Tony Hsieh rose to become a powerful name in the business scene on December 12, 1973, in Urbana, Illinois. His e-commerce business strategy and commitment to customer service set him as a turning point in history.

Early Life and Education

Born in Urbana, Illinois, Hsieh came from a Taiwanese American household. Richard and Judy Hsieh, his parents, were Taiwanese immigrants who met at the University of Illinois while in graduate school. Tony Hsieh was five years old when the family moved to the Lucas Valley area of Marin County in California. After attending Branson School and subsequently Harvard University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science in 1995, he Hsieh worked at the Quincy House restaurant serving pizza to Harvard undergraduates, a predecessor of his business nature. Fascinatingly, Alfred Lin, one of his regular clients, would eventually be his business partner.

Starting career: Link Exchange

After graduating and starting at Oracle Corporation, Hsieh discovered he was not suited for the corporate environment. With his undergraduate buddies Sanjay Madan and Ali Partovi, he co-founded LinkExchange, a trailblazing ad network in 1996. Under a banner exchange scheme, the site let members promote one another’s websites. The concept grabbed on fast, and by 1998 LinkExchange had five million daily supported rotations and more than 400,000 subscribers. Seeing its promise, Microsoft paid $265 million to LinkExchange in November 1998; Hsieh himself made $40 million on the transaction.

Venture Frogs: Encouragement of creativity

Having LinkExchange under his belt, Hsieh worked with Alfred Lin to develop Venture Frogs, an investment firm and incubator. Among the many software and internet firms the firm funded were Ask Jeeves, OpenTable, and a little online shoe retailer that would expand to be Zappos.

Zappos: Transforming Online Retail

Entrepreneur Nick Swinmurn approached Hsieh and Lin in 1999 about online shoe sales. Originally dubious, Hsieh was convinced by the realization that the $40 billion American footwear market already had a small but noteworthy segment distributed via mail-order catalogs. This realization led to corporate investment under the name Zappos, a reference to “zapatos,” the Spanish word for shoes. Hsieh took over and under his direction Zappos concentrated on exceptional customer service and a distinctive company culture. From $1.6 million in revenues in 2000 to more than $1 billion in 2009, these principles powered the business. Amazon paid roughly $1.2 billion for an all-stock purchase of Zappos in 2009; Hsieh reportedly made $214 million from the deal.

Project Downtown: Bringing Las Vegas Back to Life

Beyond his business successes, Hsieh was driven by urban renewal. He started the $350 million Downtown Project in 2009, meant to turn downtown Las Vegas into a thriving neighborhood. Funding for the project went toward real estate, small enterprises, tech startups, cultural and educational projects, among other endeavors. Hsieh’s goal was to inspire creativity and community right in middle of Las Vegas.

Literary Service: “Delivering Happiness”

Hsieh published “Delivering Happiness,” a book examining his entrepreneurial experience and the Zappos success philosophy, in 2010. The book was a #1 New York Times bestseller, evidence of his belief that long-term success follows from emphasizing staff pleasure and consumer satisfaction.

Net worth and legacy

Hsieh’s net worth at death in November 2020 was probably $850 million. His pioneering work in e-commerce, commitment to corporate culture, and desire to revive urban areas define his legacy as Visionaries and business people all around still find great inspiration in Hsieh’s life and work.

At last

Tony Hsieh, a Harvard graduate turned pizza salesperson turned renowned entrepreneur, emphasizes in his rags-to- riches narrative the value of creativity, customer attention, and community development. His broad legacy attests to how one’s passion as well as community service could be harmonically connected with financial success.