David Heinemeier Hansson is the Founder and CTO of Basecamp, best-selling author of Rework and Remote, and creator of the popular web application framework Ruby on Rails.

David is rethinking what it means to build a company in the digital age. He and his co-founder rejected the typical startup narrative in favor of a more traditional approach to building a global business. For this reason, Basecamp has the size of a typical startup, the reach of a global firm and the profitability of a mature company. Much of that success stems from a philosophy that puts customers and employees first, focuses on the long term, and prioritizes remote work.

You will also learn:

how he met his co-founder Jason Fried

how a series of blog posts turned into a best-selling book

how we may be underestimating the potential of remote workers

why most business books probably do not apply to your organization

how meetings deter employees from getting work done

the lessons of the dot-com crash for building a sustainable company

why he advises startup founders to avoid venture funding and working in Silicon Valley

how important it is to work for all kinds of bosses, especially bad ones

why the best work environment might be one where you are slightly out of your depth

how the ancient philosophy of stoicism can inform decisions in the modern world

David also talks about the importance of living a good life today rather than some time in the future.

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Episode Links

Maverick

The 4-Hour Workweek

Stoicism