In an exclusive excerpt from Wonder Boy, Zappos’ charismatic founder paid a sycophantic circle of acolytes outrageous salaries—and absurd 10 percent commissions—to deliver him happiness during the last weeks of his life.
to be drug-related. But his self-destructive spiral was evident months earlier in the utopian community he tried to build in Park City, Utah. In this exclusive excerpt fromHsieh began paying millions of dollars to a sycophantic circle of acolytes in a desperate attempt to deliver him happiness during the last weeks of his life.had already come and gone by the time the 46-year-old Zappos CEO had bought a ranch in Park City, Utah.
One solution Andy came up with was to bring in people he could trust to watch after Tony. As it happened, Andy knew that his brother had wanted to work with their longtime friend Tony Lee for a while. Lee had spearheaded Wells Fargo’s loans to Zappos in 2003 when the company was close to bankruptcy. Since then, Lee had worked at a number of smaller banks before settling in Texas to manage the finances of the Bass family, the oil dynasty worth more than $5 billion.
In the weeks following his release from the hospital, Hsieh had become focused on the study of biohacking to increase his personal output. He became convinced that inhaling nitrous oxide was a way to heighten his blood oxygen levels and eliminate the need for sleep. Better known as laughing gas for its use at dental offices, nitrous oxide is commercially available as an everyday kitchen item: the cartridges used in whipped cream machines, known as Whip-Its.
While Hsieh was initially seen at mealtimes and held meetings in various rooms at the ranch to discuss the stream of projects being pitched to him, he gradually started spending more time in his bedroom, and would hold court while sitting in bed, surrounded by nitrous oxide canisters. “His room looked like a homeless shelter,” his brother Andy said later.
But the philosophy of 10X remained and morphed into something else over the summer when Hsieh began demanding that everything be achieved in multiples of ten: ten times faster, ten times bigger, ten timesIn addition to offering new arrivals double-your-best-salary deals, he vowed that anyone who spent his money would be entitled to a 10 percent commission on the amount they spent. If someone booked out a restaurant and spent $1,000 on the tab, for example, they would earn $100.
In total, through an LLC she controlled, Pham sent invoices for what amounted to more than $20 million. In one case, she “managed” a contractor who was being paid $83,333.33 a month for “assistance and management of various projects”—earning her $8,333 every time he was paid. When Hsieh bought a fleet of buses and asked that Pham arrange for them to be retrofitted at a cost of $3.7 million, she took 10 percent of the fee.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Stevie Wonder to receive special honor at Fordham University next monthThe living legend will receive an honorary doctorate of humane letters at the university's 178th commencement.
Read more »
After Bible-hiding brouhaha, some wonder: Why are religious texts in a Capitol lounge?A spokesman for Republican members of the Arizona House said the Bibles have had a presence in the members' lounge 'since at least the 1990s.'
Read more »
Zack Snyder's DCEU Plans Included a Wild Twist on 'Wonder Woman's OriginsThe Amazonians and the Kryptonians would've had a lot more in common in Snyder's DC Universe.
Read more »
Fifty years after his Triple Crown, Secretariat remains an immortal wonderSecretariat still romps through the human consciousness, 50 years after his Triple Crown win, and more than 30 years after his death in 1989.
Read more »
1-year-old boy abducted from homeless encampment found safeMalakai Thomas was taken from the encampment located in the 1200 block of 73rd Avenue, located less than two miles from the Oakland Coliseum, according to the Oakland Police Department.
Read more »
'Little hero:' Boy stops Michigan school bus with ill driverA seventh-grader in suburban Detroit is being hailed as a hero. Dillon Reeves grabbed the steering wheel on his school bus and hit the brakes after the driver passed out Wednesday. Warren Consolidated Schools Superintendent Robert Livernois is calling it an “extraordinary act of courage.” Bus video shows the driver fanning herself with a baseball cap and informing the transportation office that she needs to pull over. Seconds later, Dillon jumped into action, hitting the brake pedal and clutching the steering wheel. Dillon then yelled to other kids on the bus to call 911. Steve Reeves says his son is a “little hero.”
Read more »