REWORK (37signals)
Making Things that Multiply
REWORK (37signals)
•January 14, 2026•33 min
0
REWORK (37signals)•Jan 14, 2026
Why It Matters
Understanding how ideas can multiply across products offers a roadmap for teams seeking sustainable innovation without reinventing the wheel. This approach helps companies stay agile, prioritize user‑driven enhancements, and maintain a culture of creativity—key advantages in today’s fast‑moving market.
Key Takeaways
- •Cross‑product UI patterns migrate from Hay to Fizzy and Basecamp
- •Greenfield projects enable rapid experimentation and feed core product upgrades
- •Revisiting legacy designs uncovers valuable ideas beyond nostalgia
- •Limited Basecamp rewrites highlight need for external innovation labs
- •Product identity balances shared features with distinct user value
Pulse Analysis
In this Rework episode, the 37signals founders illustrate how building multiple products creates a fertile ground for feature multiplication. They describe concrete examples such as the stack‑fan UI that originated in Hay, later appearing in Fizzy and now being trialed in Basecamp 5. This cross‑pollination demonstrates that a diversified portfolio lets designers discover patterns organically, then strategically weave them into other offerings, amplifying value without reinventing the wheel.
The conversation shifts to the strategic advantage of greenfield development. Launching brand‑new tools like Hay or Fizzy provides a clean code base free from legacy constraints, allowing the team to experiment with novel architectures and Rails extensions. These experiments often flow back into Basecamp, enriching its core functionality. The hosts argue that without such side projects, core products would suffer from architectural stagnation, limited rewrites, and reduced developer enthusiasm, underscoring the importance of maintaining an innovation lab alongside the flagship product.
Finally, the hosts explore the practice of mining the back catalog for forgotten yet effective ideas. By revisiting early versions of Basecamp, they identify features—such as the activity feed placement—that were unintentionally dropped but still hold merit. They caution against pure nostalgia, emphasizing a data‑driven benchmark approach to decide which legacy concepts merit revival. This disciplined retrospection balances fresh design with proven functionality, ensuring that product evolution remains both innovative and grounded in real user value.
Episode Description
Good ideas rarely belong in just one place. This week, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson share how 37signals lets concepts move freely across products, turning one solid idea into many useful ones. They talk about borrowing from the past without getting stuck in it, giving new concepts time to catch on, and keeping space for creativity as products evolve.
Key Takeaways
00:11 – Letting strong ideas travel between products
02:49 – Giving each product its own design voice
07:26 – Bringing back old features when it makes sense
12:03 – Avoiding nostalgia just for the sake of it
17:55 – Using real-world use to guide product improvements
22:10 – Keeping your creative process flexible
23:57 – Leaving space for fun in the design
31:13 – Designing around feel instead of rules
Links and Resources
Newcity Design magazine
Segura Inc. (Carlos Segura’s Design Firm)
Fizzy is a modern spin on kanban. Try it for free at fizzy.do
Record a video question for the podcast
Sign up for a 30-day free trial at Basecamp.com
Books by 37signals
HEY World | HEY
The REWORK podcast
The Rework Podcast on YouTube
The 37signals Dev Blog
37signals on YouTube
@37signals on X
Show Notes
Good ideas rarely belong in just one place. This week, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson share how 37signals lets concepts move freely across products, turning one solid idea into many useful ones. They talk about borrowing from the past without getting stuck in it, giving new concepts time to catch on, and keeping space for creativity as products evolve.
Key Takeaways
-
00:11 – Letting strong ideas travel between products
-
02:49 – Giving each product its own design voice
-
07:26 – Bringing back old features when it makes sense
-
12:03 – Avoiding nostalgia just for the sake of it
-
17:55 – Using real-world use to guide product improvements
-
22:10 – Keeping your creative process flexible
-
23:57 – Leaving space for fun in the design
-
31:13 – Designing around feel instead of rules
Links and Resources
-
Fizzy is a modern spin on kanban. Try it for free at fizzy.do
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