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Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh is stepping down after 21 years

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Re: Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh is stepping down after 21 years

#21

Post by jerlam »

A few years back, I went to their office tour in Vegas, and I've read Hsieh's book, which doesn't cover much of the post-Amazon years.

It seemed pretty clear to me that Zappos was in decline as an independent entity. Fulfillment was already gone. They were in the middle of removing their product photography team. A section of their office was being used as a community co-working space. There were fun quirky office areas but completely devoid of employees. It wasn't clear if Zappos did anything beyond customer service. I don't know if Tony Hsieh could really call himself a CEO anymore under Amazon's thumb.

Zappos was really proud of their long weird onboarding process. They stress over and over their core values. You write and perform a skit about those core values to the company when you "graduate". At the end, if you don't think Zappos is the place for you, they'll pay you a few thousand dollars to leave. I'd imagine that people who aren't completely in love with the company would never go through this process.

Re: Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh is stepping down after 21 years

#22

Post by ryandrake »

bluedevil2k wrote: post #16
ipsum2 wrote: post #6

Does anyone know how his "The Downtown Project" (aka Vegas revitalization) is going?

Have you driven the blocks around downtown Vegas lately? It's very seedy, full of pawn shops and payday lending stores, liquor stores and closed stores. Streets are dirty, numerous homeless people. I admire his goal of revitalizing it, but it didn't work.

It's too bad, because I really wish Vegas could somehow magically turn into a tech jobs hub. It's got a lot going for it: No state income tax. Cheap housing. Minimal regulation. Cheap, relatively private LLCs. World class restaurants. World class entertainment/shows (even if touristy). Casinos, if you're into it. If NorCal is a heaven for people who like outdoor activities, then Vegas is the heaven for people who like the indoors. The only down side is it's really hot, but going indoors fixes this.

If my employer opened an office anywhere near Las Vegas, I'd list my house and call the moving truck the next day.

Re: Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh is stepping down after 21 years

#23

Post by obmelvin »

ipsum2 wrote: post #6

Does anyone know how his "The Downtown Project" (aka Vegas revitalization) is going?

I visited Detroit in May 2016 and was very taken aback by the revitalization. Granted, it was Memorial Day weekend + Movement Festival [0] so the city was certainly not in it's normal day-to-day look, but Dan Gilbert's money [1] appeared well spent to the eyes of a visitor. I learned about it from talking to my Lyft drivers, who all seemed to think positively about the effort.

[0] great techno music in the genre's birthplace

[1] Founder of Quicken Loans - recent article with some extra context https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/2020/07/09/dan-gi...

Re: Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh is stepping down after 21 years

#24

Post by icelancer »

willio58 wrote: post #2

I've always heard mixed feelings about Tony. I wonder if there are any HNers who have a perspective they'd like to share.

I know him a little. He's as-expected based on all the writings on him, as most people will tell you. He's weird. Works his ass off. "Good" to his employees if you're into the cult-ish like environment he's about.

Completely tanked DT Las Vegas project, but that was easy to call. Way out of his skillset.

A pretty good guy I think. Always followed through with promises to the best of his abilities, never did me wrong. Just a weirdo. Which ain't so bad.

Re: Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh is stepping down after 21 years

#25

Post by pb7 »

jerlam wrote: post #21

A few years back, I went to their office tour in Vegas, and I've read Hsieh's book, which doesn't cover much of the post-Amazon years. It seemed pretty clear to me that Zappos was in decline as an independent entity. Fulfillment was already gone. They were in the middle of removing their product photography team. A section of their office was being used as a community co-working space. There were fun quirky office ar…

Interviewed there for an internship way back. It's basically a cult. I was relieved to find out other companies to be expectedly normal after having Zappos be my introduction to the professional world.

Re: Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh is stepping down after 21 years

#27

Post by egfx »

jaxx75 wrote: post #12
war1025 wrote: post #5

I had no idea they were a 20 year old company. I assumed they were a fresh startup around 2015 or so when they started getting a lot of media traction. Maybe I was just out of the loop, but that's really surprising to me.

You should read Delivering Happiness

This is a good guide for the young aspiring entrepreneur as well as an autobiography. He made a self narrated audio version that I highly recommend. It adds depth to hear his story narrated in his own voice.

Re: Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh is stepping down after 21 years

#28

Post by segmondy »

obmelvin wrote: post #23
ipsum2 wrote: post #6

Does anyone know how his "The Downtown Project" (aka Vegas revitalization) is going?

I visited Detroit in May 2016 and was very taken aback by the revitalization. Granted, it was Memorial Day weekend + Movement Festival [0] so the city was certainly not in it's normal day-to-day look, but Dan Gilbert's money [1] appeared well spent to the eyes of a visitor. I learned about it from talking to my Lyft drivers, who all seemed to think positively about the effort. [0] great techno music in the genre's bi…

It looks even much better than 2016 at least earlier this year before the pandemic. Haven't been there since the shutdown.

Re: Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh is stepping down after 21 years

#29

Post by modeless »

ryandrake wrote: post #22
bluedevil2k wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you driven the blocks around downtown Vegas lately? It's very seedy, full of pawn shops and payday lending stores, liquor stores and closed stores. Streets are dirty, numerous homeless people. I admire his goal of revitalizing it, but it didn't work.

It's too bad, because I really wish Vegas could somehow magically turn into a tech jobs hub. It's got a lot going for it: No state income tax. Cheap housing. Minimal regulation. Cheap, relatively private LLCs. World class restaurants. World class entertainment/shows (even if touristy). Casinos, if you're into it. If NorCal is a heaven for people who like outdoor activities, then Vegas is the heaven for people who lik…

I probably wouldn't mind Vegas except for one extremely important thing. The whole place reeks of cigarettes and I can't stand it. I don't ever want to live in a place where indoor smoking is legal.
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