We were told that alcohol and drugs had played a role in his death, but we weren’t sure how. He had surrounded himself with people who were taking advantage of him. Almost immediately after his death, we began hearing stories about his last year as he embarked on a new vision in a new town, Park City, Utah. His story might have ended there, with the beautiful obituaries published in newspapers and magazines that detailed his life and accomplishments, including where we work as reporters, The Wall Street Journal.īut Tony died under mysterious circumstances at a young age in a shed fire in Connecticut. The following is an adapted excerpt from their book. Tony Hsieh officially left Zappos in August of 2020 and died a few months later at the age of 46. “I think he was constantly seeking, but not always reflecting on his own personal happiness,” said Sayre.Ĭlick the audio player above to listen to hear Ryssdal’s conversation with Grind and Sayre about the life and legacy of Tony Hsieh. In a new book called, “ Happy at any Cost: The Revolutionary Vision and Fatal Quest of Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh ,” Grind and fellow WSJ reporter Katherine Sayre explore the life and ultimate downfall of the famed CEO. “He just, unfortunately, didn’t take care of himself,” said Kirsten Grind, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal in a recent interview with Ryssdal. That mission was the subject of a best-selling book Hsieh wrote called “Delivering Happiness,” which heightened his status as a workplace culture guru. “Over time, we keep expanding the vision, and so our vision and mission now is about delivering happiness to the world,” Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh told “Marketplace” host Kai Ryssdal in a 2010 interview.

The company had become famous for a zany workplace culture centered around “delivering happiness” to customers and employees.

In the 2000s and early 2010s, journalists, academics, and business leaders from all over the world visited the Las Vegas headquarters of the online shoe and clothing retailer Zappos.

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