Tony Hsieh
Born 1973 · Age 52
American internet entrepreneur and venture capitalist; co‑founder of LinkExchange, founder of Venture Frogs, longtime CEO of Zappos, author of Delivering Happiness, and founder of the Downtown Project in Las Vegas.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Urbana, Illinois
Anthony Hsieh was born to Taiwanese immigrant parents Richard and Judy Hsieh in Urbana, Illinois.
Family moved to Marin County, California
Hsieh's family relocated to the Lucas Valley area of Marin County when he was five.
Attended Branson School (high school)
Hsieh attended the Branson School in Ross, California (dates not precisely stated; included as an early education milestone).
Won ACM ICPC World Championship with Harvard team
Member of Harvard University team that placed first at the 1993 ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest.
Operated Quincy House grill selling pizza at Harvard
Managed the dorm pizza/grill business at Quincy House while at Harvard; met Alfred Lin there, who became a longtime business partner.
Joined Oracle Corporation as software engineer
Started first post‑college job at Oracle; left after about five months to pursue entrepreneurship.
Graduated Harvard University (BA in Computer Science)
Received a bachelor's degree in computer science from Harvard University.
First growth milestone for LinkExchange
Found first 30 clients by direct e‑mailing webmasters shortly after launch.
LinkExchange early traction: 20,000 pages and 10M ad displays
Within 90 days of launch LinkExchange had over 20,000 participating web pages and banner ads displayed over 10 million times.
Launched LinkExchange (co‑founder & CEO)
Co‑founded LinkExchange, an Internet advertising network, with Sanjay Madan and Ali Partovi; Hsieh served as CEO. Launched in March 1996.
LinkExchange scaled to 400,000 members
By 1998 LinkExchange had over 400,000 members and rotated about 5 million ads daily.
Founded Venture Frogs (incubator & investment firm)
After the LinkExchange sale Hsieh co‑founded Venture Frogs with Alfred Lin to invest in and incubate startups.
Sold LinkExchange to Microsoft
Microsoft acquired LinkExchange in November 1998 in a deal valued at $265 million; Hsieh personally netted approximately $40 million from the sale.
Venture Frogs investments in multiple tech startups
Through Venture Frogs Hsieh invested in companies such as Ask Jeeves, OpenTable, and Zappos among others (Venture Frogs invested in ~20 companies).
Invested in Zappos via Venture Frogs
Hsieh and Alfred Lin invested in Nick Swinmurn's online footwear startup (initially ShoeSite.com), which would become Zappos.
Joined Zappos as CEO
Two months after investing, Hsieh transitioned from investor/advisor to CEO of Zappos and began leading the company.
Zappos early sales milestone
Zappos reported $1.6 million in total sales in 2000 (early revenue measure after Hsieh became CEO).
Zappos annual sales ≈ $265M (company growth milestone)
By 2005 Zappos had grown substantially; sources list about $265 million in sales for the company that year.
Zappos co‑founder Nick Swinmurn left the company
Founding CEO Nick Swinmurn departed Zappos in 2006; Hsieh continued as CEO.
Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year (Northern California)
Hsieh received the Ernst & Young regional Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2007.
Media & press profile on Zappos/customer service
Hsieh and Zappos were covered widely in media for innovative customer service models and culture; Hsieh became a sought‑after business culture speaker.
Appeared on Celebrity Apprentice
In March 2009 Hsieh appeared on Celebrity Apprentice and engaged teams in a Zappos marketing challenge.
Amazon announced acquisition of Zappos
Amazon announced it would acquire Zappos in a deal valued at approximately $1.2 billion (announcement date July 22, 2009).
Amazon closes Zappos acquisition
Deal closure reported in November 2009; Hsieh's proceeds from the sale were widely reported (estimates vary; many cite at least $214M to Hsieh personally).
Keynote / high‑profile speaking appearances
Hsieh delivered keynote presentations and high‑profile media interviews in 2010 promoting his culture philosophy (photo caption notes a 2010 keynote).
Delivering Happiness widely profiled
Hsieh's book was profiled across major outlets (Washington Post, CNBC, TechCrunch, WSJ) and contributed to his reputation as a workplace culture guru.
Published 'Delivering Happiness' (NYT #1 debut)
Hsieh published Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion and Purpose; it debuted at No.1 on the NYT Best Seller List and remained for 27 weeks.
Joined JetSuite board and led $7M investment
Hsieh joined the board of private jet company JetSuite and led a $7 million investment round enabling the purchase of two Embraer Phenom 100 jets.
Relocated Zappos HQ and began downtown Las Vegas involvement
Hsieh moved much of Zappos operations to Henderson and then led a major relocation and renovation of downtown Las Vegas properties (including renting former City Hall) to house Zappos and catalyze neighborhood redevelopment.
Launched Downtown Project (DTP) as investment vehicle
Hsieh launched the Downtown Project (DTP) to revitalize downtown Las Vegas using a mix of real estate, small business, tech startups and cultural investments (project development ramped up after 2009 plans).
DTP funded community projects such as The Writer's Block
Downtown Project funded local initiatives including The Writer's Block, Las Vegas's first independent bookseller, among restaurants and small businesses.
Implemented holacracy at Zappos (organizational change)
Zappos adopted holacracy and experimented with removing traditional job titles and hierarchy around this time, reflecting Hsieh's belief in employee self‑organization.
Zappos featured repeatedly on 'best companies to work for' lists
Under Hsieh's leadership Zappos was often listed in Fortune's best companies to work for, recognized for culture and customer service.
Public estimate: $350M invested in Downtown Project (cumulative)
Journalistic reporting estimated Hsieh poured roughly $350 million of his wealth into the Downtown Project redevelopment by this period.
Spoke to CNBC about Downtown Project reflections
Hsieh gave interviews (e.g., CNBC Aug 2016) reflecting on lessons and regrets about investing in downtown Las Vegas.
Downtown Project development continues (apartments added around 2018)
DTP continued development; reporting notes apartment buildings were added to downtown redevelopment around 2018.
Reported estate and posthumous asset notes
Reports in the year following his death noted extensive property holdings in Las Vegas and Park City; news outlets described large claims and legal filings against his estate.
Medical examiner rules death accidental (cause: smoke inhalation)
Official determination that smoke inhalation was the cause of death; news sources also reported possible contributions from drugs/nitrous oxide.
Purchased multiple Park City, Utah properties
After stepping down from Zappos, Hsieh bought several properties in Park City with a combined market value reported around $56 million.
Retired as CEO of Zappos
Hsieh retired as CEO of Zappos on August 24, 2020 after 21 years as CEO.
Injured in New London, Connecticut house fire (rescued)
Hsieh was injured in a house fire in New London on Nov 18, 2020 and was rescued and transported to the Connecticut Burn Center at Bridgeport Hospital.
Died from smoke inhalation
Hsieh died at Bridgeport Hospital on November 27, 2020 from smoke inhalation; the Connecticut medical examiner ruled the death accidental.
Key Achievement Ages
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