"Why We’re Dropping Basecamp."

Duke University Libraries wrote about their decision to migrate to a different project management tool after 10 years. The post is a well-articulated teardown of 37signals co-founder David Heinemeier Hansson’s opinions posted over the course of two years.

We at Duke University Libraries have decided to stop using the project management platform, Basecamp, to which we have subscribed for almost a decade. We came to this decision after weighing the level of its use in our organization, which is considerable, against the harms that we see perpetuated by the leadership of Basecamp’s parent company, 37signals. As a result of our discussions, we will not renew our current subscription when it ends in December. 

I’m not a wild fan of 37signals but I have to admit using it recently for a project or two because a colleague had a fully paid account which saved some time and the pain of creating yet another account somewhere else. As I read through Duke’s thoughts on Basecamp leadership it somehow gets worse.

Hansson takes glee in the mass layoffs of tech workers in late 2022. He imagines that they were the group “from whom the DEI movement drew its most active and engaged disciples,” and seems to be delighted that “hundreds of thousands” of tech workers will be out of work – “perhaps for quite a while!” – and therefore “the most fervent ideologues among them” will be unable to find work. The implication is unavoidable, that he and perhaps other tech bosses might blacklist workers who have records of advocating for more diverse and inclusive workplaces.

My wife lost her job this year because a majority of employees at her workplace sought to unionize to protect the company’s support of DEI and LGBTQIA+ initiatives. None of which came from fervent ideology unless you consider The United States Constitution as such. My wife did not deserve to be laid off. Nobody did and the whole incident is under review by the National Labor Board. Like most of her former colleagues she is having an incredibly difficult time finding work. 

Hell, everyone is having a hard time finding work. Full-time roles, client projects, nobody I know is immune to the negative impact this employment recession in technology is enduring. So to read that David takes joy in the financial and mental health misery of others while bragging about the many luxury cars he's owned in another blog post? Dude, he's just plain, pure evil. Like Google Evil. And I crown him the King Asshole of Asshats. 
 
37signals should rename the company 3signals because that’s about as deep as their intellect and empathy extends. I would re-write their homepage copy as follows:

1. We’re insecure and ignorant
2. Bigotry pays well.
3. Make it white.

Tomorrow I’m turning off Basecamp as soon as I’ve migrated off of it for good. I let their bullshit slide once and I’m sorry I did but I will not make that mistake again. Bye-bye dumb dumbs.