Jason Fried
Co-founder and CEO of 37signals, makers of Basecamp and HEY; co-author of Rework, Remote and It Does Not Have to Be Crazy at Work.
Jason Fried did not write this page. ppll compiled it from their own words, each linked to the source. Is this you? · Report a mistake
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What they believe
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Free in-person events tend to have a high no-show rate, with far fewer people attending than the number who signed up or RSVP'd.
whenever you have a free IRL event, you tend to get a lot of no-shows. Plenty of people sign up and RSVP, but ultimately far fewer show up.
world.hey.comSaid 26 Aug 2026This on korrents
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How fast or hard a product was made says nothing about whether the product is good
The speed at which a product is developed doesn't inherently make the product better or worse. The number of commits doesn't make the product better or worse. The number of people or agents working on it doesn't make it better or worse.
world.hey.comSaid 24 Jul 2026This on korrents
The bold line is korrents’ wording; the quote is theirs. These 2: what they wrote before what they said aloud, one per source, newest first.
Feed
As its own page →Hiding
17 October
16 October
15 October
14 October
28 August
26 August
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Their words
whenever you have a free IRL event, you tend to get a lot of no-shows. Plenty of people sign up and RSVP, but ultimately far fewer show up.
24 July
From one piece Mistaking making for the thing you've made 2 beliefs · world.hey.com
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korrents.com
Confusing how something was made with what was made is confusing the kitchen for the mealTheir words
Mistaking making for the thing you've made is like confusing the kitchen for the meal or the blueprint for the building. They're connected, but they're not the same thing. One of them matters a whole lot more than the other.
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Their words
The speed at which a product is developed doesn't inherently make the product better or worse. The number of commits doesn't make the product better or worse. The number of people or agents working on it doesn't make it better or worse.
20 March
From one piece The bespoke software revolution? I'm not buying it. 3 beliefs · world.hey.com
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korrents.com
Giving people access to tools for building software does not make most of them software builders.Their words
Giving everyone access to software building tools doesn't mean everyone becomes a builder.
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korrents.com
Most people do not enjoy using computers and only tolerate them because they have no alternative.Their words
Most people don't like computers. Nobody in tech wants to say that out loud. People tolerate computers. They use them because they have to. Given the choice, most would rather not think about them at all.
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Their words
They don't hate technology. But building and maintaining their own critical systems isn't their wheelhouse, regardless of how much faster and easier it's become.
16 February
14 January
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Their words
Big flat toggle buttons under satisfying tension. Clear affordances. You push them down, not in. One click catches, one doesn't. You can use them with bare hands, oven mitts, fingers coated in slippery whatever. Doesn't matter. Plenty of surface area. Outstanding design. It's all been downhill from there.
6 January
5 January
3 December 2025
29 November 2025
18 November 2025
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Lovedrcmnd.app
Concept2 RowErgTheir words
The Concept2 RowErg is one of the highest quality products I've ever used. Had one for years now, feels like it'll last another 100.
13 October 2025
7 October 2025
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Their words
In some cases, design is what something looks like. In other cases, design is how something works. But the most interesting designs to me are when design changes your behavior. Even the smallest details can change how someone interacts with something.
25 September 2025
28 August 2025
Nothing matches.
Beliefs
Korrents What they believe 12 beliefs — each backed by an exact quote.
Each is a — compiled by korrents.com, not by them: the one-line wordings are korrents', the quotes are theirs.
Recent
Free in-person events tend to have a high no-show rate, with far fewer people attending than the number who signed up or RSVP'd.
whenever you have a free IRL event, you tend to get a lot of no-shows. Plenty of people sign up and RSVP, but ultimately far fewer show up.
$5300 in $100s Said 26 Aug 2026
How fast or hard a product was made says nothing about whether the product is good
The speed at which a product is developed doesn't inherently make the product better or worse. The number of commits doesn't make the product better or worse. The number of people or agents working on it doesn't make it better or worse.
Mistaking making for the thing you've made Said 24 Jul 2026
Confusing how something was made with what was made is confusing the kitchen for the meal
Mistaking making for the thing you've made is like confusing the kitchen for the meal or the blueprint for the building. They're connected, but they're not the same thing. One of them matters a whole lot more than the other.
Mistaking making for the thing you've made Said 24 Jul 2026
Show 9 more
Even as AI makes building software easy, people will still prefer to buy some software off-the-shelf rather than build their own.
They don't hate technology. But building and maintaining their own critical systems isn't their wheelhouse, regardless of how much faster and easier it's become.
The bespoke software revolution? I'm not buying it. Said 20 Mar 2026
Most people do not enjoy using computers and only tolerate them because they have no alternative.
Most people don't like computers. Nobody in tech wants to say that out loud. People tolerate computers. They use them because they have to. Given the choice, most would rather not think about them at all.
The bespoke software revolution? I'm not buying it. Said 20 Mar 2026
Giving people access to tools for building software does not make most of them software builders.
Giving everyone access to software building tools doesn't mean everyone becomes a builder.
The bespoke software revolution? I'm not buying it. Said 20 Mar 2026
The original Cuisinart, with its two paddle buttons and clear affordances, was peak interface design, and it has been downhill from there.
Big flat toggle buttons under satisfying tension. Clear affordances. You push them down, not in. One click catches, one doesn't. You can use them with bare hands, oven mitts, fingers coated in slippery whatever. Doesn't matter. Plenty of surface area. Outstanding design. It's all been downhill from there.
Great design was a Cuisinart Said 14 Jan 2026
The most interesting design is design that changes your behaviour, more than what something looks like or how it works.
In some cases, design is what something looks like. In other cases, design is how something works. But the most interesting designs to me are when design changes your behavior. Even the smallest details can change how someone interacts with something.
When design drives behavior Said 7 Oct 2025
Making something brand new gives you room to explore new design approaches; the gravity of an existing system bends you back towards conforming.
The gravity of existing decisions in current systems requires so much energy to reach escape velocity that you tend to conform rather than explore. Essentially you're bent back to where you started, rather than arcing out towards a new horizon.
Why new when? Said 8 May 2025
Build the product for yourself first: if it truly serves you, plenty of other people like you will want it too.
So that's the thing that's great about building something that you're going to use yourself, is that you have answers to questions that you might never actually be able to really truly get from somebody else.
Scratch Your Own Itch Said 2 Nov 2021
Design that looks good at the end of the day often does not look good the next morning.
Things that look good at the end of the day often don’t look good the next morning.
Morning tells the truth Said 1 Dec 2011
The end of the day convinces you your work is good; the next morning tells you the truth.
The end of the day has a way of convincing you what you’ve done is good. The next morning has a way of telling the you truth.
Morning tells the truth Said 1 Dec 2011
Beliefs others hold too
Build the product for yourself first: if it truly serves you, plenty of other people like you will want it too. 6 hold this
So that's the thing that's great about building something that you're going to use yourself, is that you have answers to questions that you might never actually be able to really truly get from somebody else.
Scratch Your Own Itch Said 2 Nov 2021
Even as AI makes building software easy, people will still prefer to buy some software off-the-shelf rather than build their own. 2 hold this
They don't hate technology. But building and maintaining their own critical systems isn't their wheelhouse, regardless of how much faster and easier it's become.
The bespoke software revolution? I'm not buying it. Said 20 Mar 2026
What is a korrent?
A korrent is a belief a person has stated in their own words: one sentence stating the claim, backed by a quote and a source, kept at korrents.com.
Under a name here, the quoted block is what they actually said. The korrent beneath it is the claim those words support, in korrents' wording — tap it to see the record, its source, and who else holds it.
Nobody here wrote their own korrents. They are compiled from public statements, and a person can change their mind, which is recorded too.
Recommends rcmnd
rcmnd What they recommend 9 things — each backed by an exact quote.
Compiled by rcmnd.app, not by them: the quotes are theirs, and each links to the post it was copied from.
Recent
Loved Concept2 RowErg
The Concept2 RowErg is one of the highest quality products I've ever used. Had one for years now, feels like it'll last another 100.
world.hey.com 18 Nov 2025
Uses Basecamp
Mostly: Basecamp, Highrise, Campfire, Backpack, Writeboard, Ta-da List, TextMate, Dropbox, Git, Safari/Firefox/Chrome, Propane, Terminal, Instapaper, Photoshop, Mail, Divvy, MobileMe, Transmit, Logbook (desktop client for the Backpack journal), Airfoil, iTunes, Keynote, 1Password, Pulsar (desktop client for Sirius radio).
usesthis.com 9 Sept 2010
their own
Uses Divvy
Mostly: Basecamp, Highrise, Campfire, Backpack, Writeboard, Ta-da List, TextMate, Dropbox, Git, Safari/Firefox/Chrome, Propane, Terminal, Instapaper, Photoshop, Mail, Divvy, MobileMe, Transmit, Logbook (desktop client for the Backpack journal), Airfoil, iTunes, Keynote, 1Password, Pulsar (desktop client for Sirius radio).
usesthis.com 9 Sept 2010
Show 6 more
Uses TextMate
Mostly: Basecamp, Highrise, Campfire, Backpack, Writeboard, Ta-da List, TextMate, Dropbox, Git, Safari/Firefox/Chrome, Propane, Terminal, Instapaper, Photoshop, Mail, Divvy, MobileMe, Transmit, Logbook (desktop client for the Backpack journal), Airfoil, iTunes, Keynote, 1Password, Pulsar (desktop client for Sirius radio).
usesthis.com 9 Sept 2010
Uses Aeron
Shure SE530s keeps everyone out of my head and an Aeron chair to keep my body comfortable.
usesthis.com 9 Sept 2010
Liked Shure SE530
Shure SE530s keeps everyone out of my head and an Aeron chair to keep my body comfortable.
usesthis.com 9 Sept 2010
Uses Fuji ScanSnap
You'll also find a Fuji ScanSnap on my desk and a paper shredder under my desk.
usesthis.com 9 Sept 2010
Uses iPad
I also use an iPad for drafting design ideas. I also use thick sharpie markers and big pieces of paper to sketch ideas.
usesthis.com 9 Sept 2010
Uses MacBook Pro
MacBook Pro, anti-glare high-rez screen w/ a 15" monitor. SSD drive to make it fastest.
usesthis.com 9 Sept 2010
Where they publish
Blog world.hey.com/jason Where he writes now.
Recent
- $5300 in $100s: The verdict 28 Aug 2026 Yesterday I wrote about a free event we were throwing which cost $100 to attend, but the full $100 was refunded at the door if you showed up. I said I'd share the results. Ok, so the event was this morning. It went incr…
- $5300 in $100s 26 Aug 2026 please. That's what we said at the bank this morning. See, whenever you have a free IRL event, you tend to get a lot of no-shows. Plenty of people sign up and RSVP, but ultimately far fewer show up. This isn't a big dea…
- Mistaking making for the thing you've made 24 Jul 2026 The speed at which a product is developed doesn't inherently make the product better or worse. The number of commits doesn't make the product better or worse. The number of people or agents working on it doesn't make it…
Show 17 more
- The bespoke software revolution? I'm not buying it. 20 Mar 2026 A bespoke software revolution? I don't buy it. It'll exist. It already exists. Small consultants and big consulting firms have made custom software for years. It almost always sucks. It’s bloated, confusing, and because…
- A new interview 16 Feb 2026 A few weeks ago I sat down with David Senra (of the outstanding Founders podcast) to record an interview for his new podcast. It just came out yesterday. We talked for about two-and-a-half hours and hit on all sorts of…
- Great design was a Cuisinart 14 Jan 2026 The original Cuisinart was peak interface/appliance design. Two perfect paddle buttons. One for ON that catches and stays down for continual operation. And one for PULSE/OFF that does exactly what it says. It doesn't st…
- The joy of delegating to competence 6 Jan 2026 AI workflows are technically impressive, but there’s a deeper reason people are really amped about AI agents. This isn’t just new tech, it’s new psychology. Until now, very few people have known what it feels like to de…
- The big regression 5 Jan 2026 My folks are in town visiting us for a couple months so we rented them a house nearby. It’s new construction. No one has lived in it yet. It’s amped up with state of the art systems. You know, the ones with touchscreens…
- Introducing Fizzy, our newest product 3 Dec 2025 Have you noticed that every issue and idea tracking tool you loved slowly morphed into boring, sluggish, corporate bloatware? Trello put on 40 pounds of cruft. Jira started charging by the migraine. Asana tried to becom…
- A beta is like inviting guests over 29 Nov 2025 There are plenty of opportunities to invite people to your product ahead of the formal launch. Alpha, beta, etc. My preference is only right at the end. Typically a week or two before we go live. When the product is in…
- Quality: The Concept2 RowErg 18 Nov 2025 The Concept2 RowErg is one of the highest quality products I've ever used. Had one for years now, feels like it'll last another 100. Simple construction, durable materials, low maintenance. Comically easy to assemble. T…
- The next product 13 Oct 2025 New products don’t need to be revolutionary, life-changing, or disruptive breakthroughs to succeed. Entire categories can roll downhill, gathering complexity as they go. Each product one-upping the next until more becom…
- When design drives behavior 7 Oct 2025 In some cases, design is what something looks like. In other cases, design is how something works. But the most interesting designs to me are when design changes your behavior. Even the smallest details can change how s…
- What to do with $2M? 25 Sept 2025 A young entrepreneur in his mid-20s just emailed me asking for some advice. He just sold a business and ended up with a couple million in liquid cash. He wanted to know if he should invest it, use it to build a new comp…
- Marketing is... 28 Aug 2025 At its best, marketing is a transfer of enthusiasm. When you're truly pumped about what you're doing, when you're truly driven by the vision, when you absolutely must make something that you need and want, your enthusia…
- An obligation to independence 21 Aug 2025 One of the great privileges of owning an independent company is that you get to try all sorts of stuff no one else would ever give you permission to do. And you get to greenlight other people's oddball ideas too. You ca…
- Knives and battleships 25 Jul 2025 From time to time we get criticized for making "yet another to-do list" product. Or a chat product. Or a messaging product. Or something we've kinda sorta already made before, just in a different form, combination, or a…
- A fly and luck 19 Jul 2025 There was a tiny fly right by the drain, and I was about to wash my hands. Turning on the water would have sent it right down the hole. A quick end, or an eventual struggled drowning, hard to know. But that would be tha…
- Years of evidence 4 Jun 2025 "Years of experience" has been a gold standard hiring requirement since forever. It's a terrible one. Someone can do something for years and have nothing to show for it. Seek people with "Years of evidence" instead. Peo…
- Turning back can be getting ahead 2 Jun 2025 When you encounter a simpler system, a simpler idea, or a simpler implementation, you have an opportunity. You can say "it's not enough, it doesn't have, it wouldn't work". That’s the common reflexive response. Or you c…
Link verified 4 Sept 2026. Recent items update automatically from the channel.
x.com @jasonfried His posting account.
Recent
- You go Carl! Great to have you on board. Let me know if I can ever be helpful. 17 Oct 2026
- Great Datograph movement macro from @hairspringwatch. 17 Oct 2026
- One of my favorite things about Phil Jackson was how he’d sometimes just sit on the bench and let his players figure things out instead of calling a timeout. I’ve always been inspired by that approach. 16 Oct 2026
Show 17 more
- You can like this. And this. Like More Things. What a day for cars! 16 Oct 2026
- This angle of the Mission S is just 😘 15 Oct 2026
- 928-inspired phone dial wheels? 15 Oct 2026
- Charlie gets it. You go Charlie! Thanks for using HEY. 15 Oct 2026
- Anna gets it. Welcome back Anna! So great to have you on board. 15 Oct 2026
- Since we started offering employee profit sharing in 2020, we've paid out over $24,000,000 to employees. We've never offered stock options. Not a fan of future maybe money. We pay real cash to real people so they can spend it on real things right now. When you choose to be our customer, you're making this possible. You're supporting an independent, fully customer-funded business that shares its success with the people who make it happen. You don't need investors, stock options, or complicated cap tables to share your success. You can just share the profits. It really can be that simple. If yo… 15 Oct 2026 basecamp.com
- California could sure use a good kick in the ass, and @SteveHiltonx seems like just the guy to kick it. 15 Oct 2026
- Fernando gives a great, relatable tour of how he and his wife are using Basecamp with an agent. Full agentic interactions back and forth, all within Basecamp. No terminal or external harness required, it all happens in Basecamp. 15 Oct 2026
- Hopefully with eyes on the road! 15 Oct 2026
- Better, better, and better. 15 Oct 2026
- Restore that historic bell tower, why don't cha?? 14 Oct 2026
- We just put up a huge gallery of sample projects you can run using Basecamp. It goes on and on and on... List, 2-up grid, or full bleed in all directions. Check it out, get inspired. "Oh shit, I never thought about using Basecamp for that". 14 Oct 2026 basecamp.com
- The official Grok @bot connector for Basecamp has launched! Thanks to the @bot team for getting this approved quickly so our drooling customers can get in there! Just jump into Grok Bot, click the Connect Apps button (or find it wherever it might be in your version), and search for Basecamp. Bam! (we've asked them to update the logo so it's the Basecamp logo not the 37signals logo, so your version may vary depending on when you see this) 14 Oct 2026
- Invest in yourself and end up getting it like Andrew. 14 Oct 2026
- Manuel gets it. He's living in the future. Are you? The HEY CLI + Grok (or any agent) is quite the power couple. 14 Oct 2026
- Close call, but Seun gets it! Thanks for sticking with us. 14 Oct 2026
- A great, real-world look at how Basecamp + Agents is a wonderfully unique fit for solopreneurs. Nailed it. 14 Oct 2026
Link verified 4 Sept 2026. Recent items update automatically from the channel.
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