David Heinemeier Hansson (DHH) is the co-founder & CTO of 37signals (Basecamp, HEY) and the creator of Ruby on Rails.
In this episode, DHH breaks down how he built real wealth without playing the Silicon Valley game, why “fuck you money” is misunderstood, and what it really takes to stay independent for 20+ years.
We talk about effort, writing, grit, parenting, and how the most meaningful success doesn’t always look like a unicorn.
Topics we cover in this episode:
- How Basecamp started as a side project and became a 20-year business
- What most people get wrong about building “fuck you money”
- Why DHH bet on Ruby when no one else cared
- The 2% rule: how David outworked luck
- The real cost of deferred living and why it’s not worth it
- Why content creation is a byproduct, not a goal
- What Europe gets wrong (and right) about work and family
- Why blogging and replying to people still matters
Perfect for:
- Founders who don’t want to raise $100M to be successful
- Indie hackers and devs building side projects
- Creators who actually ship things
- Anyone tired of the same recycled startup advice
Connect with DHH:
- DHH’s Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-heinemeier-hansson-374b18221/
- DHH’s X: https://x.com/dhh
- DHH’s blog: https://world.hey.com/dhh
- DHH’s personal website: https://dhh.dk/
- 37signals: https://37signals.com/
- Basecamp: https://basecamp.com/
- HEY: https://www.hey.com/
- Once: https://once.com/
- Ruby on Rails: https://rubyonrails.org/
Connect with Finn:
Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/03CXzsZp7wdqIRVDcqPTFH
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/finnthormeier/
Website: https://www.project33.io/
Chapters
00:00 – Intro: Why wisdom becomes platitude
01:58 – The watch blog that changed lives
03:20 – What “fuck you” money really means
06:31 – Betting on Ruby when it made no sense
09:50 – Why Building for yourself means long-term leverage
11:45 – Don’t wait to live your dream
14:20 – DHH’s 2% mindset (via David Goggins)
16:45 – How one helpful email led to 37signals
18:20 – Redrawing patterns: giving gifts with no ask
20:40 – Standing out: The 0.1% effort rule
23:55 – “Content creator” is an insult. Here’s why
25:40 – Share your ideas *after* taking action
27:15 – Marketing without ads or attribution
29:40 – Gary Vee and the power of retail scale
32:00 – Jim Rohn, Stoicism, and seasons of life
35:10 – How to survive the storm
37:05 – Platitudes only work when they land
38:30 – Authenticity means being maskless
41:20 – On “fuck Apple” and reputation caveats
42:40 – Why compliments should be clean
44:30 – Balaji, network states, and philosophy
47:00 – Europe and ambition shame
50:40 – Cultural change is possible (but slow)
53:00 – Bringing success back home
55:30 – Final thoughts: Be the 2%. Always.
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