Does anyone know how his "The Downtown Project" (aka Vegas revitalization) is going?
According to the newspapers, poorly. Very little to show for it.
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
#12I 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
Re: Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh is stepping down after 21 years
#13I 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.
Indeed, and they've been owned by Amazon since 2009.
Re: Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh is stepping down after 21 years
#14One of my favorite (and definitely my Mom’s favorite) parts of Zappos is the hand written note that they send with each pair of shoes. My mom is an avid walker and she loves comfortable shoes so most birthdays and Christmas’s I send her a pair from Zappos. The hand written note is such a nice touch for such a big business (especially from a parent company like Amazon- the anti-personalizer) that it makes the gift of…
I’ve never seen a note in my zappos order. Have I been inadvertently throwing away these notes for years?
Re: Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh is stepping down after 21 years
#15One of my favorite (and definitely my Mom’s favorite) parts of Zappos is the hand written note that they send with each pair of shoes. My mom is an avid walker and she loves comfortable shoes so most birthdays and Christmas’s I send her a pair from Zappos. The hand written note is such a nice touch for such a big business (especially from a parent company like Amazon- the anti-personalizer) that it makes the gift of…
I’ve never seen a note in my zappos order. Have I been inadvertently throwing away these notes for years?
I haven't either. Is it possible it's a "this is a gift" option?
Re: Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh is stepping down after 21 years
#16Does 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.
Re: Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh is stepping down after 21 years
#17I 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.
2015 was the year you personally started paying attention:
https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&geo=US&q=z...
Re: Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh is stepping down after 21 years
#18Does anyone know how his "The Downtown Project" (aka Vegas revitalization) is going?
Very poorly. VTF folks have also moved on.
Re: Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh is stepping down after 21 years
#19I've always heard mixed feelings about Tony. I wonder if there are any HNers who have a perspective they'd like to share.
I interviewed there in 2007, and I got about 45 minutes with him. He's definitely really smart, and seems honest...but has some ideas that are pretty polarizing. It was clear to me in the first 5 minutes that I wouldn't fit in.
Over the rest of the interview with various folks there was a distinct split of believers and "yeah this place is weird, but I can't leave just yet" groups. Pretty clearly it works though.
Edit: One example. It's minor, but indicative of the weirdness. As a "visitor/interviewee", I was obligated to carry around a 6 foot flagpole with a sizable Zappos flag on it for the several hours I was there. Not a deal breaker by itself, but odd enough I knew the place wasn't for me, because there was probably more of the same coming. Maybe it was some kind of test?
Re: Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh is stepping down after 21 years
#20I've always heard mixed feelings about Tony. I wonder if there are any HNers who have a perspective they'd like to share.
We share a mutual friend. Got a private tour of Zappos after they moved to Vegas.
Seems like a good guy. The office experience is very unique.
He also has a comic book: https://www.amazon.com/Delivering-Happiness-Profits-Passion-...