I design websites and mobile apps, play drums, and take photos.
Columbus, Ohio
Showing 6 posts tagged 37signals
“What this reveals more than anything is that Yahoo management doesn’t have a clue as to who’s actually productive and who’s not. In their blindness they’re reaching for the lowest form of control a manager can assert: Ensuring butts in seats for eight hours between 9-5 .”
No more remote work at Yahoo by David of 37signals
It’s no surprise that DHH has possibly the most scathing, yet insightful, critique of Yahoo!’s decision to eliminate telecommuting.
“I’m not interested in squeezing something so tight that I get every last drop. I don’t want, need, or care about every last drop. Those last drops usually don’t taste as good anyway. My thirst is usually well quenched far before that final drop.”
“We’re about being in business for the long haul and keeping the team together over the long haul. I would never trade a short-term burst for a long-term decline in morale. That happens a lot in the tech business: They burn people out and get someone else. I like the people who work here too much. I don’t want them to burn out. Lots of startups burn people out with 60, 70, 80 hours of work per week. They know that both the people or the company will flame out or be bought or whatever, and they don’t care, they just burn their resources. It’s like drilling for as much oil as you possibly can. You can look at people the same way.”
Jason Fried - 37signals Earns Millions Each Year. Its CEO’s Model? His Cleaning Lady | Fast Company
Jason Fried and 37signals consistently do the right thing. It’s been inspiring to watch their company grow over the last decade.
I have this radical idea I just can’t get out of my head.
What if someone started small and bootstrapped a web based service company without taking any outside investment, outside of maybe a loan from friends/family/credit cards? Then, once the company was truly profitable and had employees, the owner kept it and, as the company continued to grow, continued to own it. Could you build the next Instagram/Facebook/Tumblr/Pinterest/etc. without the constant drive for investment and eventual acquisition? Could your long-term strategy outlive the countless short-term strategies of your competitors with access to millions in investment funds?
Disclaimer: Yes, 37signals folks would say “duh, of course” to all these questions.
Recommended Reading:
“Pushing back means you already think you know. Asking questions means you want to know. Ask more questions.”
“Observing work take place is not the same as seeing work get done.”
