David Heinemeier Hansson

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 0037 - OCT 21, 2022

Leaving the Cloud

with David Heinemeier Hansson and Eron Nicholson

Cloud services have been used by tech companies for many years, but it’s not the only way. Hear why 37signals is making the decision to go in another direction.

Big Tech
SEASON 2 - EPISODE 0036 - SEP 27, 2022

Don't be a Hero

with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

You’ve been working on a thing for days, weeks, maybe months and you’re still nowhere near finishing. Our natural instinct is to say, “I’ve already put this much time and energy into it, might as well finish.” Well, most of the time this is wrong. You’re not getting that time back either way and...

REWORK Revisited
SEASON 2 - EPISODE 0035 - SEP 20, 2022

Quick Wins

with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

Building and maintaining momentum is one of the most underrated things you can do when building products. Keep moving forward by shipping work early and often. The longer something takes, the less likely it is you’ll finish it. At 37signals, we work in six-week cycles, but even six weeks is a long...

REWORK Revisited
SEASON 2 - EPISODE 0034 - SEP 13, 2022

Good Enough is Fine

with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

At 37signals, we tend to solve problems by finding a “judo solution.” The simplest, easiest, cheapest solution that gets you 90% of the way there. It doesn’t have to be perfect. It doesn’t have to be great. It just has to be good enough. Part of this is reframing and simplifying the problem itself....

REWORK Revisited
SEASON 2 - EPISODE 0033 - SEP 6, 2022

Meetings are Toxic (Season 2)

with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

Meetings are the worst type of interruption. A one-hour meeting with five people is actually five hours of productivity lost. They’re also horrible at conveying information. So, why do so many companies jump to meetings as the first option. Next time try writing something up, jumping on a a...

REWORK Revisited
SEASON 2 - EPISODE 0031 - JUN 21, 2022

Reasons to Quit

with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

Are you doing work that matters or are you just doing what you think you should be doing? Sinking too much time into something that you should have quit working on weeks ago is an easy trap to fall into. Avoid it by asking yourself some simple questions:

REWORK Revisited
SEASON 2 - EPISODE 0030 - MAY 31, 2022

Illusions of Agreement

with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

Simply describing your pitch can cause the illusion of agreement. Everyone may have a completely different idea of what you’re talking about. Try sketching it out, hum the melody you want to create, or, better yet, start building the thing. Removing these levels of abstraction ensures everyone is on...

REWORK Revisited
SEASON 2 - EPISODE 0029 - MAY 24, 2022

Launch Now

with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

If you had to launch your thing in just two weeks what would you cut out? Put off anything you don’t absolutely need for launch. You can always build that stuff later when you have more information. It’s best to just get it out there!

REWORK Revisited
SEASON 2 - EPISODE 0028 - MAY 10, 2022

Sell Your By-products (Season 2)

with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

Henry Ford turned wood scraps from Model T production into charcoal. That company is now called Kingsford and it’s the leading manufacturer of charcoal in America. 37signals was a small web design firm before it started selling the project management tool it made to communicate with clients. That’s...

REWORK Revisited
SEASON 2 - EPISODE 0027 - MAY 3, 2022

Tone is in Your Fingers

with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

Any photographer will tell you it doesn’t really matter what camera you use if you know how to take a good picture. So often, businesses obsess over getting a fancy office, the best software or breakroom snacks, when they really should be focusing on getting customers and making money. It doesn’t...

REWORK Revisited
SEASON 2 - EPISODE 0026 - APR 26, 2022

Focus on What Won't Change

with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

A lot of companies focus on chasing hot trends or new technology. That’s all fine and good, but the core of your business should be built around the things that people will always want. In the case of Basecamp, that means speed, simplicity, and great customer service. For a company like Amazon, it...

REWORK Revisited
SEASON 2 - EPISODE 0025 - APR 19, 2022

Throw Less at the Problem

with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

When things aren’t working, it’s human nature to throw more at the problem. More money, more people, more time. However, this usually ends up making the problem bigger. So, do less! Reframe the problem in such a way that it can be solved with fewer people, less money, and without endlessly pushing...

REWORK Revisited
SEASON 2 - EPISODE 0024 - APR 5, 2022

Be a Curator

with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

Everyone has more ideas than they can realistically fit in a product. A good museum doesn’t just throw everything in its collection up on the walls. There’s a curation process. Someone says, “no.” It’s in making these edits that the real product comes out, so embrace it!

REWORK Revisited
SEASON 2 - EPISODE 0023 - MAR 15, 2022

Making the Call is Making Progress

with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

It’s so easy to punt on something; to say, “let’s wait until we have enough information to make the perfect decision.” Perfect decisions don’t exist, putting things off makes them pile up, and you’ll end up getting absolutely nowhere. Very few decisions are set in stone. So, make calls as quickly as...

REWORK Revisited
SEASON 2 - EPISODE 0022 - MAR 8, 2022

Ignore the Details Early On

with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

It’s incredibly easy to focus too much on the little details of what you’re building. You can spend hours and hours on something that will rarely ship with the final product. And, details are important! But, early on is not the time to worry about them. Focus on the basics first and worry about the...

REWORK Revisited
SEASON 2 - EPISODE 0021 - MAR 1, 2022

Start at the Epicenter

with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

When starting something new, you can work on the stuff you could do, the stuff you want to do, and the stuff you have to do. It’s the stuff you have to do is where you should begin. To find that epicenter ask yourself, “if I took this one thing away, would what I’m selling still exist.”

REWORK Revisited
SEASON 2 - EPISODE 0019 - FEB 15, 2022

Embrace Constraints

with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

When you’re just starting off you’re going to be surrounded by constraints. You probably won’t have enough time to do everything you want to do. You probably don’t have enough people or money either. Don’t worry! These are good things! It’s when you’re boxed in that you’re forced to make tough...

REWORK Revisited
SEASON 2 - EPISODE 0018 - FEB 8, 2022

Less Mass

with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

Businesses can get weighed down by things like excess staff, countless meetings, long-term contracts, etc. The more mass they take on the harder it is change direction. Being able to change direction, to change your mind, is essential to building a successful company.

REWORK Revisited
SEASON 2 - EPISODE 0017 - FEB 1, 2022

Building to Flip is Building to Flop

with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

A lot of people start businesses with the hope that they’ll be able to sell it quickly for a huge pile of money. While this might happen sometimes, it’s extremely rare and even worse, the businesses created with this goal sacrifice so much just for the chance to sell. They sacrifice their customers,...

REWORK Revisited
SEASON 2 - EPISODE 0016 - DEC 21, 2021

Start a Business, Not a Startup

with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

Last episode of the year and we’re talking about startups. The new dry cleaner down the street doesn’t call itself a startup. The pizza place on the corner doesn’t call itself a startup. They’re new businesses, that’s all! So, what’s so special about your tech company that you need a fancy word for...

REWORK Revisited
SEASON 2 - EPISODE 0014 - DEC 7, 2021

Outside Money is Plan Z

with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

Taking outside money to start your business may seem like a good idea, but there are a ton of strings attached… You give up control. Cashing out becomes the #1 priority. It’s addictive. It’s usually a bad deal. Customers become less important than investors… You get the idea. Outside money should...

REWORK Revisited
SEASON 2 - EPISODE 0013 - NOV 30, 2021

Mission Statement Impossible

with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

Last episode we discussed how important it is to stand for something and you’d think writing your values down in a mission statement would be a great way to let people know exactly what you stand for. Well, you’d be wrong. Mission statements are almost always vapid, boring, platitudes that end up...

REWORK Revisited
SEASON 2 - EPISODE 0012 - NOV 23, 2021

Draw a Line in the Sand

with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

Whenever you start something, especially a business it’s important to know why you’re doing what you’re doing. Having strong opinions, standing for something, can help tremendously when it comes to making crucial decisions and creating super-fans.

REWORK Revisited
SEASON 2 - EPISODE 0011 - NOV 16, 2021

No Time is No Excuse

with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

“There’re just not enough hours in the day!” This is probably the most common excuse people give for not starting something. Well, guess what. There most definitely are a few hours you could probably squeeze in here and there. And, we’re not saying you have to quit your day job to do it!

REWORK Revisited
SEASON 2 - EPISODE 0010 - NOV 9, 2021

Start Making Something (Season 2)

with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

This week Jason and David discuss the essay titled “Start Making Something.” It’s only when you start building something the real insights come. Until then, all you have is just an idea. We also talk about Stanley Kubrick films and Jason introduces groundbreaking concepts like perforated pizza and...

REWORK Revisited
SEASON 2 - EPISODE 0009 - NOV 2, 2021

Scratch Your Own Itch

with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

Basecamp was originally designed as a way to manage 37signals’ client work and its success can be credited to the fact that it was designed to scratch a very specific itch by the people with that were itching. Now, we’re not saying that building something for others is necessarily a bad way to go...

REWORK Revisited
SEASON 2 - EPISODE 0007 - OCT 19, 2021

Enough with Entrepreneurs

with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

“Entrepreneur” sounds really fancy. Like a member of some exclusive club. But, what we’re really talking about is just someone who starts something. Is it time to retire this word? Is there a better word to replace it? Can a business podcast go 30 minutes without talking about Steve Jobs, luxury...

REWORK Revisited
SEASON 2 - EPISODE 0006 - OCT 12, 2021

Workaholism

with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

Working long hours, putting in overtime, logging on on the weekends, have become badges of honor, but there’s a big difference between work and getting stuff done. This week Jason and David push back against this idea of workaholism.

REWORK Revisited
SEASON 2 - BONUS EPISODE - JUL 27, 2021

Before Basecamp

with David Heinemeier Hansson and Jason Fried

REWORK is coming back for season 2 this September! In the meantime here’s a little bonus to tide you over. Back in the late 90s and early 2000s, during the dot com bubble, Basecamp co-founders, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson both had run-ins with venture-backed tech startups. These...

REWORK Revisited
EPISODE 0113 - MAR 9, 2021

HEY World

with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

Basecamp co-founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson talk about HEY World, a new feature of the HEY email service where customers can create a super simple blog. HEY World has no templates, no endless scroll, no ads, no trackers, and no JavaScript. It represents Basecamp’s attempt to create...

HEY
EPISODE 0107 - DEC 8, 2020

HEY for Work

with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

Basecamp is winding down a busy year with one more thing: the rollout of its HEY email service for the workplace. Co-founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson talk about privacy, marketing, onboarding, and the other considerations that went into making HEY for Work. They also reflect on the...

HEY
EPISODE 0099 - OCT 6,2020

Greetings from Mojito Island

with David Heinemeier Hansson

Basecamp co-founder and CTO David Heinemeier Hansson has been on a not-totally-intended sabbatical from both work and Twitter, and on an entirely intended break from living in the U.S. He checks in from Europe to talk about how he’s managing his time off as the boss, and what developments back at...

DHH and Jason Fried
BONUS EPISODE - AUG 4, 2020

The Email That Changed My Life

with Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson, Saya Hillman, Rick Cosgrove, Julie Wernau, Mike McGee, and others

Basecamp probably wouldn’t exist today if not for an email that David Heinemeier Hansson sent Jason Fried in 2001. That correspondence was the beginning of a partnership that produced Basecamp, several books, and most recently HEY, the company’s new email service. This episode is our love letter to...

EPISODE 0092 - JUL 21, 2020

Q and HEY, Part 2

with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

Basecamp co-founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson held a recent livestream session where they answered questions about HEY, the company’s new email service. You can listen to Part 1 or watch the entire livestream on YouTube.

HEY
EPISODE 0091 - JUL 14, 2020

Q and HEY, Part 1

with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson held a livestream session where they answered audience questions about HEY, Basecamp’s new email service. In Part One, they discuss feature requests, customer support, and plans for hiring. The full Q&A can be viewed on YouTube.

HEY
EPISODE 0087 - JUN 16, 2020

HEY, What's Going On?

with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

Basecamp has launched HEY, a new email platform with a strong point of view. It’s also one of the stupidest things Basecamp has ever attempted. Co-founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson talk about the philosophy around time, attention, and privacy that forms the backbone of HEY, why Inbox...

EPISODE 0083 - MAY 19, 2020

Winston Sat At His Computer

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
GOING REMOTE - MAR 25, 2020

Remote Work Q&A, Part 2

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

Remote Work Q&A, Part 1

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
BONUS EPISODE - FEB 20, 2020

Extreme Capitalism with Jason Calacanis

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 0069 - JAN 28, 2020

Mr. DHH Goes to Washington

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 0063 - DEC 3, 2019

Venture Capital and Control with Dave Teare

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
BONUS EPISODE - NOV 15, 2019

Breaking the Black Box

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 0059 - NOV 5, 2019

REWORK Mailbag 5

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 0054 - OCT 1, 2019

Open Source and Power with Matt Mullenweg

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

Heal the Internet

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
BONUS EPISODE - JUN 11, 2019

Open Source Beyond the Market

with David Heinemeier Hansson

This 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 Fried
EPISODE 0042 - MAY 21, 2019

REWORK Mailbag 4

with Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson, and Kristin Aardsma

Basecamp 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...

Mailbags
BONUS EPISODE - MAY 14, 2019

DHH on The Heartbeat Podcast

with David Heinemeier Hansson and Claire Lew

In 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...

EPISODE 0039 - APR 9, 2019

Subscription Hostages

with David Heinemeier Hansson, Laura Hazard Owen, Richard Holober, Jim Ewert, Pete Mortensen, and Jen Sabella

Raise 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 Support
BONUS EPISODE - MAR 19, 2019

Ruby on Rails

with David Heinemeier Hansson

In 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 Fried
BONUS EPISODE - JAN 22, 2019

Spark Joy with DHH

with David Heinemeier Hansson

Basecamp 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 Fun
BONUS EPISODE - DEC 21, 2018

100% Facebook-Free

with David Heinemeier Hansson

After 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 Tech
EPISODE 0029 - NOV 6, 2018

REWORK Mailbag 3

with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

It’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.

Mailbags
EPISODE 0019 - MAY 15, 2018

REWORK Mailbag 2

with Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson, and Alison Green

Basecamp 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...

Mailbags
EPISODE 0016 - MAR 20, 2018

How 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 Company
EPISODE 0015 - MAR 6, 2018

Please Don't Like This

with David Heinemeier Hansson, Kevin Bazzana, and Tara Mann

At 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 Hits
EPISODE 0010 - DEC 19, 2017

REWORK Mailbag 1 — Part 1

with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

This is the first of two episodes where Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson answer questions from our listeners. In this episode, they talk about the role of luck and timing in starting Basecamp; ass pricing (yes, you read that correctly); hiring in the early stages of a business; and more. If...

Mailbags
EPISODE 0005 - OCT 10, 2017

Take A Stand

with David Heinemeier Hansson, Steven Dyme, Robyn Lytle, and Michelle Lytle

Business and politics tend to make uneasy bedfellows, but in these divisive times, even businesses that have historically stayed out of hot-button issues are coming off the sidelines. In this episode: An online florist tells racists to shop elsewhere; Basecamp stops reimbursing employees for Uber...

EPISODE 0003 - SEPT 12, 2017

Pick A Fight (on Twitter)

with David Heinemeier Hansson

Basecamp CTO David Heinemeier Hansson is known for many things, including creating Ruby on Rails and writing business books. He also has a knack for arguing with people on the Internet. This cheerfully profane conversation explores how Twitter is like a virtual pillow to scream into and the role...

This is an episode title

00:00 / 00:00