Pod Force

#375 The Single Biggest Individual Financier In The World. The Richest Woman In America: Hetty Green

Founders
06 Jan 2025

Hetty Green bailed out New York City. Her decisions on what interest rates to charge moved markets and were reported in major newspapers. She was a one woman bank and the single biggest individual financier in the world. She took no partners and ran her own money. She built a...

The Most Inspiring Autobiography I've Read: Chung Ju-yung Founder of Hyundai

Founders
27 Dec 2024

Chung Ju-yung grew up so poor he had to eat tree bark to survive. He founded Hyundai and became the richest person in Korea. When Chung was in his 80s, he wrote an autobiography that tells the devastating reality of growing up in dire poverty, how he escaped through manual...

Building to Flip is Building to Flop (replay)

REWORK
24 Dec 2024

In this episode (originally aired February 1, 2022), 37signals’ co-founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson sit down with Shaun Hildner to discuss the consequences of building a business solely with the intention to sell. They share their perspective on building a business for the long haul versus for an...

The Biggest Customer Conundrum

REWORK
18 Dec 2024

Bigger isn't always better. In this episode of The REWORK Podcast, 37signals’ co-founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson share the drawbacks of chasing high-profile, enterprise deals. The two founders explain why they prefer their business model that's built around serving smaller clients. Key Takeaways:00:35 – The biggest clients can quickly...

Mars Inc. (the chocolate story)

Acquired
15 Dec 2024

M&M’s, Snickers, Milky Way, Double Mint, Ben’s Rice, Pedigree, Whiskas, VCA, Banfield… all the brands you know, owned by the company you know nothing about: Mars, Incorporated. And Mars itself is 100% owned and deeply intertwined with the Mars family, who are currently the second wealthiest (and perhaps first most...

#374 Rare Jeff Bezos Interview

Founders
15 Dec 2024

Jeff Bezos on retirement being lame, AI, the electricity metaphor for AI, the good fortune of being alive during multiple golden ages, long term life long passions, refusing to underestimate opportunity, dancing with curiosity, inventing, wandering, crisp documents and messy meetings, willing to be misunderstood, and why he doesn't do...

The End of Year Junk Drawer

REWORK
11 Dec 2024

As the year winds down, 37signals’ co-founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson join host Kimberly Rhodes to talk about the company's end-of-year routine. They explain their process for the last few weeks of the year that aren't part of a formal six-week cycle, and they share what they gain...

#373 Breakfast with Brad Jacobs + How To Make A Few Billion Dollars

Founders
06 Dec 2024

Brad Jacobs is one of the most talented living entrepreneurs. Brad has started 8 different billion dollar or multi-billion dollar businesses. He has done over 500 acquisitions and has raised over $30 billion. He started his first company at 23, has over 40 years of experience as an entrepreneur, and...

A Product Pivot

REWORK
04 Dec 2024

Before introducing a new product feature, it’s essential to first understand the problem you're trying to fix. In this episode of The REWORK Podcast, 37signals’ co-founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson share a recent experience designing a new feature in HEY. During the process, the team pivoted and changed...

#372: Amancio Ortega: The Genius Behind the Inditex Group

Founders
29 Nov 2024

Amancio Ortega is one of the wealthiest people in the world. Ortega is the founder of Inditex, a pioneer of fast fashion, an entrepreneur with over 60 years of experience, and has created a business model that is studied in universities that he could not access. His life story is...

Your Competition is Your Costs

REWORK
27 Nov 2024

Remaining profitable in business is a simple equation — sales revenue exceeding operating costs. In this episode of The REWORK Podcast, 37signals’ co-founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson explain why controlling costs should be a bigger focus than what your competition is doing. They share some simple strategies for...

AI, Employee Equity, and Other Listener Questions

REWORK
20 Nov 2024

Every week, we invite listeners to send in their questions for 37signals’ co-founders, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson. In this episode, they tackle a fresh set of asks, covering topics from managing multiple product lines, the company’s bonus structure, and their thoughts on incorporating AI into their tools.Key Takeaways:00:37...

#371 James J. Hill: The Empire Builder

Founders
18 Nov 2024

What I learned from rereading James J. Hill: Empire Builder by Michael P. Malone. ----Ramp gives you everything you need to control spend, watch your costs, and optimize your financial operations —all on a single platform. Make history's greatest entrepreneurs proud by going to Ramp and learning how they can help...

IKEA

Acquired
17 Nov 2024

IKEA may be the most singular company we’ve ever studied on Acquired. They’re a globally scaled, $50B annual revenue company with no direct competitors — yet have only ~5% market share. They’re one of the largest retailers in the world — yet sell only their own products. They generate a...

What are You Replacing?

REWORK
13 Nov 2024

When it comes to business, it’s important to consider not only what customers would gain by using your product or service, but also what they're giving up. In this episode of The REWORK Podcast, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, co-founders of 37signals, chat about understanding your customer's needs and...

#370 The Founder of IKEA: Ingvar Kamprad

Founders
12 Nov 2024

What I learned from reading Leading By Design: The Ikea Story by Ingvar Kamprad and Bertil Torekull and The Testament of a Furniture Dealer by Ingvar Kamprad.----Ramp gives you everything you need to control spend, watch your costs, and optimize your financial operations —all on a single platform. Make history's...

Question Your Customers

REWORK
06 Nov 2024

Ever filled out a customer survey? For this conversation, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, co-founders of 37signals, share their approach to gathering customer feedback. They discuss the timing and frequency of feedback requests, the power of open-ended questions, and how to transform customer language into effective marketing.Key Takeaways:00:37 -...

#369 Elon Musk and The Early Days of SpaceX

Founders
01 Nov 2024

What I learned from rereading Liftoff: Elon Musk and the Desperate Early Days That Launched SpaceX by Eric Berger. ----Ramp gives you everything you need to control spend, watch your costs, and optimize your financial operations —all on a single platform. Make history's greatest entrepreneurs proud by going to Ramp and...

V1 is for Us

REWORK
30 Oct 2024

In this week's episode of The REWORK Podcast, 37signals’ co-founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson share their approach to product design, explaining why the first version of a product (V1) is always built for the company's internal use case. They discuss responding to user feedback and the importance of...

Principles of Communication

REWORK
23 Oct 2024

37signals’ co-founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson share insights from their write-up, The 37signals Guide to Internal Communication. They discuss effective communication strategies within the company and with the public, offering practical advice to consider when conveying messages.Key Takeaways:00:41 - The backstory of how the guide was created02:39 -...

Steve Jobs and Edwin Land

Founders
20 Oct 2024

What I learned from rereading Instant: The Story of Polaroid by Christopher Bonanos. ----Ramp gives you everything you need to control spend, watch your costs, and optimize your financial operations —all on a single platform. Make history's greatest entrepreneurs proud by going to Ramp and learning how they can help your...

Edwin Land and Steve Jobs

Founders
20 Oct 2024

Say No by Default

REWORK
16 Oct 2024

In their book REWORK, 37signals’ co-founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson write about the power of saying no. This week on the podcast, they revisit that idea, diving into the hidden costs of saying yes and the burden of commitments that often come with it. They also discuss how...

#368 Rockefeller's Autobiography

Founders
15 Oct 2024

What I learned from rereading Random Reminiscences of Men and Events by John D. Rockefeller. ----Ramp gives you everything you need to control spend, watch your costs, and optimize your financial operations —all on a single platform. Make history's greatest entrepreneurs proud by going to Ramp and learning how they can...

Preparing for a Company Meet-up

REWORK
09 Oct 2024

Twice a year, 37signals brings the entire team together for a company meet-up. In this week’s episode of The REWORK Podcast, co-founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson reflect on how these meet-ups began and how they've evolved over time. They also discuss how they prepare for the meet-ups and...

#367 Inside the Contrarian Mind of Sam Zell

Founders
08 Oct 2024

What I learned from reading Money Talks, Bullsh*t Walks: Inside the Contrarian Mind of Billionaire Mogul Sam Zell by Ben Johnson.----Ramp gives you everything you need to control spend, watch your costs, and optimize your financial operations —all on a single platform. Make history's greatest entrepreneurs proud by going to...

Achieving Optionality

REWORK
02 Oct 2024

37signals’ co-founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson explore the many benefits of having full control over their business. They talk about the importance of taking measured profits and running an efficient operation, which allows freedom to create without constraints. This approach gives them room for trial and error and...

Acquired LIVE from Chase Center (with Daniel Ek, Emily Chang, Jensen Huang and Mark Zuckerberg)

Acquired
29 Sep 2024

Here it is: the complete video of the most unbelievable night of Acquired’s nine-year life… our sold out live show at the Chase Center in San Francisco. We joked during the months (months!) of preparation leading up to this event that it was like planning a wedding for 6,000 Acquired...

#366 Mr. Beast Leaked Memo

Founders
27 Sep 2024

What I learned from reading How To Succeed in Mr. Beast Production and how ideas from Sam Zell, Charlie Munger, Nick Sleep, Warren Buffett, Sam Zemurray, Bob Kierlin, Steve Jobs, Li Lu, Edwin Land, Larry Ellison, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, James Cameron, Anna Wintour, Walt Disney, Bernard Arnault, and Brad...

Progressing in Public Speaking

REWORK
25 Sep 2024

It's been reported that up to 75% of the population has a fear of public speaking. This week, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, co-founders of 37signals, recount some of their previous speaking engagements and share a few tips for building the skill. They discuss the styles of successful speakers...

Everybody Works

REWORK
18 Sep 2024

37signals' co-founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson discuss their unique approach of operating without full-time managers. They reflect on the company's experience with full-time managers and share why they've moved to a flatter organization.Key Takeaways:00:54 - The before and after of 37signals' experience with full-time managers08:34 - The founders...

The Mark Zuckerberg Interview

Acquired
17 Sep 2024

Mark is the iconic founder CEO of our time. At Chase Center on September 10, 2024, he did an unprecedented thing: a live conversation in front of 6,000 people on Meta’s company strategy, sharing stories from early Facebook history, and his thoughts on the future of AI, VR, and AR....

#365 Nick Sleep's Letters: The Full Collection of the Nomad Investment Partnership Letters to Partners

Founders
16 Sep 2024

The best investors are not investors at all. They're entrepreneurs who have never sold. — Nick SleepNick Sleep’s letters are a masterclass on the importance of understanding the underlying reality of a business — what he calls the engine of its success.I read all 110,000 words of Nick’s letters (twice!)...

Dare to Be Basic

REWORK
11 Sep 2024

This week, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, co-founders of 37signals, examine why it's advantageous to keep things simple — in both products and business. They challenge the idea that complex or bespoke tools are the best way to go and lean into not overcomplicating things.Key Takeaways:00:34 - The power...

#364 Nick & Zak's Excellent Adventure: How Nick Sleep and Qais Zaharia Built Their Investment Partnership

Founders
10 Sep 2024

How Nick Sleep and Qais Zakaria built their radically unconventional investment partnership. From the incredible book Richer, Wiser, Happier: How The World's Greatest Investors Win In Markets and Life by William Green. ----I’m doing a LIVE podcast in New York next Monday with Patrick from Invest Like The Best. It’s FREE...

#363 Li Lu and Charlie Munger and Warren Buffett

Founders
06 Sep 2024

I sent a friend this text: I'm working on another Li Lu episode but this one is about his remarkable investing career. Can be summarized by: 1. Studied Buffett and Munger. 2. Did that. Last episode was about how Li Lu survived one of the most horrific childhoods imaginable. This...

How We Work: Kickoffs & Heartbeats

REWORK
04 Sep 2024

37signals works in 6-week cycles, which begin with a Kickoff and wrap up with a Heartbeat. In this week’s REWORK podcast, co-founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson break down the purpose and benefits of the Kickoff and Heartbeat documents and share tips for implementing this process across an organization. Key...

Maintaining a business partnership, simple product design, and other listener questions

REWORK
28 Aug 2024

This week on the REWORK podcast, 37signals co-founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson answer another round listener questions. Jason and David talk about the ups and downs of their long-running business partnership and friendship, tackle a critical question about Basecamp, and share their thoughts on starting a new company....

#362 Li Lu

Founders
26 Aug 2024

Charlie Munger said that Li Lu was the only outsider he ever trusted with his money. Decades before Li Lu made Munger half a billion dollars, Li survived one of the most horrific childhoods imaginable:Born into poverty, abandoned, hungry, beaten, surrounded by death. Persistent. Smart. Disciplined. Intensely curious. Obsessed with...

Using AI for Writing, Being Facebook Free, and other Listener Questions

REWORK
21 Aug 2024

In this episode, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, co-founders of 37signals, return from a summer hiatus to answer a new set of listener questions. They dive into topics like the role of A.I. in writing and their updated thoughts on staying Facebook-free. REWORK host, Kimberly Rhodes also gets in...

#361 Estée Lauder

Founders
18 Aug 2024

Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger said it was a crime that more business schools didn't study Henry Singleton. I think it's a crime that more entrepreneurs don't study Estée Lauder. She is one of the best founders to ever do it. This is the story of how she went from...

#360 Robert Kierlin: Founder of Fastenal

Founders
12 Aug 2024

Since its founding in 1967 Fastenal has grown from a small fastener store in Winona, Minnesota, into a multibillion-dollar global organization. How did a small town “nuts and bolts” shop become one of the world's most dynamic growth companies? Whenever asked, company founder Bob Kierlin attributes Fastenal's success to the...

Chase Center + Summer Update

Acquired
08 Aug 2024

Summer greetings from Acquired! Two items for this “mini-episode”:Tickets are now available for our live show at Chase Center in San Francisco, with special guests including Mark Zuckerberg (!). The show is Tuesday, September 10th, with doors opening at 5 PM for an hour of mingling with other listeners before...

#359 The Russian Rockefellers

Founders
07 Aug 2024

The name of Nobel usually calls to mind Alfred Nobel, inventor of dynamite, and the internationally prestigious prizes that bear his name. But Alfred was only one member of a creative and innovative family who built an industrial empire in prerevolutionary Russia. The saga begins with an emigre from Sweden,...

#359 The Russian Rockefellers: The Nobel Family Dynasty

Founders
07 Aug 2024

#358 I had dinner with John Mackey, Founder of Whole Foods

Founders
28 Jul 2024

What I learned from having dinner with John Mackey and reading his autobiography The Whole Story: Adventures in Love, Life, and Capitalism.----Make history's greatest entrepreneurs proud by going to Ramp and learning how they can help your business control your costs and save more. ----Founders Notes gives you the superpower to...

Microsoft Volume II

Acquired
21 Jul 2024

In 1999, Microsoft became the most valuable company in the world. And in 2019, Microsoft became the most valuable company in the world, again. But… what happened in the twenty years in between? The answer, as we discovered in our research, is probably not what you think.In this episode we...

#357 Haruki Murakami

Founders
21 Jul 2024

What I learned from reading What I Talk About When I Talk About Running: A Memoir by Haruki Murakami. ----Founders Notes gives you the superpower to learn from history's greatest entrepreneurs on demand. You can search all my notes and highlights from every book I've ever read for the podcast. Get access...

Scratch Your Own Itch (Replay)

REWORK
17 Jul 2024

In their book REWORK, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson write about the benefits of building products and services that you use yourself. "The easiest, most straightforward way to create a great product or service is to make something you want to use." In this episode, originally aired November 2,...