# Jason Fried

> Jason Fried is the co-founder and CEO of 37signals, the bootstrapped software company behind Basecamp, HEY, and ONCE. A contrarian voice in tech, he has spent 25+ years arguing that smaller is smarter, calm beats hustle, and profitable beats funded. He co-wrote Rework - a Wall Street Journal and New York Times bestseller - and his TED Talk on why work doesn't happen at work has millions of views. Along with co-founder David Heinemeier Hansson, he has built one of the most influential (and deliberately small) software companies in history.

- **Role:** Co-founder and CEO at 37signals
- **Organizations:** 37signals, Basecamp, HEY, ONCE, Fizzy
- **From:** Illinois, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Finance (did not complete degree), University of Arizona
- **Known for:** Co-founded Basecamp, used by over 3 million accounts worldwide, Co-authored Rework, a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller, Co-authored Remote: Office Not Required, prescient argument for remote work years before COVID

## Career timeline

- **1996** — Built Audiofile, music-organizing software sold on AOL for $20
- **1999** — Co-founded 37signals web design consultancy in Chicago with Carlos Segura and Ernest Kim
- **2001** — Hired David Heinemeier Hansson (DHH) after a cold email offering PHP help
- **2003** — Team built an internal project management tool to solve their own workflow problems
- **2004** — Launched Basecamp publicly; DHH released Ruby on Rails as open source
- **2006** — Jeff Bezos acquired a minority stake in 37signals; launched Campfire chat tool
- **2006** — Published Getting Real (web book/PDF)
- **2007** — Launched Highrise CRM
- **2010** — Published Rework (co-authored with DHH) - NYT and WSJ bestseller; delivered TED Talk on work
- **2013** — Published Remote: Office Not Required (co-authored with DHH)
- **2014** — Rebranded company from 37signals to Basecamp Inc.
- **2018** — Published It Doesn't Have to Be Crazy at Work (co-authored with DHH)
- **2020** — Launched HEY email service; clashed with Apple over App Store policies
- **2021** — Controversial policy changes at Basecamp led to ~1/3 of staff resigning
- **2022** — Rebranded back to 37signals to reflect multi-product identity
- **2022** — Began cloud repatriation - moving from AWS to owned hardware
- **2023** — Cloud repatriation saved approximately $1M by September; launched ONCE software licensing model
- **2024** — Relaunched Campfire as self-hosted open-source software under ONCE
- **2025** — Launched Fizzy issue-tracking tool under ONCE model
- **2026** — Featured on Founders podcast and Every.to podcast discussing 26 years of product building

## Achievements

- Co-founded Basecamp, used by over 3 million accounts worldwide
- Co-authored Rework, a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller
- Co-authored Remote: Office Not Required, prescient argument for remote work years before COVID
- TED Talk 'Why Work Doesn't Happen at Work' has millions of views
- Built 37signals into a profitable, bootstrapped company with ~62 employees
- Attracted a minority investment from Jeff Bezos in 2006 while remaining independent
- Launched HEY email, sparking a public battle with Apple over App Store policies
- Cloud repatriation strategy saved 37signals ~$1M in its first year
- Co-championed Ruby on Rails open-source release through DHH, transforming web development
- Testified before U.S. Congress on big tech monopolies
- Inc. Magazine monthly column 'Get Real' for years
- Pioneered the 4-day summer workweek years before it became mainstream discourse

## Latest updates

- **2026-02** — Appeared on David Senra's Founders podcast for a 2h21m episode on building products
- **2026-02** — Featured on Every.to AI & I podcast discussing 26 years of building great products
- **2025-01** — Launched Fizzy, a new issue-tracking tool under the ONCE software model
- **2024-06** — Relaunched Campfire as self-hosted open-source software under ONCE licensing
- **2023-09** — Cloud repatriation from AWS reportedly saved ~$1M, widely publicized as a business case study

## Links

- Website: https://world.hey.com/jason
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-fried/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/jasonfried

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/jason-fried
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-04-28