37signals once built software I loved. Salesforce builds software I loath. 37signals could have been great -- a Salesforce with wonderful software -- but the CEO is happier to pat himself on the back and brag about laziness. That's my logic. Do you feel that I am incorrect?
I agree with what you. His style of running a business as likely maximized his personal happiness, and possibly his employees.
But I would have liked to see him say "we could have been far more profitable, but we didn't care about that, so we limited hours and didn't hire salespeople." Instead what I hear him saying is "we are the best business we could be, because we limit hours."
Their true potential was to be a 50 billion dollar public company, in my opinion. I could be wrong. There are more important things in life than money, of course. But I felt they chose to leave too many chips on the table.
I felt that with their ideas, talent, and overall ability, they could have been a company useful to society as Google. Instead, they have focused on their niche and done very well. It was their choice to stay small and avoid greatness, and I don't criticize them for it, but I think that bragging about it all over the place is a little tasteless.
This guy could have built the next Salesforce / google. but he eschewed hiring a sales team. He didn't want that, but still. Failing to achieve your true potential is not something to be bragging about all over the web.