Leaving Las Vegas

Tony Hsieh, re:Invent, Nicolas Cage and building great companies

If you need to take your mind off of 2020, watch the movie Leaving Las Vegas. This movie from 1995 features Nicolas Cage in his last (and perhaps only) outstanding performance. After watching his character progressively drink himself to death, I can assure you 2020 will not seem so depressing.

Las Vegas has been on my mind for another reason of late. Tony Hsieh, founder of LinkExchange and Zappos and all-around good human, passed away over the weekend from injures sustained in a house fire. He was 46 years old.

Over a decade ago, a friend of mine suggested a book called Delivering Happiness authored by Tony. I do not remember the context as to why. This was after my failed startup, so I was not inclined to read about someone else’s startup story. I did read it though and it led me to think deeply about what I really wanted in life and what I wanted to achieve professionally.

I do not have any personal stories about Tony Hsieh and never met him in person. However, I did feel a connection in spirit over his ideas about having purpose, the desire to learn, and the importance of culture.

“What’s the best way to build a brand for the long term? In a word: culture.”