupted by the current pandemic than many other businesses, but we’re still taking steps to keep folks safe. Jason Fried talks about canceling the company’s April meetup and closing the Chicago office. Rework will be taking a few weeks off so we can get...
Basecamp Behind the Scenes,
Remote Work
EPISODE 0075 - MAR 10, 2020
with Emily Twarog
We at Basecamp love to preach the virtues of the 8-hour work day, but where did it come from? (Hint: Not from Henry Ford!) Labor historian Emily Twarog explains the origins of the 8-hour work day and why it was so short-lived in the U.S.
Running a Calm Company
EPISODE 0074 - MAR 3, 2020
with Irin Carmon and Jarred Lustgarten
Jarred Lustgarten left a Wall Street career to start a rug-cleaning business with $600 in borrowed money and a stack of flyers. A decade later, J.L. Carpet & Upholstery is profitable and Jarred has a very visible reminder on his hands of his commitment to his vocation.
Small Business
EPISODE 0073 - FEB 25, 2020
with Jane Yang, Jamis Buck, and Eileen Uchitelle
Basecamp the app is over 15 years old, which means Basecamp the company is responsible for safeguarding more than a decade’s worth of customer data—including 370 terabytes of data stored in non-active accounts. In this episode, Basecamp data analyst Jane Yang talks about a big, ongoing project at...
Privacy
BONUS EPISODE - FEB 20, 2020
with David Heinemeier Hansson and Jason Calacanis
Basecamp co-founder and CTO David Heinemeier Hansson sits down with entrepreneur and angel investor Jason Calacanis to debate the gig economy, democratic socialism, and whether the American dream is dead. The conversation in this episode is adapted from a longer interview that can be found in full...
DHH and Jason Fried
EPISODE 0072 - FEB 18, 2020
with Leslie Villasenor Marchel, Laura Barkat, Don Share, Lexi Kent-Monning, Matthew Vincent, and Troy Toman
Some of our most famous poets had day jobs: Robert Burns was a tax collector; William Carlos Williams was a doctor; Audre Lorde was a librarian and professor. Poetry has a lot to say about work and can serve as a meeting place, a provocative memo, or a break from the daily grind. In this episode, we...
Just For Fun
EPISODE 0071 - FEB 11, 2020
with Mert Iseri
Every year for the past decade, Mert Iseri has chosen a new skill to learn. This annual challenge has taken him from a magicians’ club to chess tournaments where he’s competed against eight-year-olds. In this episode, Mert talks about chasing the joy of being challenged just the right amount and...
Just For Fun
EPISODE 0070 - FEB 4, 2020
with Sahil Lavingia
Sahil Lavingia once believed his startup was headed for unicorn status, but his journey through Silicon Valley—the viral launch on Hacker News, $8 million in venture capital, the glowing press—led to a very different outcome. In this episode, Sahil reflects on life outside the literal and figurative...
Running a Calm Company
EPISODE 0069 - JAN 28, 2020
with David Heinemeier Hansson and Jane Yang
Basecamp co-founder and Chief Technology Officer David Heinemeier Hansson has been ranting on Twitter about monopolistic practices in Big Tech for a while, and he recently got an unexpected opportunity to air his grievances about Google, Apple, and Facebook in front of a congressional subcommittee....
Big Tech
EPISODE 0068 - JAN 21, 2020
with Jason Fried
Basecamp CEO Jason Fried is back in the studio with an update on the company’s Chicago headquarters. Basecamp will be leaving its office this summer after a 10-year run, and Jason is looking at a number of options—including a space that will bring him full circle with one of his original 37signals...
Basecamp Behind the Scenes,
Remote Work
EPISODE 0067 - JAN 14, 2020
with Matthew Vincent
Matthew Vincent, a member of Basecamp’s Ops team, spoke at Nomad City 2019 about life as a remote worker. Close your eyes and pretend you’re in the Canary Islands as you listen to this audio version of Matthew’s talk.
Remote Work
EPISODE 0066 - JAN 7, 2020
with Ashley Bowe and Karen Catlin
Welcome back! We’re kicking off the new year with an episode full of practical advice about onboarding new employees. Ashley Bowe from Basecamp’s customer support team talks about how they welcome and train new colleagues, and leadership coach Karen Catlin of Better Allies shares advice and examples...
Customer Support
EPISODE 0065 - DEC 17, 2019
with Gennie Gebhart, Caroline Haskins, Ryan Stanley, Marika Pfefferkorn, and Adam Dodge
In this anxious era of bullying, teen depression, and school shootings, tech companies are selling software to schools and parents that make big promises about keeping kids secure by monitoring what they say and write online. But these apps demand disturbing trade-offs in the name of safety. In this...
Privacy
EPISODE 0064 - DEC 10, 2019
with Mohammad A. Mahdi, Mohammad M. Mahdi, Anthony Duncan, and Natalie Nagele
Get out your Bunsen burner! It’s time to do some experiments. In this episode, we talk to two businesses that aren’t afraid to try new things. First, the three founders of The Mad Optimist, a soap company in Indiana, talk about letting customers choose what they pay for their products. Then Natalie...
Small Business
EPISODE 0063 - DEC 3, 2019
with David Heinemeier Hansson and Dave Teare
Dave Teare is the co-founder and official “heart and soul” of 1Password, which recently raised $200 million in its first round of venture capital. Basecamp is a longtime happy customer of 1Password and also a longtime critic of venture capital, so the funding announcement led to some back-and-forth...
DHH and Jason Fried
EPISODE 0062 - NOV 26, 2019
with Marty Santalucia
Workplace cultures in politics and tech share many similarities: Overwork is glorified; long hours are the norm; employees are expected to respond to communication instantly, no matter the day or time; and those that opt out are seen as lacking hustle or ceding ground to competitors. Marty...
Running a Calm Company
BONUS EPISODE - NOV 22, 2019
with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson
Basecamp has a long history of experimenting with “freemium” models and recently launched its most generous free plan yet: Basecamp Personal. Co-founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson talk about the debate and data analysis that went into the launch, what makes this a little scary, and...
Basecamp Behind the Scenes
EPISODE 0061 - NOV 19, 2019
with Blake Stoddard
Basecamp has cut back its reliance on Amazon and Google, but there’s one area where it’s tough to find alternatives to Big Tech: cloud services. Even so, there are ways to cut spending on this $3 million annual expense while keeping the company’s apps running smoothly. In this episode, Blake...
Basecamp Behind the Scenes,
Big Tech
BONUS EPISODE - NOV 15, 2019
with David Heinemeier Hansson, Ruha Benjamin, and Mara Zepeda
Basecamp co-founder David Heinemeier Hansson sparked a national controversy this week when he posted a series of livid tweets about how his wife received a much lower credit limit than he did on their Apple Cards, despite applying with the same financial information. What began as a rant against...
Greatest Hits
EPISODE 0060 - NOV 12, 2019
with Jason Meller
Between cameras, sensor-equipped ID badges, and keystroke-logging software, employers are keeping an ever-watchful eye on their workers, all in the name of security or increased productivity. Jason Meller has spent his career in computer security and witnessed what can happen when a corporation’s...
Privacy
EPISODE 0059 - NOV 5, 2019
with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson
Basecamp co-founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson answer listener questions in this short but jam-packed mailbag episode. Among other topics, they discuss whether they prefer reading physical books or the Kindle; talk about providing feedback to rejected job candidates; and imagine a...
Mailbags
EPISODE 0058 - OCT 29, 2019
with Lex Friedman and Justin Jackson
Basecamp has taken a clear stance against tracking on the web, so when we learned that our podcast hosting provider had introduced listener-targeted advertising, we decided to decamp to a different company. On today’s episode, Wailin talks to Lex Friedman, chief revenue officer of Rework’s old...
Basecamp Behind the Scenes,
Privacy
EPISODE 0057 - OCT 22, 2019
with Andy Didorosi
Basecamp’s new head of marketing, Andy Didorosi, talks about starting a bus company in his hometown of Detroit to help fill a gap in public transit; what he learned about building a business with a “buy one, give one” social mission; and why he left the company he founded to join Basecamp.
EPISODE 0056 - OCT 15, 2019
with Jason Fried
As part of a mini hiring boom at Basecamp this year, CEO Jason Fried went looking for a position that had never existed before at the company: head of marketing. Over a thousand people applied for the role. In this episode, Jason explains how he narrowed a very competitive pool of candidates to find...
EPISODE 0055 - OCT 8, 2019
with Danny Caine
In the spring of 2019, Danny Caine, the owner of the Raven Book Store in Lawrence, Kansas, overheard a customer saying she could buy a new hardcover online for $15. Danny took to Twitter to explain the economics of independent bookstores and the thread went viral, putting the 32-year-old small...
Big Tech,
Small Business
EPISODE 0054 - OCT 1, 2019
with David Heinemeier Hansson and Matt Mullenweg
Matt Mullenweg, the founding developer of WordPress and the founder of Automattic, joins Basecamp co-founder David Heinemeier Hansson for a spirited debate about tech monopolies, power in open-source communities, and how to be good stewards of the modern web that they helped build.
DHH and Jason Fried
EPISODE 0053 - SEPT 24, 2019
with David Heinemeier Hansson
In August, Basecamp ended its practice of using pixel trackers in emails. Co-founder and CTO David Heinemeier Hansson shares what prompted that decision, which is part of a larger discussion about how to push back against Big Tech anti-privacy policies and the impact of individual action on big...
Privacy
EPISODE 0052 - SEPT 17, 2019
with David Hieatt
“Dreams shouldn’t be sensible.” In 2011, David and Clare Hieatt launched Hiut Denim in a small Welsh town that had been home to a jeans factory for 40 years. The Hieatts saw an opportunity to restore those lost jobs—and to do it in a way that fit with their ideas about building a sustainable...
Small Business
EPISODE 0051 - SEPT 10, 2019
with Jason Fried and Adam Stoddard
Basecamp has a new website and a new logo. If this is the first you’re hearing about it, it’s because CEO Jason Fried opted out of the big rebranding announcement that many companies undertake. On this episode, Jason and marketing designer Adam Stoddard talk about what prompted the new look and the...
Basecamp Behind the Scenes
BONUS EPISODE - SEPT 5, 2019
with Jason Fried
On Tuesday, Basecamp CEO Jason Fried tweeted about some shady business involving Google Ads and search results. The tweet got a lot of attention, so we brought Jason on the show to talk about what got him so riled up over Google. No punches were pulled in the making of this episode!
Basecamp Behind the Scenes,
Big Tech
EPISODE 0050 - SEPT 3, 2019
with Ty Fujimura
We’re back from summer break! It’s time to get back to work, but it’s important not to overdo it. In this episode, Ty Fujimura, president of web design firm Cantilever, talks about how he escaped the Cult of Overwork; why it’s important to rethink the relationship between hours “worked” and actual...
Running a Calm Company
EPISODE 0049 - AUG 6, 2019
with Pam Daniels
Pam Daniels had an idea to make an everyday household item more useful and fun. When her first plan to get her product into the world fell through, she found a different path.
Small Business
EPISODE 0048 - JUL 23, 2019
with Ryan Singer, Conor Muirhead, and Jeff Hardy
Basecamp’s new book, Shape Up by Ryan Singer, explores the way designers and programmers at the company build and ship software. In this episode, Ryan, designer Conor Muirhead, and programmer Jeff Hardy go deep into Shape Up principles, talking about the parts of the process they find most useful...
Shape Up
EPISODE 0047 - JUL 23, 2019
with Ryan Singer
Basecamp’s head of strategy, Ryan Singer, sits down to discuss his new book, Shape Up: Stop Running in Circles and Ship Work that Matters. The book is a culmination of Ryan’s 15+ years working at Basecamp and explains how small teams of designers and programmers can ship great work in six-week...
Shape Up