REWORK Revisiting the good old days
33 snips
Oct 22, 2025 
Jason Fried, co-founder and CEO of Basecamp, dives into the evolution of his company's product strategy. He reflects on their past belief in focusing on a single product versus their current approach to expanding with multiple offerings. Jason highlights the importance of recognizing when a team is stretched too thin and the value of writing down ideas. He shares insights on nurturing existing products while considering new launches, emphasizing that understanding limits is crucial for sustainable growth.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Companies Move In Seasons
- Companies cycle between contraction and expansion, and both can be the right move at different times.
- Jason Fried says follow your feelings and the company's season to decide when to build or pare back.
From Contraction To New Products
- 37signals contracted to focus on one product, then later returned to building new products like Hay and Fizzy.
- Jason Fried describes getting an "itch" to make things again and embracing expansion once more.
Use Small Dedicated Teams
- Build small dedicated teams so multiple products can move forward without large staff increases.
- Jason Fried recommends one developer and one designer teams plus shared infrastructure to scale efficiently.
