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Jason Fried

Jason Fried
Hiring judgement In the end, judgment comes first. And that means hiring is a gut decision. As much science as people...
11 hours ago
3
11 hours ago
In the end, judgment comes first. And that means hiring is a gut decision. As much science as people want to try to pour into the hiring process, art always floats to the top. This is especially true when hiring at the executive level. The people who make the final calls — the...
Jason Fried
Making it happen vs. Letting it happen Make it happen! You hear it a lot. And it's generally good advice, of course. At least the 'happen'...
3 months ago
3
3 months ago
Make it happen! You hear it a lot. And it's generally good advice, of course. At least the 'happen' part. You definitely want things to happen. But often times, it's the 'make' part that gets confused for progress. You can push a ball uphill, but should you? Not only does it take...
Jason Fried
What's still here? Be curious about what's new, sure. That's expected. But it's more interesting to be curious about...
2 weeks ago
3
2 weeks ago
Be curious about what's new, sure. That's expected. But it's more interesting to be curious about what's old. 
What stood the test of time? What worked before and still works now? What survived through all the jabs that you assumed would knock it out, but didn't? That's worth...
Jason Fried
We increased conversion ~30% and we don't know exactly how Not too long ago, we dedicated a 6-week cycle to improving Basecamp's onboarding flows. The aim was...
2 weeks ago
2
2 weeks ago
Not too long ago, we dedicated a 6-week cycle to improving Basecamp's onboarding flows. The aim was to increase conversion from trial to paid by smoothing out the initial experience of getting going, doing a better job of quick-teaching the basics, and making a few things a...
Jason Fried
Governor Newsom: Please help Franklin fire victims I'm republishing this for a friend who doesn't have a reliable place to publish this online. It's a...
2 weeks ago
2
2 weeks ago
I'm republishing this for a friend who doesn't have a reliable place to publish this online. It's a letter she wrote and sent to a number of newspapers. Her family was a victim of the recent Franklin wildfire, and unlike other recent fires, the Franklin fire wasn't included in...
Jason Fried
Subjectivity in productivity Precision. Certainty. Specificity. Everyone wants to know exactly what and exactly when, and they...
4 weeks ago
2
4 weeks ago
Precision. Certainty. Specificity. Everyone wants to know exactly what and exactly when, and they want a statistic attached to corroborate it. But numbers are rarely answers — just as projects are rarely math problems. Where are we in this process exactly? How far along in this...
Jason Fried
High and Low Problems are often described by their size. "Hey, that's a big problem". Or "Eh, that's just a...
3 months ago
2
3 months ago
Problems are often described by their size. "Hey, that's a big problem". Or "Eh, that's just a little issue, no big deal." And if you do hear someone say “serious” you immediately think huge. It’s still about size. I sometimes still use those descriptors, but I'm trying to use...
Jason Fried
Sometimes it's better, sometimes it's worse Failure is a word worth eliminating from your vocabulary. There’s no reason to think about things...
7 months ago
1
7 months ago
Failure is a word worth eliminating from your vocabulary. There’s no reason to think about things that didn’t work out as failures. Yet, it’s especially pervasive in entrepreneurial circles. It’s almost as if failure has been fetishized. Nearly worshipped as a right of passage, a...
Jason Fried
Software defaults One of my favorite things about designing software is designing the defaults. The defaults define...
8 months ago
1
8 months ago
One of my favorite things about designing software is designing the defaults. The defaults define the experience for everyone out of the box. And, therefore, for most people in perpetuity. Convention over configuration rules the day. To me, everything it could possibly do is less...
Jason Fried
Avoiding pile-ups One of the reasons we work in six week cycles, is that it gives us a different definition of...
11 months ago
1
11 months ago
One of the reasons we work in six week cycles, is that it gives us a different definition of later. When you work on really long projects — say 3, 6, 9 month projects — or projects that don’t have any end in sight, “we can do that later” typically means you’ll get to it...
Jason Fried
Version 1 is for you A few weeks ago I was at our company meetup in Montreal, on stage in a big room in front of...
4 months ago
1
4 months ago
A few weeks ago I was at our company meetup in Montreal, on stage in a big room in front of everyone, sharing progress on two brand new products in development. We went one at a time. First Product 1 for a half hour, then Product 2. The lead designers for each product were...
Jason Fried
The Teenage Engineering TP-7 I finally picked up a Teenage Engineering TP-7. I've been experimenting with dictating random ideas...
4 months ago
1
4 months ago
I finally picked up a Teenage Engineering TP-7. I've been experimenting with dictating random ideas lately. And while the phone is typically more convenient, I wanted to have a separate recorder on my desk. The TP-7 is an absolutely charming piece of hardware. Reminds me of all...
Jason Fried
Don't have a biggest customer On X, Dinesh Kherajani asked: "How should you handle a customer who has outgrown your B2B SaaS...
4 months ago
1
4 months ago
On X, Dinesh Kherajani asked: "How should you handle a customer who has outgrown your B2B SaaS product? The customer has been using it for years, but has scaled up and no longer fits your ICP. This is one of your largest...
Jason Fried
Appetites instead of estimates The problem with software estimates is that they're both entirely right and entirely wrong. Yes...
4 months ago
1
4 months ago
The problem with software estimates is that they're both entirely right and entirely wrong. Yes there's a 3 week version of something. And a 6 week version. And a 4 month version. And a 12 month version. That's correct. Yet, you'll almost always be wrong whichever you pick....
Jason Fried
No assistant No I don't have an assistant. No I don't have anyone (or AI) reading or answering my emails or posts...
4 months ago
1
4 months ago
No I don't have an assistant. No I don't have anyone (or AI) reading or answering my emails or posts on my behalf. Yes, my email address is very public. Yes I get as many emails as you do, probably more. Yes I have time to get back to people who write me. Not instantly, but...
Jason Fried
Questions and Answers vs. Features and Benefits When making products, you can think of them as a collection of features or answers. Some people may...
5 months ago
1
5 months ago
When making products, you can think of them as a collection of features or answers. Some people may say "you mean features or benefits?" No, I mean answers. Answers are counterpoints to questions people have in their heads. Answers fill holes, answers snap into sockets. Benefits...
Jason Fried
A company is a language Companies are akin to complex languages, each with its own unique dialect and cultural...
5 months ago
1
5 months ago
Companies are akin to complex languages, each with its own unique dialect and cultural nuances. And I think this explains why it’s so hard for executives — especially executives — to come in from outside an organization and find their way. At lower levels within an...
Jason Fried
Achieving optionality It took me a while to fully realize the value of something my company achieved years ago, and...
7 months ago
1
7 months ago
It took me a while to fully realize the value of something my company achieved years ago, and continues to savor today. It’s one of our greatest quiet advantages, full stop. It’s not something you hear much about in business circles. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I...
Jason Fried
Directional decisions In the course of building products, you’ll make a thousand common decisions, but only a handful of...
7 months ago
1
7 months ago
In the course of building products, you’ll make a thousand common decisions, but only a handful of directional decisions. While a common decision may alter a specific feature, design, or implementation, a directional decision remaps the fundamental trajectory of the entire...
Jason Fried
Introducing Writebook You know, it's really easy to publish short form content on a variety of social platforms. And...
7 months ago
1
7 months ago
You know, it's really easy to publish short form content on a variety of social platforms. And individual blog posts on a number of other platforms. These are solved problems. But it's surprisingly challenging to publish books on the web in nice, cohesive, tight, easy-to-navigate...
Jason Fried
Thoughts on the search for life Just listened to Lex Fridman and Sara Walker talk about the origins of life, the search for life,...
8 months ago
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8 months ago
Just listened to Lex Fridman and Sara Walker talk about the origins of life, the search for life, what is life, etc. It was a wonderfully refreshing, nourishing conversation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwhTfyX9J34 It made me want to spill out some random thoughts on the...
Jason Fried
Lighten your grip I recently took up drumming. Again. One of the first things you realize, other than you suck, is...
8 months ago
1
8 months ago
I recently took up drumming. Again. One of the first things you realize, other than you suck, is that you’re gripping the sticks too hard. A tight grip denies certain degrees of freedom, limits subtlety, and ups the fatigue factor. Plus you give up the gift of bounce the drum...
Jason Fried
Separation In my experience, a key skill to develop is the ability to separate one thing from another. To...
9 months ago
1
9 months ago
In my experience, a key skill to develop is the ability to separate one thing from another. To prevent the small from becoming the all. Take a policy, for example. Could be a government, or a school, or a home owner’s association, or something at work. Whatever it is, you don’t...
Jason Fried
Why am I still doing this? I’ve been doing this for 25 years, so I’ll often be asked why I’m still in it and how I stay...
9 months ago
1
9 months ago
I’ve been doing this for 25 years, so I’ll often be asked why I’m still in it and how I stay motivated. It ain’t the money, as I’ve been fortunate enough to make more than I’ll ever be able to spend. I enjoy the work and we have a great crew, each a true pleasure to work with. I...
Jason Fried
Surface area vs. Depth in product design Some of the most rewarding features to add to products are ones that don’t increase surface area,...
10 months ago
1
10 months ago
Some of the most rewarding features to add to products are ones that don’t increase surface area, but increase depth. This is how you continue to make a product a whole lot better without it feeling like it got a whole lot bigger. Basecamp’s new References feature is a great...
Jason Fried
Motivation I can fake enough. I can fake a lot. But I’ve noticed there’s one thing in particular I can’t fake:...
10 months ago
1
10 months ago
I can fake enough. I can fake a lot. But I’ve noticed there’s one thing in particular I can’t fake: Motivation. And in the end, at least for me, it all comes down to motivation. I may have the talent, I may know the tricks, I may be able to go through the motions. But if I deeply...
Jason Fried
Hooks, towel bars, and software Strangely, a recent bathroom renovation crystalized my perspective on product development. When...
11 months ago
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11 months ago
Strangely, a recent bathroom renovation crystalized my perspective on product development. When being asked to choose between towel hooks or a towel bar, the choice was obvious: Hooks, of course. Hooks take up no space. Towel bars suck up space. Hooks hold towels no matter how...
Jason Fried
Do learn Imagine teaching guitar without putting an instrument in someone’s hands. Or teaching ceramics...
12 months ago
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12 months ago
Imagine teaching guitar without putting an instrument in someone’s hands. Or teaching ceramics without having people work with clay. Or teaching tennis without swinging the racket and hitting balls. I’m sure there’s some way to teach those things without doing those things, but...
Jason Fried
You couldn't know Have you ever been asked "What do you wish you knew then that you know now?" I have. And I hate...
a year ago
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a year ago
Have you ever been asked "What do you wish you knew then that you know now?" I have. And I hate the question. It's usually framed in a way that encourages you to pretend to place yourself in the nascent days of your career, or early adulthood. Back when you didn't know much,...
Jason Fried
Don't delegate your word As you build your business, you'll end up delegating plenty. Much of what you did before is now...
a year ago
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a year ago
As you build your business, you'll end up delegating plenty. Much of what you did before is now better done by someone else. To make more progress, you release your grip and allow. But there’s one thing you should hold tight and never let go. It’s the thing that should never be...
Jason Fried
Osmo Wiio: Communication usually fails, except by accident Osmo Wiio was a Finnish researcher of human communication. His laws of communication are the human...
10 months ago
1
10 months ago
Osmo Wiio was a Finnish researcher of human communication. His laws of communication are the human communications equivalent of Murphy’s Laws. Wiio's laws state... If communication can fail, it will. If a message can be understood in different ways, it will be understood in...