Book · 2006 · Web sites, design
Getting Real
- mentions
- 5
- people
- 2
- podcasts
- 3
- episodes
- 3
- recommendations
- 0
All the chapters in Getting Real, most of them are half a page. Some of them are three paragraphs.
David Heinemeier Hansson · David Senra · Jul 2026 The best things said about it
So even going back to Getting Real it's like 90 short pieces and that's the same thing in Rework and Remote and It Doesn't Have to Be Crazy at Work.
Where and when it comes up
Most mentions, by podcast
Why people recommend it
Getting Real by 37 Signals, Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson, and Matthew Linderman is a manifesto outlining a smarter, leaner approach to building software and running a business without unnecessary bloat. On David Senra, David Heinemeier Hansson and the host discussed the book's radical brevity, noting that most chapters span only half a page or a few paragraphs, with Heinemeier Hansson expressing a desire for modern business writing to return to such concise formatting by default. Heinemeier Hansson also appeared on My First Million to highlight Getting Real as their foundational text from 1999, asserting that its core operational philosophies continue to hold up remarkably well years later while noting that the team drew inspiration from it when creating subsequent works. On How I Write, David Perell mentioned Getting Real to underscore the short-form, digestible piece style that became a trademark across the authors' bibliography, including Rework and Remote. Through these podcast conversations, the creators and hosts reflected on the enduring value of the book's minimalist philosophy, emphasizing that stripping away excess page count and corporate complexity helps founders focus strictly on what matters most for building profitable, resilient, and manageable enterprises.
Every mention
David Heinemeier Hansson All the chapters in Getting Real, most of them are half a page. Some of them are three paragraphs. 4
“All the chapters in Getting Real, most of them are half a page. Some of them are three paragraphs.”
“where I read chapters we wrote for Getting Real back in 2006, and I think, Damn it. I wish they came out that brief by default today.”
“Getting Real, the first book, that manifesto from '99, Rework from 2010, a lot of that stuff still holds up”
“We took a fair bit of inspiration for both Getting Real and for Rework.”
David Perell So even going back to Getting Real it's like 90 short pieces and that's the same thing in Rework and Remote… 1
“So even going back to Getting Real it's like 90 short pieces and that's the same thing in Rework and Remote and It Doesn't Have to Be Crazy at Work.”
Other mentions (3: passing, ad reads, own books)
“And we have in our books as well, we have our email address in our books.”
“So, Getting Real was in the early days. I think we published that in 2006 maybe. I don't remember exactly when that was, but it was pretty early on.”
“That's what Getting Real was. It was a series of recipes for how we think about building software.”