Former Zappos CEO, Tony Hsieh, dies at 46

Tony Hsieh, the former CEO of Las Vegas-based online shoe retailer Zappos.com and founder of the DTP Companies, dies at age 46.

Recently, Hsieh retired from Zappos after having served as leader for the downtown Las Vegas-based shoe and clothing seller for two decades. He catapulted the shoe company into the big leagues with a sale to Amazon for USD1.2 billion in 2009, but Hsieh had remained with the company until his retirement.

Hsieh graduated from Harvard University and joined the company – then called ShoeSite.com – in 1999. He was entrepreneurial in his investing instincts and subsequently took a more hands-on role in the company which eventually rebranded to Zappos.

For years, he also worked to revitalize downtown Las Vegas, pledging USD350 million in 2013 for redevelopment. In the same year he moved Zappos’ headquarters into the former Las Vegas City Hall building. His vision was not just to be a real estate magnate but to regenerate Vegas to what he knew best which is tech.

The cause of of Hsieh’s death is still under investigation. The news has sent shock waves in the midst of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend with tributes poured out on social media.

“Tony Hsieh played a pivotal role in helping transform Downtown Las Vegas,” Governor Steve Sisolak tweeted.

Supporting this City and the people within it, Tony Hsieh changed the landscape of Downtown Las Vegas, downtown casino owner Derek Stevens also tweeted.