What do they got? A big team, lots of money, a strong brand, seemingly unlimited resources, panache, reputation, all that. They’re established. They’re your competitors. You want to look away, but you see them everywhere. Their ads on your social, their name in the media, your dream clients on their website. But you know what else they got? Bigger company bloat. Overflowing obligations. Narratives to uphold. Appearances to maintain. Entitlement. Too much overhead. They’re slow. They’re conservative. They talk too much. They’ve stopped taking risks. They’re resting on their laurels, gliding on their reputation. They’re on defense. What they’ve really got is a lot to lose. What do you got? Hunger. Drive. Grit. Scrappiness. Independence. You’re on offense. You don’t have enough, which is why you’re dangerous. You have no choice but to be clever and creative. To make up for what you don’t have with something they can’t have: The underdog spirit. You can move. You can adjust. You can adapt. You can get it done while they’re still stuck deciding what to do. Small is not a stepping stone. Small is not less than. It’s greater than. It’s faster than. It’s better than. Savor your position. You don’t get to be the underdog forever. The baton will be passed. But for now, it’s your magic wand. Use it. We stand with the underdogs.

This was complete and total luck, but I still think I'm good at this. via 82-0.com

Gotta love true fans.

One of my favorite staircases is this one by Edgar Miller and Andrew Rebori in Chicago. The brick looks like extruded dough. Lovely. The whole building is just fantastic, too. Full of bold and subtle detail, all from simple materials and dashes of red. [Fisher Studio Houses, photo by Alexander Vertikoff]

Love seeing people build better software for reluctant operators of small businesses. The baker who ends up running a bakery. The hair stylist who ends up with their own salon. And here, the doctors and dentists who end up with their own practice. More attention on these small businesses, please. We've been building for them for two decades, and I can tell you they're starved for great, straightforward software. I'd bet on these guys. They've got the dirt of real work in the field under their fingernails. There's no better way to know than to do.

And of course we've got Omarchy on board as well. Fast operating systems and fast race cars just go together beautifully!

Back to Le Mans for the 13th time! We go on track tomorrow for the test day, next weekend it's the real thing.

Do whatever the fuck you want, however the fuck you want to do it. Interviews aren't bullet lists of do's, don't, or dogmas. Be yourself, speak your mind, don't angle. Let whatever follows, follow. (still love you @HarryStebbings!)

Chat-first work tools are not the answer. The flaws are baked into the system, you can't undo them. It would be like asking a kangaroo to fly. It can get off the ground, and look like flight for a moment, but it comes crashing right down. Here's why: 37signals.com/group-chat-pro…

All these wackadoodle valuations reminded me of a press release we put out in 2009 announcing our $100 BILLION dollar valuation after a recent funding round of $1. Here it is: —— CHICAGO—September 24, 2009—37signals is now a $100 billion dollar company, according to a group of investors who have agreed to purchase 0.000000001% of the company in exchange for $1. Founder Jason Fried informed his employees about the new deal at a recent company-wide meeting. The financing round was led by Yardstick Capital and Institutionalized Venture Partners. In order to increase the value of the company, 37signals has decided to stop generating revenues. “When it comes to valuation, making money is a real obstacle. Our profitability has been a real drag on our valuation,” said Mr. Fried. “Once you have profits, it’s impossible to just make stuff up. That’s why we’re switching to a ‘freeconomics’ model. We’ll give away everything for free and let the market speculate about how much money we could make if we wanted to make money. That way, the sky’s the limit!” A $100 billion value for 37signals is “not outlandish,” says Aanandamayee Bhatnagar, a finance professor and valuation guru at Grenada State’s Schnook School of Business. Bhatnagar points to a leaked, confidential corporate strategy plan that projects 37signals will attract twelve billion users by the end of 2013. How will the company overcome the fact that there are only 6.8 billion people alive today? “Why limit users to people?” said Bhatnagar. In order to determine the valuation of companies, Bhatnagar typically applies the following formula: [(Twitter followers x Facebook fans) (# of employees x 1000)] x (RSS subscribers daily page views) (monthly burn rate x Google’s stock price)2 and then doubles if it they use Ruby on Rails or if the CEO has run a business into the ground before. Bhatnagar admits the math is mostly a guess but points out that “the press eats it up.” To help handle the burdens of an increased valuation, 37signals hired former YouTube exec Craig Mirage as Chief Operating Officer earlier this month. Mirage hopes to replicate YouTube’s valuation success at 37signals. “Of course, the investment comes with great expectations. But you should see the spreadsheet models we’re making up. Really breakthrough stuff,” said Mirage. “37signals will lead the new global movement filled with imaginary assumptions on growth and monetization potential,” he continued. “We’re excited to roll out a list of unconfirmed revenue possibilities that involve crowdsourcing, a robust set of widget creation tools, 3G, augmented reality, social stuff, and an app store. Also, everything we make will include a compass.”

The New Audi Nuvolari. LOVE the evolution of the Concept-C design language into this beast. caranddriver.com/news/a71481…

Really pretty work.

i respect the moon's unwillingness to be photographed on a phone.

Lots to love about the Alpina concept. Now make it! motor1.com/photos/926218/vis…

This is exactly why Basecamp has thrived over 22 years. Through all the Basecamp killers. Through all the phase changes. Through all the ups and downs of decades. Basecamp makes hard things easy. This is how Basecamp changes businesses for the better. Directly. Tools and methods matter, they make an imprint on the work itself. Check out the language customers use when they describe Basecamp. Easy, clear, simpler, organized, aware... What business can't use more of that? basecamp.com/customers

Before shipping, chop wood, carry water. After shipping, chop wood, carry water.

When the dust settles, the sun shines. — "Just a quick note to say I'm loving Basecamp 5! Thank you all so much for the upgrade. The always-on search is such a timesaver and I love the right New For You sidebar. ❤️" —Pamela Boboc "I like everything about BC5, looks so good, is so fast, subtasks ❤️, the Everything folder and many more things I really like. I needed only 15 minutes to get used to and find everything. Very well done!" —Dirk Middeldorf "Basecamp 5 feels like a major overhaul (and it is)! Use it for an hour and you'll never want to go back. The essentials are in front of your eyes, but everything is at your fingertips." —Chad Hassler "As a long term Basecamp user, BC5 feels so new and fresh - but also so very familiar. Initially I was shocked at how radical of a change it was, but once I got access and started to use it and be in the product it was just pure joy... There's also been lots of little improvements and polish, that as I've discovered them I've wondered how I ever lived without them." —Nick Marden "Basecamp 5 is like a fresh take on the software that I love and have used for so many different projects. It's new without dissing the past. It's fresh without spoiling the past. I love it." —Jethro Jones "I am loving Basecamp 5. All the updates have been amazing. I especially love that Markdown is now a first-class citizen in Basecamp docs. I'm finding myself writing much more in Basecamp, I love it." —Saalik Lokhandwala "LOVE the update to BC5. I've been dreaming of sub-tasks." —Ali Parmelee "The BC5 has everything we asked for — and more. The calendar is the standout feature for me, and the speed improvements combined with shortcuts make you incredibly productive. It’s the same 37signals philosophy, just faster and more convenient." —Kamil Pitonak "Congratulations on the wonderful BC5 release. It's incredible."—Haz Johnson "Congrats on the Basecamp 5 launch! Massive updates, and I definitely am loving the keyboard shortcuts." —Elena "You did incredible work, it's fabulous. As you might know, you are the Premium Standard reference for any web application around hundreds of dev teams world wide. Well earned. Many thanks and a big round of applause!" —Magnus Rembold "I'm loving the new update! Just wanted to say congratulations and I'm excited to continue taking it for a test drive!" —Michael DelaCruz "The new update is great! So many improvements. I love being able to open 'tabs' at the top of the app using command click." —Courtnee Carstens "Woo hoo! Great job! I went home last night way more relaxed and it's because of all that is in the new Basecamp 5... especially what you've down with Pings and Notifications!" —Paul Schneider "1 day of usage & it is making my work day feel so much lighter. Loving all the new features. TY❤️" —Wanda Whipkey "I really love the new features and navigation of Basecamp 5. Basecamp continues to exceed my expectations and be my favorite business software to work with. I'm loving "Bubble Up" as well as the option to have public links on documents. Very helpful for working with my clients' customers." —Amanda Jensen "I LOVE what you've done with Basecamp 5. Thanks so much for all the improvements!" —Mahogany Lore "Basecamp 5 feels like a huge step forward from when I first signed up on Basecamp 4. I’m especially loving the new Calendar, the Bubble Up feature, and all the little Easter eggs and thoughtful improvements throughout the app. One of my favorite updates is the persistent “My Bar” at the bottom... Huge improvements all around, and I’m genuinely excited to go all in with it. Big shoutout to team. You guys rock." —Alok Gandhi "Just wanted to drop a message to express how impressed I am of BC5. It really is a great leap forwards and the bold UI decisions taken, really add to productivity a lot! WELL DONE, CONGRATULATIONS! I love being a BC user!" —Tom H. Lautenbacher "Great work with Basecamp 5! It looks leaner and helps me keep focus a lot. I definitely love the notification sidebar, the new MyBar and the option for subtasks." —Dominik Kammerer "Basecamp 5 is lovely. I love the new direction, and the new iOS app feels fantastic. The speed is so much better here in Sweden." —Viktor Bijlenga "I would love to start with how much i love the new Basecamp 5...especially in the Desktop App. The main fact is that I can see so many things at one and it's easier to get from one place to the next! Kudos to the team for all their hard work and thoughts that went into it." —Tina Alexis "Love the upgrade to v5. Watching the walk through before launch was really helpful - both in previewing the product but also explaining some of the reasoning. There are things in v5 that we wanted but didn't know we wanted. Very cool." —Jonathan Sherwin "I've been on BC5 for a few weeks now and the thing that stuck with me is the speed. I can handle notifications and pings right from the sidebar without leaving whatever I'm working on. Sounds minor, but it has changed how my whole day goes since I spend most of my working hours inside Basecamp. There's a lot of small quality-of-life stuff that really adds up across the whole app." —Jeisson Neira

Now live in your Basecamp 5 account. Zoom the center column on home to go all-in on the project grid.

The most important component of writing clearly is simply to have high standards for clarity. Then if you write something unclear, you notice, and ask: what did I mean to say? You can just keep doing this over and over. And if you have high standards for clarity, you will.