The Cost of Happiness: Tony Hsieh

Imperative Entertainment and Vespucci

Billionaire Zappos founder and tech CEO Tony Hsieh was obsessed with happiness and helping people achieve it. After running “the world’s happiest company” for two decades, Hsieh created his experimental community — The Downtown Project — dedicated to pursuing happiness. But what do Tony's life and death reveal about Silicon Valley’s obsession with re-imagining how society functions? "A gripping tale" - The Guardian The Cost Of Happiness is reported and hosted by Nastaran Tavakoli-Far. It is produced by Charlie Towler. Cover art and design by Jeana Sullivan. The story editor is Meara Sharma, and Thomas Curry is the managing producer. Scoring and sound-design by Charlie Brandon-King. For Imperative Entertainment, the executive producer is Jason Hoch, and for Vespucci, the executive producers are Daniel Turcan, Johnny Galvin, and Matt Willis. read less

Our Editor's Take

The Cost of Happiness: Tony Hsieh tells the fascinating story of the future workplace. Tony Hsieh wasn't satisfied with running a place dubbed "the world's happiest company." So he started to build a new world. The tale that follows has many surprising turns, with equal parts utopia and paranoia. Listeners will learn how Tony lived and died and the impact of the legacy he left behind.

Tony's humble beginnings didn't foreshadow his future as a millionaire CEO. He was born in Illinois in 1973 to Taiwanese immigrants. After graduating from Harvard, Tony started his first company, LinkExchange. Several years later, he agreed to be the CEO of the online shoe company Zappos. Then, in 2009, Tony started the Downtown Project in Las Vegas. He created it as a place for his employees to work and live. It soon opened to other tech workers and entrepreneurs. Tony's Delivering Happiness was a New York Times bestseller in 2010. But his dream ended in 2020 when he died in a fire.

On the surface, the story of Tony Hseih seems simple enough. A young man rises to the heights of success and then dies a tragic death while still young. But what more does his tale reveal? What does it tell listeners about personal well-being or the hustling lifestyle? How did his revolutionizing workplace culture change the way people think about happiness? Host Nastaran Tavakoli-Far answers these questions in each addictive episode.

Anyone entering Zappos' office in 2000 could see employees dressed as Spider-Man racing toy cars. Tony considered creating fun and weirdness among his core values. He worked hard to instill those values and celebrate each person's individuality. But could he build a desert utopia? One person recalls how intoxicating it felt to be part of the Downtown Project. Soon, fear set in. What seemed a place of unicorns and rainbows became strained and uneasy.

On The Cost of Happiness: Tony Hsieh podcast, Nastaran contemplates Tony's vision and life. Listeners will hear about the seductive call of utopia. They'll also learn what to beware of when someone offers paradise.

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Society & CultureSociety & Culture

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