Former Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh Dies At 46

Tony Hsieh, the former CEO of Zappos, has died.

What Happened: It is being widely reported that Hsieh died on Friday from injuries sustained in a house fire while visiting Connecticut.

He was 46 years old.

Hsieh led the pioneering shoe retail site Zappos for 20 years, having joined it in 1999 when it was called ShoeSite.com. 

Amazon.com AMZN bought Zappos in 2009 for $1.2 billion.

Hsieh also was known for his efforts in revitalizating in downtown Las Vegas, for which he invested $350 million.

Hailed As A Visionary: "The world has lost a tremendous visionary and an incredible human being. We recognize that not only have we lost our inspiring former leader, but many of you have also lost a mentor and a friend," Zappos said in a statement posted on its site.

Tech investor Chris Sacca described Tsieh as an original thinker, joining other leaders in the tech investment community who shared words of loss on social media.

Tony Hsieh might be the most original thinker I’ve ever been friends with. He questioned every assumption and shared everything he learned along the way. He genuinely delighted in making anyone and everyone happy. The earth has lost a beautifully weird and helpful person. RIP

— Chris Sacca

Tony Hsieh was one of the most thoughtful people in the startup world, in both senses of the word.

— Paul Graham (@paulg) November 28, 2020

What a loss. Tony was such a great human. And a great friend (to so many). So many ways he's influenced me and I don't even know where to begin.

— Alexis Ohanian Sr. 7️⃣7️⃣6️⃣ (@alexisohanian) November 28, 2020