Tony Hsieh, former boss of the online shoe store Zappos, died Friday, November 27, at the age of 46, the company’s website reports. Mr. Hsieh died of injuries sustained in a house fire on November 18 in New London, Connecticut (northeast), according to several US media on Saturday.
“Although Tony retired last summer, we know how huge an impact he had on Zappos (…)because he has spent the last twenty years focusing on the success of the company and its employees ”Zappos current chief executive officer (CEO) Kedar Deshpande said in a message posted on the company’s homepage.
He had made this start-up created in 1999 grow, to sell it for around $ 1.2 billion – part of it in shares – to the giant Amazon in 2009. It was then the most expensive investment made by the giant of the online sales. Zappos was run until last summer by Tony Hsieh, who then retired.
“A management guru”
It was “Became a frequently cited and studied management guru, offering free shipping of shoes and persuading millions to buy them online”, at a time when online sales were still in their infancy, notes the Wall Street Journal Saturday.
“In the early days of online retailing, he realized that the key to success was making people feel safe and comfortable shopping on the Internet.”, according to New York Times.
Tony Hsieh was also at the origin in 2012 of a vast project of restructuring and revitalization of the center of Las Vegas (Nevada).
“The world loses you too soon”, regretted on Instagram the boss of Amazon, Jeff Bezos. “Your curiosity, your vision and your constant attention to customers leave an indelible mark. ” The President’s daughter and advisor, Donald Trump, Ivanka, also praised the memory of his “Dear friend Tony”, on Twitter.
