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One-way Doors

August 26, 2026 · 19 min

Show notes

Not every decision deserves a long deliberation. In this episode, co-founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson look back on 25 years of running 37signals, the handful of decisions that were truly irreversible, and why keeping a loose grip on most business calls has served them better than any spreadsheet ever could.

Key Takeaways

  • 00:11 – The single one-way door decision at 37signals
  • 05:49 – Why most decisions barely take five minutes to make
  • 08:05 – How the sum of right choices matters more than any single one
  • 13:51 – Recognizing when the business stops moving forward
  • 16:41 – Letting go of decisions that didn't pan out

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All episodes of REWORK

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