Jason Fried

Co-Founder and CEO of 37signals, the company behind Basecamp and HEY. 37signals has been profitable for 24 consecutive years with ~100,000 paying customers, ~75 employees, and double-digit million dollar annual profits — without investors, a board, or plans to sell. Author (with David Heinemeier Hansson) of Rework, Remote, and It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work. Creator of Shape Up, the product development methodology used internally at 37signals and published free at basecamp.com/shapeup. Also launched ONCE (once.com) in 2023 — a product line of pay-once, self-hosted software starting with Campfire. Known for: contrarian bootstrapping philosophy, appetite-based (vs. estimate-based) planning, two-person product teams (1 designer + 1 programmer), “stay up” reframing, gut-driven decision-making, and “underdo your competition” positioning.

Episodes in this wiki

• Jason Fried on 37signals, Bootstrapping, and the Shape Up Methodology — Lenny’s Podcast