37signals is a web products company, most famous for Basecamp. Ruby on Rails came out of there.
I don't know if their generosity to their employees translates to their bottom line. I think it works the other way: they are profitable enough that they can afford to be generous to their employees. The 37signals model seems to be: 1) have amazing people working for you 2) treat them really well. It's highly effective, but you need to have cash in the bank to get to step 1.
Almost all their products are SAAS offerings in consumer internet. Flagship product being the project management and online collaboration software - basecamp (http://basecamp.com/ ) . They make money from subscriptions, and target the long tail.
I don't know if their generosity to their employees translates to their bottom line. I think it works the other way: they are profitable enough that they can afford to be generous to their employees. The 37signals model seems to be: 1) have amazing people working for you 2) treat them really well. It's highly effective, but you need to have cash in the bank to get to step 1.