Today, February 5th, 2014, Basecamp turns 10. What an amazing ride it’s been. And since nearly all our business comes from word-of-mouth, we owe it all to our customers. We are so thankful for what you’ve helped us build.
And on this special day, we have a couple very big announcements that will define the future of our company. Click that link to find out what they are.
These are exciting times. Fifteen years into our business, we are so grateful for everyone’s support. It’s been such a blast. We’re looking forward to seeing what we can do together for the next fifteen.
Thanks for everything, everyone. Here’s to what’s next.
Bonus link: The original blog post in 2004 that launched Basecamp.
Brade
on 05 Feb 14Sounds like you all agreed that Basecamp is the signal and the rest was noise.
Michael
on 05 Feb 14Taking a page out of “Blackberry”’s playbook, eh? ;)
Kidding. As a Basecamp customer and someone who has gotten cynical about traditional CRM like Highrise (and suspects Jason feels similarly), I like this plan. Good luck.
Rahul
on 05 Feb 14Congrats guys!
Joe
on 05 Feb 14Great stuff. As someone who did project management / ops for a large co and now work for a startup, the steady growth & vision of both 37 & Basecamp is really nice to see and inspiring for me. You gals & guys are doing good work and will no doubt continue to be successful.
Andrew
on 05 Feb 14You’ve mentioned a few times in recent interviews that ‘maybe we’ll never have another successful idea’....so I guess you’re officially going down that avenue today.
Also – seems to me that today is the day you’re structuring the company to be sold in the near term.
Jason Fried
on 05 Feb 14Nice try Andrew.
Andrew
on 05 Feb 14ha! Just read your Inc interview and looks clearer to me now.
R.Bhavesh
on 06 Feb 14The new basecamp.com looks awesome and is a great example for everyone. Would there be a Design+UX process post coming up on SVN?
GeeIWonder
on 06 Feb 14This is beginning to sound like an Abott and Costello skit
So basecamp became basecamp classic. So what was transitionally called ‘all new basecamp’ at launch in 2012 is now basecamp since it’s not so new anymore. And now you guys are basecamp,
So is basecamp has therefore been around for 2yrs old or 10yrs old or is this a new company or the same company with the new name or the same people but a different company.
I think you’re taking Sun Tzu’s formless quote a little too literally.
Anyhow, surely the spinning off should’ve happened first. It might not have led to optimum yield, but if the announcement HAD to be on the anniversary then you could’ve borne that cost. I can just imagine the fun someone using a former 37signals product is going to have when getting support and realizing they’re not dealing with ‘basecamp’ even though the product they are using is not basecamp.
And how does this name change alter the fundamental problem that you folks are easily distracted and want to write books and post pictures of sunsets or race cars and talk about design and develop all-new products or all-new versions of existing products because, basically, what’s new is more fun.
Markus
on 06 Feb 14Congratulation 37signals :-) What a great and inspiring story!
I look forward to what happens with Basecamp.
Being an excessive user of all your products (37signals suite) since many years, i’m really concerned about what happens to your other products, especially Highrise.
I payed some money to 37signals for using all those products and I really do not see a good reason why you should not leave the products on your own, working as always although not being developed.
From a strategic point of view I do not think it is the best choice to concentrate on a single product. The need for “making collaboration easy and enjoyable” is a much more sustainable thing than fully concentrate on a single product. Another point for at least keep the old products in your own hands. But hey…who am I to tell you something about strategy? I benefited so much from your company, your books, your thoughts and philosophy. You are always an inspiration, also in this moment when surprising me again, although it doesn’t give me the 100 % birthday feeling :-)
What you write about the future of your other products that I use seems to be a little bit ego-driven for me. Sure I like the fact that you really make decisions. I thought you are a company that surprises AND really loves customers (for example introducing the new Basecamp and still kept access to old Basecamp). Balance is important.
Do you think it will make any difference in concentrating on Basecamp if you keep the other products as they are?
Regards
Markus
Jay Pandey
on 06 Feb 14Sad, I will miss 37 Signals animation in your videos.
Emil
on 06 Feb 14Didn’t see this one coming. There is a huge risk that Highrise and Campfire won’t exist in a few years. If its sold to another company, they will be in control and decide to sell it or shut it down. No matter what Jason says about it.
Its interesting on how we as a company started out with only 37s products and now we are switching app for app (before this announcement). We have already said goodbye to both Backpack and Highrise internally, and now it looks like Campfire is going the same way.
Its hard to build trust in the SaaS world and this does not feel good (Scenario 2)
Anthony Barone
on 06 Feb 14Well done Basecamp team.
Q: How much of an influence did Gary Keller’s book The One Thing have on this decision? I highly recommend this book to all SVN readers.
I look forward to meeting up with those attending RailsConf 2014 in Chicago. Already got my tickets : )
- One of the 7+ years 3,000.
Michael
on 06 Feb 14Markus, as a former Highrise customer (stopped using traditional CRM) I think the sale will be good for the product. Other than the facelift a few years ago, it’s still the same essentially and 37s doesn’t seem to have the will and/or the resources to do for it what they did for Basecamp. I think that whoever takes it on will do a lot of good for it if 37s sells to someone who is willing to make a “Highrise Next” and set new standards for that category of software.
As for Campfire, company chat’s kind of a commodity at this point. It just needs to keep up with standards and perform well.
That said, I don’t see any particular reason to think 37s will or won’t sell those products to the ‘right’ people. The KnowYourCompany sale seems like it’s to the perfect person based on my limited experience (made a referral and heard how it went.) The people who bought SortFolio haven’t impressed me at all. I am guessing in the Sortfolio case, 37s didn’t think finding a match was as important as it will be to find one for two of their three biggest products. But, they might have intended to find a good match and not succeeded.
It will be interesting to see what happens.
Glenn
on 06 Feb 14Bold move. I think it’s the right strategy, at least from the company’s perspective and I think also from the customer’s perspective. You’ve always said that you don’t want to have a lot of employees, and now you are going to be able to focus all of your employees on a single product. I think it will be very important to spin off the other products and not just let them hang and die, which would divert your employee’s attention and make your current customers upset. I would actually scratch that option, and only have two options; a complete spin off or a partial spin off of those products. What about asking one or two of your employees if they would like the opportunity to spin one of the products off? They’d have to raise some money, recruit a team (not from Basecamp) and sell you on their vision. Give them an opportunity of a lifetime, and you keep partial ownership at the same time. If it doesn’t work, take it back and sell it.
Bradley Ball
on 07 Feb 14I use Basecamp, Highrise, Google Apps and QuickBooks as core apps in my business (law firm). Always defaulted to the simple, elegant solution. Nobody else out there does it better than 37s.
I just knew 37s would move forward with the next iteration of Highrise that would work seamlessly with Basecamp. Add QuickBooks integration to Basecamp and we’re in high cotton.
I was wrong.
Honestly, I’ve invested so much time, money and effort in a 37s-based solution. I’ve built my work processes around these products. I drank the kool-aid. The idea that Highrise will not be further developed makes me a little sick. I have to be able to track interactions with my clients and others with whom I conduct business.
Do I wait and see and take my chances with Highrise now that I know that the 37s team will no longer develop it? Do I swallow hard and move to Salesforce? Solve360? Mavenlink?
For us customers, it’s all about integration. I have wanted an integrated solution for project management, CRM, Google & accounting/billing. I have never understood how 37s can have such great products but have minimal internal integration. Like everyone else, I just used workarounds to deal with it. Not the best solution but, hey, who really wants to use Salesforce? Have been waiting patiently (literally for years) for Google integration. I can check this box (sorta) since Basecamp will let us add Google docs.
This may be a great move for 37s. It’s their company and products. But I fear this is a step back for those of us who rely on their suite of solutions and who built our businesses around them. Maybe 37s can surprise us with some product innovations in Basecamp that restore much of the functionality in the current version of Highrise.
Very mixed feelings on the whole thing.
GeeIWonder
on 07 Feb 14@Bradley: You are going to have to migrate, one way or the other. That option has been taken out of your hands, as the business, and most likely the product—even in the best case, will be changing substantially.
The only (time-perishable) decision left is whether you migrate on your terms and your schedule or whether you migrate on someone else’s.
DHH
on 07 Feb 14GeeIWonder, please stop spreading FUD. Nobody has to migrate anywhere. They’re free to, of course, but certainly they don’t have to. We’re exploring a sale of Highrise to people who want to make the app better and continue it. Not to people looking to shut it down. If that doesn’t pan out, Highrise will continue to run under our roof forever. Just as Jason spelled out in the letter.
Now I completely understand Bradley feeling anxious about this. We do our best to alley the fears by pointing to our record. Backpack was closed to new customers years ago, and we still run the service for those who want it (and lots of people still do). Basecamp Classic was closed to new customers years ago as well, and still it has tens of thousands of happy customers.
Hell, we’ve even continued to run FREE products like Ta-da list and Writeboard for years after they’ve been turned off for new users. How many internet companies do that? Usually it’s sunset and goodbye in three months.
We don’t want any customers to be forced into anything on our or anyone’s schedule. If they’re happy with the existing product, they can continue to use it for as long as they like. If they find something they like better, that’s ok too.
GeeIWonder
on 07 Feb 14@DHH I am not the one spreading fear uncertainty and doubt, as evidenced by the posts above.
The uncertainty and doubt (evidenced in other posts, by no means of my genesis) is generated by the uncertainty and doubt of the stated plan, that sees people using Highrise now having to deal with your team who have just been told Basecamp is all that really matters.
Also: Migrating to the same product under different ownership is migrating.
Migrating to the same product under the same ownership with a different view of all but there flagship product is migrating.
GeeIWonder
on 07 Feb 14PS I wish you the best in your new orientation. I’m not sure the name change will fix what may actually be a leadership self-discipline issue, but kudos on making dramatic and bold moves.
Jared
on 07 Feb 14@Basecamp / 37signal
When you sell Highrise & Campfire, will those 37signals employee also go with the sale?
Wes
on 07 Feb 14This is a brave and brilliant move, in my tiny and not particularly educated opinion, but dang, am I going to miss the 37signals brand. The whole SETI signal thing was just so cool. Maybe a little unclear. Maybe more hip than functional But so fucking cool.
Best of luck otherwise. :)
R.Bhavesh
on 08 Feb 14@Wes – exactly! How we are going to point to a cool ‘company’ that does things differently now? 37S was a name we were pointing to. Now we will have to point to a ‘product’. Awkward.
Devan
on 10 Feb 14Interesting tactic, but as someone who has read ‘The 22 immutable laws of marketing’, Ries outlines in there that a wide spread of products is NOT a good thing, and that companies should focus on one core product in order to be long term successful.
I am wondering though, how this change will impact on the ‘innovation’ side of 37signals (oops – Basecamp ;) ). It seems to me that this is a company who relishes the challenges of coming up with new ideas, and indeed, seems to be the reason for a lot of people wanting to work for this company, so that they can nurture an idea from a merest seed to a revenue earning product.
Now that the company focus is essentially on ‘maintaining’ a legacy product, will that thirst for innovation be subdued, or will it be channeled into working on ‘new’ features – given that the previous company motto was for ‘less’ features?
Note: This is not a trolling post. I am genuinely interested in how the internal company culture will adapt to the new manifesto.
Jason Fried
on 11 Feb 14Now that the company focus is essentially on ‘maintaining’ a legacy product, will that thirst for innovation be subdued, or will it be channeled into working on ‘new’ features – given that the previous company motto was for ‘less’ features?
The focus is not on “essentially maintaining a legacy product” at all. The focus is on Basecamp and Basecamp is about making progress on projects. There’s an enormous amount of innovation possible around that idea. We’re already exploring some next generation Basecamp ideas that are unlike anything we’ve designed before. Lots of really interesting stuff on the table right now.
Anon
on 11 Feb 14Makes perfect sense, you are going to become a SAAS company which you already were but didn’t market yourself as such. That is where the growth is and the regular public will understand it much better also.
Dhru
on 11 Feb 14Big moves. Love it.
This discussion is closed.