Happy at Any Cost

March 1, 2022

Grind and Sayre's book about Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh (who died in 2020) explores his contributions to Las Vegas, as well as his personal struggles, by means of a comparison to the investor Howard Hughes, who arrived in Vegas in 1966 and never left the top floor of the Desert Inn; by 1970, Hughes was Nevada's largest private employer and largest owner of casinos, but his storied reclusiveness was an odd note in the life of a man known for parties. Grind and Sayre argue that the legacy of Hsieh's Zappos tenure was a management style famously focused on whimsy, fun, and kindness, even as the ghost of Hughes hung over Hsieh's private life and mental illness. Hsieh's pre-Zappos tech career is covered early on, but the book largely focuses on the last two years of his life, when Hsieh hid substance addiction and massive spending sprees. Beyond their discussion of Hsieh's tragic death and legacy, Grind and Sayre also provide insight on the larger issue of mental illness and addiction hidden under Silicon Valley's sunny surface. VERDICT Unlike most tech entrepreneur biographies, which are often hagiographies of a singular genius, Grind and Sayre's volume focuses on a flawed man struggling to make happiness part of his business and his life.--John Rodzvilla

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March 28, 2022
Wall Street Journal reporters Grind (The Lost Bank) and Sayre cover the meteoric rise and tragic death of Tony Hsieh (1973–2020), CEO of Zappos, in this gripping cautionary tale of the dangers of “putting so much blind faith in our leaders, no matter how inspiring they may be.” Hsieh founded Zappos in 1999, and the company quickly became a success. But around 2019, the authors write, the “standard silliness” that was a part of Zappos’s culture became “downright puzzling” as Hsieh’s drinking and drug use increased. This led to a stint in rehab that seemed successful, but afterward Hsieh became intensely committed to exercise to the point, the authors posit, where it was a function of his mania, which quickly grew into paranoia. Hsieh moved into a shed on the grounds of his Connecticut home, where a propane space heater is believed to have caused the fire that killed him. The authors expand their discussion of Hsieh’s mental health issues to consider them in a wider context: one researcher, for instance, found that “entrepreneurs were twice as likely to have depression, three times more likely to have a substance use disorder, six times as likely to have ADHD, and eleven times as likely to have bipolar disorder” as nonentrepreneurs. This makes for an eye-opening look at the dark side of success. Agent: Todd Shuster, Aevitas Creative Management.