REWORK

The hosts dive into how Basecamp was born out of a desire to resolve personal project management frustrations. They discuss the advantages of crafting products for oneself rather than for clients. A critique of the minimal viable product approach reveals its flaws, advocating for fully developed solutions. They stress the freedom that comes with creating based on personal vision, illustrated with anecdotes about client dependencies. Passion for product development takes center stage, inviting listeners to engage with their journey.

This discussion highlights the essence of pursuing meaningful work that resonates with personal values. It emphasizes that legacy doesn't mean changing the world; it's about altering your own universe. The hosts dive into the challenges of innovation in a market filled with derivative products, urging self-reflection on one's creative contributions. They also explore how disruptive technologies like Stripe and Shopify are reshaping businesses and consumer experiences, raising questions about the impact of tech on society.

"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 cars, and watches?Show Notes09:42 - Andon (Wikipedia)11:23 - Nürburgring 24 Hours (Wikipedia)17:14 - The E Myth Revisited - Micahael E. Gerber (Bookshop.org)20:51 - Monolith Titan Conical Espresso Grinder23:19 - Saddleback Leather23:34 - How to Knock Off a Saddleback Leather Co. Briefcase (YouTube)

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.Show Notes01:37 - Six-week cycles (Shape Up)02:46 - On Apple's monopoly power to destroy HEY (Signal v. Noise)09:10 - Oura Ring10:47 - Test-driven development (Wikipedia)12:50 - An Inside Look at Google's Best Employee Perks (Inc.)17:12 - Paid Time Off (Basecamp Employee Handbook)24:19 - Summer Hours (Basecamp Employee Handbook)

Basecamp has always prided itself on staying small and lean. But, with two major products, we're going to change that. The question when looking to grow, however, is "why?"Show Notes03:08 - Highrise03:09 - Campfire03:10 - Backpack07:18 - Software as a service (SaaS)09:41 - Slack: Getting Past Burnout, Busywork, and the Myth of Total Efficiency - Tom DeMarco13:33 - Hill Charts14:23 - Ryan Singer17:52 - Citizen Kane18:15 - "Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell." - Edward Abbey

People put too much stock in making long-term plans, but let's call them what they really are: guesses. On this episode we discuss deadlines, business plans, world domination, and Dungeons & Dragons.Show Notes01:06 - Dungeons & Dragons01:20 - Mind Flayer02:00 - Six-week cycles (Shape Up)05:54 - The meaning of a bet (Shape Up)07:23 - Shape Up08:32 - Setting the appetite (Shape Up)09:57 - "Plans are useless, but planning is indispensable." - Dwight D. Eisenhower12:29 - Carlos Segura - Segura, Inc.12:43 - S Corporations15:24 - The deal Jeff Bezos got on Basecamp (Signal v. Noise)16:51 - Blue Origin19:04 - “The reason that most of us are unhappy most of the time is that we set our goals—not for the person we’re going to be when we reach them—we set our goals for the person we are when we set them.” - Jim Coudal quoting Dan Gilbert (Creative Mornings Chicago)19:12 - Coudal Partners19:12 - Field Notes20:59 - Key Performance Indicator (KPI)21:01 - Objectives and Key Results (OKR)

"Fail early and often." You hear this all the time in the tech start-up world. Failure has long been held up as a badge of honor for new start-ups. This week Jason and David take on this idea and make a pitch for learning from your successes instead of your mistakes.Show Notes06:22 - Backpack06:29 - Highrise10:39 - Adobe Creative Cloud12:27 - Campfire12:31 - Slack16:28 - HEY for Domains18:16 - Work at Basecamp20:33 - Hire good writers (Getting Real)20:38 - Hire managers of one (Signal v. Noise)23:09 - Microsoft Project27:04 - Remote: Office Not Required

We continue our revisit of Rework with the essay, "Ignore the Real World." Topics include new ideas failing, risk avoidance, and Marvel movies.Show Notes09:13 - HEY16:49 - Black Widow19:54 - Ruby on Rails

In this episode we dive deep into the introduction and chapter 1 of Rework, The New Reality.Show Notes02:09 - It Doesn't Have to Be Crazy at Work02:14 - Remote: Office Not Required05:15 - Zoom05:35 - rework@37signals.com07:52 - JavaScript11:18 - HEY11:53 - Ruby on Rails12:37 - Shopify13:07 - GitHub13:07 - Airbnb13:08 - Twitch18:05 - Stripe Atlas18:37 - Squarespace20:50 - Upwork28:11 - FAANG30:50 - Bookshop.org

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 cofounders, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson both had run-ins with venture-backed tech startups. These experiences would form many of the ideas later published in Rework.Show Notes03:27 - Leo Burnett03:54 - Daily Rush04:03 - 37signals04:15 - Quokka (the animal)04:54 - The Around Alone11:38 - Basecamp18:18 - Ernest Kim18:18 - Carlos Segura19:12 - Copenhagen Business School19:40 - Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors by Michael Porter21:34 - Bitcoin21:34 - Ethereum21:34 - NFT22:34 - Skype22:35 - Zendesk22:39 - Ruby on Rails24:24 - Ammon Haggerty24:40 - Josh Ulm24:59 - John Johnson25:36 - An Oral History of Quokka, The Company That (Almost) Shook Up Sports - Sportico