Long-Time Snacker, First-Time Caller
with Nikki SyliantengA curious snack food aficionado calls the home of Mr. Peanut.
We Love the Subs
with Jonas Downey, Joel Veitch, Ty Harper, Kerry Feuerman, and Mark LohmannIn 2004, fast food company Quiznos launched a national advertising campaign featuring animated rodent-like creatures screech-singing an ode to the chain’s toasted sub sandwiches. The TV commercials were instantly polarizing and lodged themselves in many viewers’ brains like a recurring fever dream....
Just For FunOpen Source Beyond the Market
with David Heinemeier HanssonThis is a lightly edited version of a keynote address Basecamp co-founder and CTO David Heinemeier Hansson delivered at RailsConf 2019 about “open source, markets, debts, purpose, and no less than the meaning of life.” David also sits down with Shaun to talk briefly about how he approached this...
DHH and Jason FriedHow Buffer Meets Up
with Carolyn KoppraschEven remote companies need actual face time every once in a while. That’s why Basecamp holds companywide, weeklong meet-ups in Chicago twice a year. Fellow remote tech company Buffer has 85 employees across the globe that get together once a year for an annual retreat, and they’ve visited countries...
Remote WorkJames Glazebrook at Support Driven Expo Europe 2019
with James GlazebrookIn April, Basecamp Support team member James Glazebrook gave a talk at Support Driven Expo Europe about Everyone On Support. It’s an all-hands program where Basecamp employees rotate through a day of working in customer service. James noticed the system—while well-intentioned—wasn’t working...
Customer SupportREWORK Mailbag 4
with Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson, and Kristin AardsmaBasecamp co-founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson are back in the studio to answer your questions. This edition of Mailbag includes topics like why big companies don’t use Basecamp; how they managed the transition from a web design agency to a product company; and what their business...
MailbagsDHH on The Heartbeat Podcast
with David Heinemeier Hansson and Claire LewIn our last episode, we talked to Claire Lew, the CEO of Know Your Team. She has her own show called The Heartbeat Podcast, where she talks to founders and leaders about management. This is her interview with Basecamp co-founder and CTO David Heinemeier Hansson. To listen to more of The Heartbeat...
KNOW YOUR TEAM
with Claire LewClaire Lew is the CEO of Know Your Team, a company dedicated to solving the problem of bad bosses. The company has its origins as a product developed within Basecamp and today is not just a software tool, but a deep vein of resources for managers of all experience levels. In this episode, Claire...
OFFICE SPACE
with Jason FriedWe’re introducing a new segment called Last Week with Jason Fried, where Basecamp’s CEO talks about a task or concern that recently fell on his plate. In this inaugural episode, Jason talks about how the end of the company’s lease on its Chicago office leaves him with a big decision on how to design...
Basecamp Behind the ScenesUnplugged from the Matrix
with Kenneth CoatsIn 2007, Kenneth Coats started a business helping Chicagoans expunge their arrest records so they could improve their job prospects. After a challenge from the Illinois Attorney General shut down that venture, Kenneth reinvented his business with an assist from a local clinic that provides free...
Small BusinessJob Scam
with Jeremy Daer and Shanae DykesWe’re introducing a new segment called Check-Ins, where we talk to folks at Basecamp about their answers to recurring questions that get asked of everyone here. Recently, Jeremy Daer on our Security, Infrastructure, and Performance team dealt with an incident where an Internet scammer was...
Subscription Hostages
with David Heinemeier Hansson, Laura Hazard Owen, Richard Holober, Jim Ewert, Pete Mortensen, and Jen SabellaRaise your hand if this sounds familiar: You sign up for a service or a product online. When you go to cancel, you discover the only way to stop the subscription is to write an email or—even worse, make an actual phone call. In this episode, we try to get to the bottom of why this consumer trap...
Customer SupportDid You Order the Code Red?
with Jim Mackenzie and Jeremy Daer“Passwords just aren’t cutting it online. It’s getting worse. We all feel it.” This is what Jeremy from Basecamp’s Security, Infrastructure, and Performance team wrote in a February blog post after dealing with a mass-login attack. Intruders with huge lists of login credentials—obtained in previous...
Basecamp Behind the Scenes, Running a Calm CompanyRuby on Rails
with David Heinemeier HanssonIn 2004, Basecamp CTO David Heinemeier Hansson released a framework called Ruby on Rails that has since been used by over 1.2 million web applications including Twitter, Airbnb, Hulu, and, of course, Basecamp. In this bonus episode of REWORK, David talks about creativity, finding a passion, and how...
DHH and Jason FriedHiring Is Not Hazing
with Aja HammerlyWhy are manhole covers round? How many golf balls can fit in a 747? Why are job interviews so terrible? In this episode, Aja Hammerly, a developer advocate at Google, talks about the drawbacks of common tech interview techniques like whiteboard coding and trivia questions, and shares her tips for...
Running a Calm CompanyRemote Work: Extreme Edition
with Kathrin MallotWe place a long-distance phone call to Antarctica to chat with Kathrin Mallot, an astrophysicist who works at the IceCube Neutrino Observatory in the South Pole. In this episode, Kathrin talks about preparing for a work assignment in a super remote part of the world; practicing self-care during the...
No Hard Feelings
with Liz Fosslien and Mollie West DuffyLiz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy are the co-authors of No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power of Embracing Emotions At Work. They come on REWORK to talk about how the future of work is emotional; why it’s useful to listen to feelings like envy; and how we can all take small steps toward a healthier...
Running a Calm CompanyReblog
with Jason Fried and Adam StoddardThe folks at Basecamp have been blogging since 1999, when Jason Fried would write by the light of a fire fueled by David Heinemeier Hansson’s savage indictments of the tech industry. A lot has changed since then (with the exception of DHH’s feelings about Silicon Valley). Basecamp’s blog, Signal v....
Basecamp Behind the ScenesSpark Joy with DHH
with David Heinemeier HanssonBasecamp co-founders David Heinemeier Hansson and Jason Fried are fans of Marie Kondo’s 2014 bestseller “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up,” which is back in the cultural zeitgeist thanks to her new Netflix show. In this bonus episode, DHH talks about how he’s applied the KonMari framework to...
Just For FunBig Integer
with David Heinemeier Hansson, Taylor Weibley, Kristin Aardsma, and Jeremy DaerOn Thursday, November 8, Basecamp 3 went down for almost five hours. It was the worst outage to hit the company in a decade and a stress test of Basecamp’s practices around internal communication, customer support, and calm work. Today’s episode goes inside the company on November 8 to see how the...
Basecamp Behind the Scenes, Running a Calm Company100% Facebook-Free
with David Heinemeier HanssonAfter yet another round of revelations about Facebook’s use of customer data, Basecamp has decided to become 100% Facebook-free. We’ve actually been off Facebook proper for a while, but on Wednesday we decided to remove the company from Instagram and WhatsApp as well. This is a conversation with...
Big TechRename
with Jeremy DaerOn the last episode of REWORK, we talked about the dangers of using violent language in a business context. We’ve had to grapple with other kinds of problematic language at Basecamp as well. In this mini bonus episode, Shaun talks to programmer Jeremy Daer about shedding harmful terms for database...
Happy Pacifists
with David Wood, Joshua Guble, and Elizabeth GrammBusiness rhetoric is rife with the language of war—there’s constant talk of conquering markets and dominating the competition. These tropes indicate a dangerous way of thinking that can have real consequences, intended or not, on human behavior. In this episode, two professors share their research...
Running a Calm CompanySometimes It's Crazy At Work
with Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson, and Adam StoddardIn October, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson released their new book, It Doesn’t Have to be Crazy at Work. The book featured their writing, as well as cover art and interior illustrations from a couple designers at Basecamp. The launch initially seemed like a great success—but then things...
Basecamp Behind the Scenes, Running a Calm CompanyThe Worst Performance Review
with Rachel Ernst and Conor MuirheadAnnual, semi-annual, quarterly, 360…no matter what form they take, performance reviews can be anxiety-inducing workplace rituals. In today’s episode, we talk to the head of HR at an HR software company (meta!) and a Basecamp designer about why helpful feedback is so difficult to give and receive—and...
REWORK Mailbag 3
with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier HanssonIt’s time for another episode where Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson answer your questions! In this one, they discuss how to apply calm company principles to client work and classrooms, and talk about healthy ways for business partners to disagree.
MailbagsThe Myth of the Overnight Sensation
with Bobby EdwardsBefore the viral unicorn poop video, before the appearances on Shark Tank and Dr. Oz and Howard Stern—Bobby Edwards was showing his invention at conventions and sending it to alternative health bloggers in hopes of getting coverage. The invention? Squatty Potty, a plastic stool that puts you in a...
Small BusinessIt Doesn't Have to be Crazy at Work — Part 2
with David Heinemeier HanssonThis is the second of a two-part interview with David Heinemeier Hansson about his and Jason Fried’s new book, It Doesn’t Have to be Crazy at Work. In this episode, David talks about taking a calm approach to writing and marketing the book. Also, Wailin gets him to say #blessed (kind of) and has...
DHH and Jason Fried, Running a Calm CompanyIt Doesn't Have to be Crazy at Work — Part 1
with David Heinemeier HanssonJason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson have a new book out called It Doesn’t Have to be Crazy at Work, which pushes back against the toxic culture of overwork and unhealthy ambitions that’s driving much of the modern workplace. In this episode, Wailin sits down with David to talk about the book’s...
DHH and Jason Fried, Running a Calm CompanyFarewell, Noah
with Noah LorangA lot of businesses start as side ventures or hobbies that grow into full-time pursuits. The trick is often in knowing when to quit a comfortable day job to start a new business. We sit down with one of our own at this crossroads. Noah Lorang headed Basecamp’s data team for the last eight years, and...
The Bean Machine
with Erika Hildnertaps mic Is this thing on? We’re back from sabbatical! In our first post-hiatus episode, Shaun heads to Denver to visit his sister, who left a catering job at a big restaurant chain to run a coffee shop out of a Volkswagen Bus that she bought on impulse off Craigslist. Erika Hildner shares what...
Small BusinessTake a Break
with Jason Fried, Adeline Koh, and Rachel WinardSmell ya later! Shaun and Wailin are taking off the month of August. Before they left, they interviewed three business owners about sabbaticals. In this episode: Adeline Koh of Sabbatical Beauty shares the story of how she ended up starting a business while on leave from a different job; Jason Fried...
Running a Calm CompanyOut in the Open
with Sarah ParkIn a bonus conversation with Sarah Park of MeetEdgar, she talks about making the company handbook public and why they have a policy of opening up meetings and conversations to everyone.
Temperature Check
with Jayne Ogilvie, Sarah Park, Patrick Filler, and Anitra St. HillaireOne of our colleagues on the Basecamp customer support team, Jayne Ogilvie, wanted to find out how other tech companies with remote staffs handle issues like communication, career development, and hiring. Jayne sent out a survey and got back a wealth of information and ideas about how other teams...
Go Behind the Scenes
with Jason Fried, Shannon McCann, Amy Emberling, and Frank CarolloA famous guy once said, “Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!” But he was a grifter. In fact, going behind the scenes—whether it’s a factory tour or cooking show—can be a valuable experience for both visitors and guides. In this episode, we crash a middle school field trip to the Method...
Small BusinessYou Need Less Than You Think
with Athina Wang, Florence Shin, Luke Saunders, and Adam HuberWho needs a fancy office when you can work out of a dingy food court? Who needs fancy equipment when you can buy what you need at Walmart? Who needs to hire an SEO specialist? What does an SEO specialist do, anyway? (A question for another episode, or maybe another podcast altogether.) On this...
Small BusinessBut Wait, There's More
with Peter Bieler, Andrew LaRowe, Carrie Jeske, and Rachel TipographDo you struggle with finding the right podcast? Are you tired of true crime shows and hosts trying to sell you a mattress? Introducing REWORK, a podcast that’s free of both murder and midroll ads. When you listen to this episode of REWORK, you’ll learn the fascinating history of infomercials and...
Just For FunREWORK Mailbag 2
with Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson, and Alison GreenBasecamp co-founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson answer listener questions about workplace communication and remote working. Alison Green of Ask A Manager, whom we featured in our previous episode, gives her advice on a couple of questions too. If you’d like to submit a question for...
MailbagsAsk A Manager
with Alison GreenWailin interviews Alison Green, the advice columnist whose Ask A Manager column offers friendly and practical guidance for all kinds of workplace dilemmas, from “How do I ask for a raise?” to “How can I get out of eating lunch with coworkers?” Alison talks about memorable letters, her community of...
Culturati Summit 2018
with Dean Carter and David SimasIn January, Wailin Wong interviewed Dean Carter, vice president of human resources and shared services at Patagonia, and David Simas, CEO of the Obama Foundation, at the Culturati Summit in Austin, Texas. They discussed the nature of citizenship, corporate activism, fostering inclusive workplaces,...
When Chris Met Mark
with Chris RuderChris Ruder, the CEO of Spikeball, shares a story about meeting Shark Tank investor Mark Cuban at a bar and committing a photo faux pas (a faux-to pas?), a year before he taped his Shark Tank appearance.
Life After Shark Tank
with Melissa Butler, Joe Moore, and Chris RuderThe ABC show Shark Tank is irresistible reality programming: Entrepreneurs pitch their businesses to a panel of famous investors and have the potential to make a life-changing deal. But as with any reality show, there’s much more to the Shark Tank experience than what gets shown on TV. We talk to...
Small BusinessHow to Say You're Sorry
with David Heinemeier Hansson, Susan McCarthy, Robin Geall, and Robert Rawlins“You know I try, but I don’t do too well with apologies,” Justin Bieber once sang. You’re not the only one with this problem, Justin! Why is saying sorry so difficult, especially for businesses? In this episode: A veteran tracker of apologies looks at what’s changed (and what hasn’t) in public...
Running a Calm CompanyUpdate: Please Don't Like This
with Jason FriedJason Fried talks about designing an alternative to Basecamp’s Applause feature that is subtle yet expressive, and distinct from the kinds of reactions and feedback mechanisms used on social media platforms. (If you missed our previous episode on the debate over the Applause feature, go back and...
Basecamp Behind the ScenesPlease Don't Like This
with David Heinemeier Hansson, Kevin Bazzana, and Tara MannAt Basecamp, we’re in the midst of a debate over an Applause feature that was designed to improve communication but might be stoking unwanted anxiety. In this episode, CTO David Heinemeier Hansson and iOS designer Tara Mann present different sides of the Applause debate and explore the ways behavior...
Basecamp Behind the Scenes, Greatest HitsDan Miller on Outsourcing
with Dan MillerDan Miller of Mulberrys Garment Care talks outsourcing, bootstrapping, and growing slowly in some leftover bits we couldn’t quite fit into episode 14.
Meetings Are Toxic
with Dan Kim and Dan MillerYou’ll laugh; you’ll cry; you’ll gnash your teeth in recognition as you hear the stories of horrible meetings we collected for this episode. Meetings are one of the worst kinds of workplace interruptions. They’re held too frequently, run too long, and involve more people than necessary. Also in this...
Running a Calm CompanyInterruption is Not Collaboration
with Thomas Fritz, Dave Shepherd, Noah Lorang, and Bryan MilesHey, are you busy? Can you listen to this real quick? It’s an episode about interruptions in the workplace. You’ll hear from academic researchers, Basecamp’s head data wrangler, and the CEO of a remote company about how they’ve tackled not just the disruptions themselves, but also the workplace...
Running a Calm CompanyJason Fried On To-Do Notifications
with Jason FriedSpecial bonus episode where Jason Fried discusses some of the thinking that goes into making a very small change to the to-do feature in Basecamp.
Don't Be Fake
with Elizabeth Gramm, Jenifer Daniels, Jess Lybeck, and Erin Hopmann KeckHey, are you crushing it? It seems like everyone is constantly crushing it in the business world. But maybe it would be better if we were honest about our flaws, talked like ourselves, and aimed to be genuine instead of super polished. In this episode: A Basecamp customer support representative...