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taking his statements at face value, it looks like basecamp's business was completely unaffected and perhaps even positively affected by the changes made. i'll
by swyx 5y ago
taking his statements at face value, it looks like basecamp's business was completely unaffected and perhaps even positively affected by the changes made.
i'll be the first to say that they royally screwed up the way they rolled this out and they should suffer the consequences for that. but they now run a business that is exactly the way they want and is financially no worse off. the contract with the employees who stayed is clear. this is absolutely the lifestyle business ideal, despite a million and one strangers' opinions online about how they should run their business: as long as they do not break any laws, they do not have to give a crap.
(although yes, morality/business ethics transcends the merely legal, and i would not personally work for them)
if you do not fight for the freedom of people you disagree with, you do not stand for freedom.
- dimitrisnl 5y agoI don't understand morality / business ethics wise what they do is in any way different than how normal eu business run.
- LaSombra 5y agoWell, as far as I know, I don't remember seeing a business making an internal policy change announcement to the Internet before announcing to their own employees.
- coldtea 5y ago>taking his statements at face value, it looks like basecamp's business was completely unaffected Why would one expect otherwise? It was an internal issue in the end, covered in a few articles few actual customers will read or care, and discussed at length only at sites like HN. And in the end it's irrelevant to people who are customers regarding the product, and even to call it a "moral concern" it's quite a stretch. Not having political discussions at work was the norm until very recently, the same way having sexual relationships at work was (and still is) frowned up.
- silexia 5y agoI agree, as a customer and a business owner I believe Basecamp made the right choice to get rid of politics in the workplace. They need to focus on improving their business, and arguing these culture wars undermines that. I would never work in a place like Apple or Google that respond to cancel campaigns and give the lynch mobs what they want. I would love to work for Basecamp where the founders say and do what they believe openly. Working at a place that would fire someone for their political opinions even though their work is good would be terrifying.