Why We're Dropping Basecamp
a day ago
- Duke University Libraries decided to stop using Basecamp after nearly a decade due to concerns about the leadership of parent company 37signals, whose founder published posts celebrating the end of affirmative action and referring to George Floyd protests as 'riots'.
- The decision was revisited after a 2021 discussion where they initially chose not to cancel, but the founder's 2023 blog posts re-escalated concerns about values conflicting with Duke Libraries' commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
- The library staff acknowledged the inconvenience of migrating projects but prioritized principles over convenience, as they have experience dealing with harmful corporate entities and are not naive about the impact of business choices.
- The post emphasizes that the decision is based on the founder's rhetoric, not on any specific product flaws, and that they have alternative productivity platforms available.