REWORK

Not every decision deserves a long deliberation. In this episode, co-founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson look back on 25 years of running 37signals, the handful of decisions that were truly irreversible, and why keeping a loose grip on most business calls has served them better than any spreadsheet ever could. Key Takeaways 00:11 – The single one-way door decision at 37signals 05:49...

Fresh listener questions are on the table this week. Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson tackle whether small builders can realistically compete with industry heavyweights, what the AI agent wave actually means for the future of SaaS, and whether mixing your personal social presence with your business is a smart move or a mistake. Key Takeaways 00:11 – Competing in a market dominated by big p...

No prep, no filters, just questions. Host Kimberly Rhodes puts Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson on the spot with a fresh round of rapid fire questions covering everything from recent reads and AI discoveries to memorable customer service moments and what they've started or stopped doing to make work better. Key Takeaways 00:10 – Recent books worth reading 02:13 – Something surprisingl...

Showing off your product in real time, with real customers, changes everything. In this episode, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson walk through why 37signals has been hosting live demos and Q&A sessions since the Basecamp 5 launch, what makes the format work, and why being accessible and unafraid of your customers is underrated. Key Takeaways 00:10 – How (and why) 37signals is embracing...

Many entrepreneurs spend more time worrying about what could go wrong than actually finding out. In this episode, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson detail how 37signals approaches experimentation, why lowering the stakes on most decisions leads to better ones, and how letting go of outcomes is both a mental discipline and a business strategy. Key Takeaways 00:10 – Where the willingness to j...

Getting a new customer through the door is one thing, but making sure they understand how things work is another. In this episode, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson break down how (and why) 37signals redesigned the onboarding experience with their latest version of Basecamp, why onboarding is one of the easiest things to overlook, and what it looks like when founders stay personally connect...

Customer feedback is valuable, but not all of it deserves a spot on your to-do list. In this episode, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson revisit a chapter from their book REWORK, sharing how 37signals filters feedback, why roadmaps can do more harm than good, and what happens when companies let fear drive their product decisions. Key Takeaways 00:40 – Why writing down every customer request...

AI didn't just speed up the development of Basecamp 5, it changed how it was built. This week, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson break down how much of a role AI played in building their latest product, where it shines, and how 37signals had to adjust its process to keep their code base clean. Key Takeaways 00:11 – How much of a role AI played in building Basecamp 5 09:55 – Where the i...

Basecamp 5 is out in the world! In this episode, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson sit down with host Kimberly Rhodes to talk about some of the details of the launch and the big decisions that went into it. They discuss what went smoothly, what only a live rollout could reveal, and the response from current customers. Key Takeaways 00:34 – How this launch compared to previous Basecamp versi...

With the launch of Basecamp 5 approaching, 37signals co-founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson discuss what happens inside their company when it enters “launch mode.” They talk about temporarily shifting priorities, the difference between routine operations and launch periods, and why putting lower-priority tasks on hold is often necessary to make meaningful progress. Plus, Jason and Da...

Making it easy for customers to leave might sound like the wrong move, but it's actually a sign of confidence. This week, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson talk about why removing friction, especially on the way out, builds more trust. They get into cancellation flows, keeping customers by choice instead of pressure, and why people are more likely to share their positive experience whe...

Knowing when to stop is harder than it sounds. In this episode, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson talk about the moment when more work stops helping and starts getting in the way. They share how to recognize when something is done, why chasing perfection can do more harm than good, and how putting the pencil down at the right time leads to better results. Key Takeaways 00:11 – The "pen...

Opening things up changes how people use your product. In this episode, David Heinemeier Hansson walks through a new feature that makes Basecamp accessible to AI agents through a Command Line Interface (CLI). He shares how this update can lead to entirely new ways of working for those that are technically minded. Key Takeaways 00:10 – Redefining product accessibility 03:27 – Opening the door to AI...

Profit matters, but it’s not the whole story. In this episode, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson talk about building a company around independence instead of endless growth. They reflect on finding the right size for a business, keeping costs low to preserve freedom, and choosing a long, sustainable run over chasing scale at any cost. Key Takeaways 00:10 – Finding your “orbit” when you don’...

Not every decision comes from a spreadsheet. In this episode, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson talk about trusting your instincts when building something new. They share how experience sharpens those instincts over time, and how real products produce the feedback that actually moves things forward. Key Takeaways 00:11 – Letting your gut guide decisions 03:54 – Strengthening instincts throu...

Following up on an earlier conversation about AI , this episode shifts to the product side of the discussion. Host Kimberly Rhodes chats with 37signals CEO and co-founder Jason Fried about his daily AI use, what it's helped him do more efficiently, customer expectations, and how he's thinking about AI's role in future product updates. Key Takeaways 00:12 – Putting AI tools to work 0...

Connecting with customers is part of the job. In this episode, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson share why staying close to the people who use your product still matters, even as companies scale. They touch on writing customers directly, keeping the door open after the first reply, and why real conversations beat shouting into the social media void. Key Takeaways 00:11 – Writing customers f...

Sometimes speed matters more than polish. In this episode, the team shares how a HEY Calendar feature went from idea to shipped in about a day — and what made that possible. It’s a look at when moving quickly helps, when it doesn’t, and how writing clean code gives you room to change your mind later without breaking everything. Key Takeaways 00:11 – Shipping a new feature in roughly a day 03:14 –...

The confetti’s settled. The product is out in the world. So… what happens next? Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson share what the days after a launch actually look like at 37signals. They discuss not letting early numbers steer the ship, making space for rest after the push, and remembering that shipping is just the start, not the finish line. Key Takeaways 00:10 – What happens shortly after...

A fresh batch of listener questions leads this week's conversation. Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson talk through how they approach product walkthroughs, what's ahead for open code at 37signals, and why a little fun still belongs in serious software. Key Takeaways 00:22 – Recording product walkthroughs without scripts or polish 11:45 – Writebook as an open source product 15:04 –...

Coming up with a product name doesn’t have to be complicated. In this episode, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson share when in the development process a name is chosen, how several of their products got their names, and why keeping things simple usually wins. They talk about what's worth considering and what's not worth a second thought. Key Takeaways 00:10 – How Fizzy got its nam...

AI has moved fast, and so has 37signals’ thinking. This week, host Kimberly Rhodes talks to co-founder and CTO David Heinemeier Hansson about the progress AI has made over the last few months. David shares what’s changed, what’s actually useful now, and why his outlook has grown more optimistic. Key Takeaways 00:11 – How today’s AI feels dramatically more powerful 05:05 – David’s real-world experi...

Good ideas rarely belong in just one place. This week, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson share how 37signals lets concepts move freely across products, turning one solid idea into many useful ones. They talk about borrowing from the past without getting stuck in it, giving new concepts time to catch on, and keeping space for creativity as products evolve. Key Takeaways 00:11 – Letting stron...

Release day always looks smooth from the outside. Behind the scenes, there’s a lot packed into a short window. In this episode, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson share how 37signals approaches the final stretch of putting a product out into the world, using Fizzy as a recent example. They talk about narrowing features, resisting the urge to hype dates too early, and why steady word of mouth...

Open source has always played a big role at 37signals. This week, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson share why they’re drawn to working in the open, and how that mindset carries into their newest product, Fizzy. Key Takeaways 00:12 – Why open source continues to matter at 37signals 05:12 – Sharing work publicly pushes quality higher 09:55 – How open source fits into Fizzy’s SaaS setup 15:15...