Lenny's Podcast · A better way to plan, build, and ship products | Ryan Singer (creator of “Shape Up")
App Masters · Do This If Your App Retention Sucks
David Senra · Jul 26DHH: How to Build a Profitable Company Without Losing Control
The first version took 380 hours, built by a $15 an hour contractor in Copenhagen. It has been rewritten three times with old versions kept running, and the 2004 version still makes millions in profit. Basecamp 5 was built with AI and the team cut features to protect ease of use.
Tips
- DHH distrusts unlimited time, money and people, so 37signals builds under tight constraints▶ 6:58By 2007 a team of seven was running Basecamp and launching about one new product a year, four major products in all.
- DHH keeps discontinued Basecamp versions running instead of forcing upgrades▶ 21:48The 2004 version still makes millions of dollars in profit, and Highrise, frozen, is still a multi-million dollar business.
- DHH treats many Basecamp customers like owners of a printer that should never change▶ 16:44A substantial share of the feedback on Basecamp 5 was about moved buttons.
- DHH's team cut features at the edge of shipping Basecamp 5 to keep it simple▶ 5:20Customer surveys show simplicity is the number one reason people keep choosing Basecamp.
