Basecamp’s co-founder and CEO Jason Fried thinks email gets a bad rap.
“It feels great to get an email from someone you care about. Or a newsletter you enjoy. Or an update from a service you love. That’s how email used to feel all the time,” Fried said in a statement. “Now email feels like a chore, rather than a joy. Something you fall behind on. Something you clear out, not cherish. Rather than delight in it, you deal with it. Your relationship with email changed, and you didn’t have a say.”
So, he is launching HEY, “a redo, a rethink, a simplified, potent reintroduction of email” for web, iOS and Android users. The product is reportedly scheduled to launch in April and those interested in getting an invitation to try it out can email their story on "how you feel about email" to [email protected].
Fried took to Twitter this week, introducing both HEY and Basecamp 4, a newer version of the Chicago-based project management platform that he says will be released 2021.
Apparently, HEY is already gaining some momentum. Fried tweeted again on Friday that, less than 24 hours after his announcement, around 13,000 people have joined the invite list.
“We’re floored, and thoroughly encouraged,” Fried wrote. “It’s inspiring to see so many people take the time and make the effort. We have a lot to live up to. We’re on it!”
