Even if you don't read the article, you should read this story[0] that it links to. Which explains the mindset behind the decision. It's only like 200 words.<p>[0]: <a href="http://renewablewealth.com/the-parable-of-the-mexican-fisherman/" rel="nofollow">http://renewablewealth.com/the-parable-of-the-mexican-fisher...</a>
I would love to work at a company like Basecamp. Are there any other companies like them?<p>- Less is more. Jason Fried is such a minimalist, <a href="https://www.inc.com/magazine/20091101/the-way-i-work-jason-fried-of-37signals.html" rel="nofollow">https://www.inc.com/magazine/20091101/the-way-i-work-jason-f...</a><p>- Few formal meetings.<p>- No full-time managers.<p>- In fact, just about everything in their books Getting Real, <a href="https://basecamp.com/books/getting-real" rel="nofollow">https://basecamp.com/books/getting-real</a>, and Rework.<p>They do things that I've always felt are right but could not well argue. They are the opposite of most companies in so many ways, especially big corporations.<p>If you haven't read their books, you might tell me, just work at a start-up. But you really have to go through Getting Real to see how much they differ from everyone else, even your typical start-up. The chapter about doing less than your competition is particularly devastating, different than even most start-ups.
Per the parable, there is a altered version in which the business man, sensing the fisher man is not open to ventures, strikes up a similar conversation with another fisherman who does agrees to expand fishing to better provide for his family and community.<p>As a result the original fisherman finds his fish stocks are sapped by the growing fisher man's venture, and, unable to afford a boat to go into deeper water, finds himself bankrupt and working for the businessman who would have been his partner.<p>The issue with that version is it ignores that you aren't just sitting on your hands but rather ensuring that your customers stay your customers. But it does beg the question - Are you growing to a better future or just improving the same day over and over?
I really like their approach but I want to comment on the Mexican Fisherman story.<p>Neither the fisherman nor the banker have it right. You see, the banker may be overly ambitious, but the fisherman is not taking precaution against future's uncertainty. You can be sure DHH has enough money and he doesn't need the headache of running a big business. The fisherman, on the other hand, may want to consider the day he cannot fish and not expect the seas to provide until his very last day.
It's insane how making a profit seems to considered "uncool" in the business world. Basecamp and particularly Jason Fried's writings (I realize this is particular article is by DHH) are super inspirational. I wish that building a solid, profitable business as opposed to being so focused on growth and finding more investors was more of the norm.<p>I want to work at Basecamp even more now, haha.
Controversial opinion incoming, but I've found their writings less valuable over time and see them more as opinions with an elitist tone. This is coming from someone who owns a copy of Rework and might just go over it again for it's unique quality of life advice.<p>Lately I've really noticed that you don't just get advice anymore, you also get a little bit of commentary on how the rest of the tech industry is dumb or insane or both because those fools are doing it the old way and we're doing it our own progressive and enlightened way that we figured out on our own after we sat down, put on our critical thinking caps, and tried something different, and lo and behold it worked.<p>This latest exercise stands out as particularly offensive because there really isn't any advice or wisdom worth sharing. They're just telling us that Basecamp had the best year ever and they don't feel like improving on it so they're not hiring at the moment. Correction, it's actually a hiring freeze. Same thing, except the phrase "hiring freeze" is normally used in the context of something bad. They're going to use it in a different context to, you know, get more claps on Medium. On top of all this they felt the need to do a little compare and contrast between what they're doing vs what the rest of those unenlightened fools in the tech industry are doing, i.e. reinvest profits into new ways to grow.<p>Whatever. There are plenty of businesses that are happy with where they're at and settle-in, Basecamp is different because they're a tech company and they feel the need to blog about it. As for those companies that are growing, well, I think it's perfectly fine to keep growing, just don't turn your company into the equivalent of foie gras.<p>It's just disappointing. I looked up to them, still kinda do, but this is just marketing spin designed to make something boring and innocuous look radical.
Congratulations. You've figured out how to make me want to apply to your company! In the same way that I will never stop wanting to move to Norway, since they don't want me, I will now forever desire to work for Basecamp... I am so easily manipulated.
The only thing novel here is the blogging/marketing. Lots of profitable companies don't hire when they don't need to - they don't brand it a "hiring freeze", blog about it and have strangers fawn over the concept.
It’s notable that Amazon, despite record growth, is also in a hiring freeze for nearly the entire Retail business. Leadership is also simplifying the management chain to reduce bureaucracy.
Just a question, I don't use Basecamp or similar products-- does Basecamp have competitors who are great at product and execution and who are pouring more resources and time and focus (like, where the team doesn't split their time between their product and a major OSS project like ROR) into their offerings? Is there no such competitor that has a better product that poses a threat to Basecamp's retention of users?
Amidst the craziness that is the startup battlefield, its always a breath of fresh air to hear from the Basecamp founders. I feel more people should take this realistic approach to starting and running companies, and stop putting their life's work on 17 red.
Anything larger than ~50 people and it becomes harder to maintain the company culture. Kudos to them for recognizing that they're happy where they're at.
Who will be the first to hack into this now unhireable fortress and get a job with them? They have just made getting hired there a quest for every rails developer in the world. Changing the hiring and recruiting process, turning it on its head.
sure, but how do the employees feel about it? what happens when support work balloons but you have the same amount of staff?<p>this is just an excuse to extract more profits coated in technofounderbabble.