The Trappings of Unchecked Striving: Zappos and Tony Hsieh’s Tragic Death

A few weeks ago, Zappos founder and CEO Tony Hsieh tragically died in a house fire. It is unclear whether the death was accidental, if Hsieh was intoxicated at the time, or if he locked himself in a room. What is clear is that during the last few months of his life, Hsieh was spiraling downward into substance abuse (nitrous oxide) and biohacking (starvation and nonsensical sleep schedules), while at the same time latching onto utopian fantasies. This somber but important episode takes Hsieh’s devastating story as an inroad to explore how even the smartest, kindest, most optimistic souls can all too easily veer off the path, and how if we are not careful, we can too.

Forbes article on Hsieh’s “American Tragedy of Self-Destruction” mentioned in the show.

Brad’s new post on a toxic culture that says you should be happy and healthy always.

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