Jason Fried
Jason Fried co-founded 37signals, the company behind Basecamp, HEY, and Fizzy, and writes books and essays about making useful products and running calmer businesses.
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Latest
Jason’s happenings, collected from public sources, plus their backstory and Starbook, where fans write.
Known for
Overview
- Work
- Entrepreneur, software designer, and author
- Started
- Co-founded 37signals as a web design firm in 1999
- Breakout
- Basecamp launched on February 5, 2004
- Books
- Co-author of Rework, Remote, and It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work
Mini bio
How it started.
Jason’s interest in design began with the annual reports that arrived for their stock-investor father. While studying finance at the University of Arizona, they made Audiofile to organize a music collection and sold it through AOL. Freelance web design followed, then the founding of 37signals with two partners in 1999.
The thing they needed.
Basecamp grew out of a practical problem: the design firm needed a clearer way to manage projects and keep clients involved. Clients liked the internal tool, so the team polished it into a product and launched it in 2004. About a year later, its revenue had overtaken web design, and the company turned to software full time.
Putting the lessons into words.
With David Heinemeier Hansson, Jason co-wrote Rework, Remote, and It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work. The books share lessons about starting a business, working away from an office, and reducing the distractions and exhaustion that can crowd out good work. Their ongoing essays bring that same attention to everyday design and company decisions.
Creditschronological, newest first
Books
- 2018It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at WorkCo-author with David Heinemeier Hansson
- 2013Remote: Office Not RequiredCo-author with David Heinemeier Hansson
- 2010ReworkCo-author with David Heinemeier Hansson
Awards
Quotes
At its best, marketing is a transfer of enthusiasm.Jason Fried, “Marketing is...”
An August 28, 2025 essay on sharing enthusiasm for what you make.
Trivia
- The first Audiofile payment Jason recalled receiving was a $20 bill mailed from Germany.
- Jason earned a finance degree from the University of Arizona in 1996.
- In a 2013 interview, Jason named Ethiopian and Moroccan food as favorite cuisines.
- Jason used an A. Lange & Söhne watch’s power-reserve indicator to explore how tiny design choices can change behavior.
Find Jason
Follow Jason’s notes on products, design, and the everyday work of running a company.
Are you Jason Fried?
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