37signals

37signals, established in 1999, is a company recognized for its innovative products such as Basecamp, HEY, and ONCE. The company is also credited with inventing the Ruby on Rails framework. 37signals has authored several influential business and software books, including ‘Getting Real,’ ‘REWORK,’ ‘REMOTE,’ ‘It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work,’ and ‘Shape Up.’ The company operates a fully-remote team spread across five continents and has paying customers in over 160 countries. Remarkably, 37signals has been profitable every year since its inception. The company follows a unique software development methodology called ‘Shape Up,’ which involves six-week cycles. They prioritize customer privacy by not selling customer data or using personal information for targeted advertising. Focused on serving small and mid-sized companies, referred to as the ‘Fortune 5,000,000,’ 37signals promotes a balanced work/life/sleep formula of 8 hours each for work, life, and sleep. They emphasize asynchronous communication and fewer meetings, and pay employees the same regardless of their location. The company champions ‘Stayups’—companies that have proven their worth and strive for long-term success. 37signals also produces a podcast called ‘REWORK,’ which discusses better ways to work and run a business, and maintains a blog called ‘Dev’ for sharing technical insights and updates. Additionally, they have a section called ‘Long Thoughts’ where founders share complete ideas, thoughts, and articles. The company’s original manifesto from 1999 includes 37 nuggets of online philosophy and design wisdom. They also operate a supply store selling branded merchandise like hoodies and t-shirts, and provide updates on new features and announcements for Basecamp and HEY.