REWORK Built on Trust
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Oct 8, 2025 
David Heinemeier Hansson, co-founder of 37signals and creator of Ruby on Rails, dives into the essential role of trust in organizations. He discusses how a culture of trust starts from hiring the right people and empowering them rather than imposing strict policies. David shares insights on trusting employees with spending freedom while maintaining accountability. He also highlights the unique challenges and benefits of remote work, emphasizing the need for trust in output over visible presence. A thoughtful exploration of a high-trust workplace!
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Trust Built From Hiring And Layered Controls
- Trust grows from hiring, culture, and years of experience rather than being purely granted at random.
- For critical customer data we still build multi-layered technical and human checks to limit risk.
Make Trust The Default For Routine Actions
- Default to trusting employees for everyday actions like creating or deleting items to remove friction.
- Use soft safety nets (e.g., 30-day trash) instead of heavy upfront permissions.
Books, $50 Approvals, And A Policy Choice
- David recalled needing manager approvals for $50 books and finding the process demeaning and wasteful.
- That experience shaped 37signals' policy to allow broad spending freedom for employees.
