I spend a lot of time as a data scientist thinking about how to use data responsibly, particularly when it comes to privacy. There’s tremendous value to be found by analyzing data, but the only way the data science field will continue to have data to analyze is if we are responsible in how we… keep reading
I’ve begun a new YouTube series called On Writing Software Well where I explore the real Basecamp codebase in search of interesting programming topics. It’s less “here’s how to do it” and more “here’s what I was thinking when we made this choice or took this direction”. And it’s intimately grounded in real, production code… keep reading
Meetings are one of the worst kinds of workplace interruptions. They’re held too frequently, run too long, and involve more people than necessary. You may have gathered that we really dislike meetings at Basecamp. And many of you do too! This episode of Rework features: A group of philosophy professors in a meeting they Kant… keep reading
Most disagreements aren’t just about the cards on the table. They’re just as much about who’s at the table. What time the game is being played. The last fifty games before this one. And about all the other people the current participants ever played with as well. So it’s no wonder the game ends up… keep reading
A more complete picture of what’s coming up This was a classic case of “How hard could it be?” that started as a series of customer requests and bug reports. People wanted to see their events AND their dated to-dos on their Basecamp 3 Schedule cards. Totally reasonable, right? Like anything involving dates, timezones, and computers,… keep reading
The honest introspection and continuous work for a better team Reconsider Diversity The typical approach to diversity in corporate environments can usually be summed up in two ways: lazy and superficial. To be fair, diversity is a difficult word to put into action. Most attempts to do so will probably end up feeling superficial. For example,… keep reading
A few weeks ago my father was taken by ambulance to the emergency room with trouble breathing. After that 5 day hospital stay, he’s been doing really well! But one thing that stands out from the experience was how my own psychology fluctuated. During the initial couple days I’d go to sleep at my parents… keep reading
What’s happening? Hey, are you busy? Can you listen to this real quick? It’s an episode about interruptions in the workplace. You’ll hear from academic researchers, Basecamp’s head data wrangler, and the CEO of a remote company about how they’ve tackled not just the disruptions themselves, but also the workplace culture that allows those intrusions… keep reading
14 years of linear growth at Basecamp. Exponential growth gets all the glory. Every startup story that lands on the cover of a magazine has a hockey-stick chart to flaunt. Yes, disruption is driven by such violent expansion, and the world needs some disruption some of the time. But for the other 360 days out… keep reading
You in business? What are you doing to last? Not to grow. Not to gain. Not to take. Not to win. But to last? I wouldn’t advocate spending much time worrying about the competition — you really shouldn’t waste attention worrying about things you can’t control — but if it helps make the point relatable, the best way to… keep reading