DHH: How to Make F*ck You Money, Writing, US vs EU, Building Basecamp, 37signals & Ruby on Rails

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. #linkedin #founderledmarketing #linkedinads #linkedinagency #founderbranding #saas #b2bmarketing #demandgeneration #demandgen #content #b2b #revenue #contentmarketing #performancemarketing #videomarketing #personalbranding