David Heinemeier Hansson (DHH) on the ‘Post-SaaS era' | E1856

Dec 1, 2023

David Heinemeier Hansson (DHH), Co-founder of Basecamp and creator of Ruby on Rails, discusses the future of SaaS, alternative cost structures, challenges of remote work, internal culture struggles at Basecamp, and the importance of branding and domain names for startups.

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Introduction

00:00 • 4min

The Shift from SaaS to Product Businesses

04:06 • 6min

Absurd Pricing and the Importance of Compliance for Software Sales

10:22 • 2min

The Importance of Branding and Domain Names for Startups

12:05 • 8min

Changing Cost Structure in Startups, Importance of Business Insurance, and Remote Work

20:02 • 2min

Opportunities and Challenges of Remote Work for Startups

22:02 • 6min

Order of Magnitude Advantage and Startups

28:13 • 6min

Constraints, Creativity, and Conservative Growth

34:23 • 26min

Creating Gods and Embracing Optimism

01:00:18 • 21min

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Today’s show:

DHH joins Jason to discuss a post-SaaS world and Once.com (2:29), the evolving landscape of remote work (21:31), navigating internal culture struggles at Basecamp (32:53), and much more!

Timestamps:

(0:00) DHH joins Jason

(2:29) David discusses his new SaaS alternative Once.com, which charges a one-time fee rather than a recurring subscription

(10:44) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://vanta.com/twist

(11:50) David's philosophy on copyrighting

(20:17) Embroker - Use code TWIST to get an extra 10% off insurance at https://Embroker.com/twist

(21:31) The evolving landscape of remote work

(31:46) Equinix - Join the Equinix Startup Program for up to $100K in credits and much more at https://equinixstartups.com

(32:53) The state of fundraising and DHH recounts Basecamp's internal culture struggles

(49:03) Should AI progress should be accelerated or slowed down?

(1:08:08) How willful exposure to hardship can build grit and resilience.

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Check out Once: https://once.com

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https://twitter.com/dhh

https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-heinemeier-hansson-374b18221/

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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis

Great 2023 interviews: Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland

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