Tony Hsieh spent most of his last nine months in Park City, Utah, where he flew in new contacts and created a community amidst the pandemic.This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers.Tony Hsieh, the legendary entrepreneur and former CEO of Zappos, died November 27 in Connecticut following injuries he sustained in a house fire more than a week prior.
Hsieh expressed interest in starting a tourism and hospitality business called 10X, but specific details of his goals in Park City remain unclear. But five nights later they were back again, this time for reports of an "illegal burn" at the mansion, where they discovered propane heaters hidden in trees and a large stash of wood intended for an open fire. The mansion belonged to Tony Hsieh, the longtime CEO of internet ecommerce powerhouse Zappos.
Hsieh had stepped down abruptly from Zappos in late August after 20 years, making no public statements about his departure. In Park City he flitted erratically between ideas, discussing plans to establish a single time zone for the entire world, touting an initiative to create a minute of world peace by distracting everyone on the planet, and telling one friend that he was training to climb Mount Everest by inhaling hits of nitrous oxide gas.
The Hsieh family declined to comment for this story, issuing a statement in response to Business Insider, which read, in part: The hikes were part of the camp-like vibe at Hsieh's Park City project, where a rotating group of guests could stay for days or weeks. It was the same playbook Hsieh used in Las Vegas, except that instead of staying in Airstream trailers, Park City guests settled into posh, multi-million dollar ski chalets.
Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh sits as his desk at Zappos' Las Vegas headquarters, with a bottle of Fernet – his favorite drink – close at hand.Hsieh's vision for 10X also included kids' camps for coding, painting, horseback riding, and other activities. And he was planning other efforts, like building a stage at his home where he could put on aAmanda Slavin, a longtime friend and mentee, spoke to Tony during the beginning of the pandemic when she had a new baby.
The community of 30 to 40 people were largely new Hsieh contacts – although old friends like Daniel Park, a Vegas musician, came to visit too. The group ranged from 18-year-olds to families with kids – Hsieh said he liked to be surrounded by youth – and included artists, tech founders, and even a magician. Many were flown in by Hsieh.
Tony's Las Vegas community included apartments and Airstream trailers for visiting friends and entrepreneurs.Hsieh's taste for drugs and drinking was also on display. At dinner parties, he often drank his favorite spirit, the herbal Italian amaro Fernet. And he frequently indulged in "whip its" of nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, which can cause an intense, but short-lived high when inhaled directly.
One part of 10X that did come to fruition were day passes that anyone could buy for $10 – and were given away to Hsieh's Park City crew. The passes gave access to unlimited dining that day at certain restaurants, like Riverhorse On Main, which would reserve a handful of tables for 10X customers. Riverhorse did not respond to requests for comment.