Zappos

16 Stories

In the Year Before Tony Hsieh's Death, an Unraveling

The 'Wall Street Journal' looks at the Zappos founder's life in Park City, Utah

(Newser) - By now, you've likely heard the grim story of Tony Hsieh, the Zappos founder who died of smoke inhalation after being pulled from an on-fire shed in a Connecticut yard in November. Relying on interviews, personal documents, public and court records, emails, and more, the Wall Street Journal digs...

Zappos Founder Locked Self in Shed Before Deadly Fire

Investigators say blaze may have been intentional

(Newser) - The fire that killed Zappos founder Tony Hsieh in November may not have been accidentally set, investigators in Connecticut say, though they have given its cause as undetermined. Fire investigators say security video captured the 46-year-old peering out the door of a pool storage shed; smoke could be seen behind...

The Zappos Visionary Was 'in Trouble' When He Died

Tony Hsieh, a grandiose dreamer, was indulging in extreme behavior

(Newser) - The visionary who co-founded Zappos fell into a spiral of extreme behavior—including drugs, alcohol, and self-starvation—before dying last month in a house fire, the Wall Street Journal reports. "Tony is in trouble," an insider warned one of Tony Hsieh's old friends. Indeed, people say Hsieh...

Cause of Death for Zappos Visionary Revealed

Tony Hsieh died of smoke inhalation

(Newser) - The cause of death for former Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh, who died Friday at age 46 , was revealed by the medical examiner's office Monday. Hsieh, who was hospitalized after a Connecticut house fire Nov. 18 and never recovered, died from complications of smoke inhalation, the Hartford Courant reports. His...

Zappos Visionary Dead at 46
Zappos Visionary
Dead at 46
OBITUARY
Nov 29, 2020 7:33 AM CST

Zappos Visionary Dead at 46

Tony Hsieh dies of injuries sustained in a house fire

(Newser) - Tony Hseih, the Zappos visionary who convinced skeptical Americans to buy shoes online without trying them on, paid new employees to quit, and lived in an Airstream, has died at the age of 46 from complications from a house fire, reports the Wall Street Journal . Fire officials in New London,...

Zappos Says Its Customer Service Reps Will Talk About Anything

They're helping callers deal with pandemic woes

(Newser) - Online shoe and clothing retailer Zappos says it realizes people in these troubled times have worries that go far beyond footwear—and its customer service reps are ready to help. In April, the company, finding that callers found small talk with their reps reassuring, started encouraging people to call for...

Zappos Offers to Pay for All 58 Vegas Funerals

Company will also donate up to $1M

(Newser) - All 58 people killed in the mass shooting in Las Vegas could have their funerals paid for by Zappos. After paying a total of $20,000 to three families struggling to cover funeral costs, the Las Vegas-based online retailer offered Thursday to cover the same costs for all those killed...

18% of Employees Quit After Zappos Gets Rid of Bosses

Zappos spokesperson says getting used to the new system has been 'weird'

(Newser) - People like to complain about their bosses, but maybe bosses are a necessary evil. Back in 2013, online retailer Zappos announced it was getting rid of managers and job titles in favor of a new work culture that sounds, frankly, a little work cultish . When the change actually came last...

Zappos' Bizarre Work Culture Will Blow Your Mind

 Zappos' Bizarre 
 Work Culture 
 Will Blow 
 Your Mind 
in case you missed it
Oct 11, 2015 10:03 AM CDT

Zappos' Bizarre Work Culture Will Blow Your Mind

CEO thinks no bosses, new lingo, and flexible rules will revolutionize workplace

(Newser) - Amazon may have acquired Zappos six years ago, but it's likely the work culture at the latter is dramatically different from that of the former. That's because Zappos, under the direction of CEO Tony Hsieh, is pioneering a total revamp of its workplace, including getting rid of all...

Inside the New Boss-Free World of Zappos

Join a circle!

(Newser) - Earlier this month brought the news that 14% of the Zappos workforce—210 employees—was exiting the company rather than taking part in the manager-free "Holacracy" system being adopted by Zappos. The Wall Street Journal takes a look at the initial new landscape; the full shift is expected to...

210 Zappos Workers Leave Over No-Boss System

14% take buyout instead of embracing 'Holacracy'

(Newser) - Workers may gripe about bosses, but apparently they like having them. More than 200 employees at online retailer Zappos accepted a buyout plan rather than take part in the company's radical dismantling of the traditional management system, reports the Las Vegas Sun . That accounts for about 14% of the...

Zappos Does Away With Job Titles, Managers
 Zappos Does 
 Away With Job 
 Titles, Managers 
in case you missed it
Jan 4, 2014 6:59 AM CST

Zappos Does Away With Job Titles, Managers

Retailer turns to 'holacratic' model

(Newser) - Online retailer Zappos is making a dramatic change to its company hierarchy—in fact, it's getting rid of it. CEO Tony Hsieh explained to employees last month that the company was ditching job titles and management positions in favor of a system known as "Holacracy." The term,...

Kanye Wants Big Favor From Anna Wintour

Meanwhile, he gets in a hilarious feud with Zappos

(Newser) - Kanye West just wants a little, tiny, eensy-beensy favor from Anna Wintour: for her to put his fiance on the cover of Vogue. He so badly wants Kim Kardashian to grace the cover that he recently got editor Wintour and the magazine's creative director, Grace Coddington, seats to his...

Zappos Hacked, 24M Customers Vulnerable

Company turns off phones, anticipating customer response

(Newser) - Online retail giant Zappos announced yesterday that it has been hacked, with the attackers gaining access to some 24 million customer accounts, reports the Observer . The company's president said that the hacker did not gain access to credit card information, but the attacker did gain "access to parts...

Cold Weather Means Hot Demand for Soup, Boots

Plummeting temperatures lead to marketing opportunities

(Newser) - When the weather turns cold, retailers swing into action, targeting ads toward areas where the mercury's dropping—even in normally temperate markets like Florida. “Marketing into a situation that's favorable for your product” is the key, one analyst tells Advertising Age . Take Campbell’s Soup, which uses a “...

Amazon Buys Rival Zappos for About $900M

(Newser) - If you can't beat 'em, buy 'em. Amazon is shelling out about $900 million in cash and stock to purchase rival online retailer Zappos, reports TechCrunch. Zappos specializes in shoes, and the investment—the biggest in Amazon's 14-year history—suggests Jeff Bezos is looking to shore up his company's less-than-stellar...

16 Stories