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How will Tony Hsieh’s legacy live on at Zappos?

November 30, 2020Written by George Anderson

Photo: Zappos

The word innovation is often thrown around when it comes to retail businesses and the executives that lead them, although very few leaders, in fact, really qualify for the moniker. The same can not be said to be the case with Tony Hsieh, the founder and former CEO of Zappos, who created a company totally focused on “delivering happiness” for its customers and employees alike. Mr. Hsieh died last Friday from injuries he suffered on Nov. 18 during a house fire at a family home in New London, CT. Under Mr. Hsieh, Zappos defined 10 core principles for its business:

Deliver Wow Through Service
Embrace and Drive Change
Create Fun and A Little Weirdness
Be Adventurous, Creative and Open-Minded
Pursue Growth and Learning
Build Open and Honest Relationships With Communication
Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit
Do More With Less
Be Passionate and Determined
Be Humble

“Tony played such an integral part in helping create the thriving Zappos business we have today, along with his passion for helping to support and drive our company culture,” wrote Kedar Deshpande, CEO of Zappos, in a company statement. Mr. Deshpande wrote about Mr. Hsieh’s “kindness and generosity” in leading Zappos and pledged, “we will continue to honor his memory by dedicating ourselves to continuing the work he was so passionate about.” Among the innovations created under Mr. Hsieh was Zappos policy of offering employees the option after the first week on the job to get paid to quit. Zappos has long placed a premium on its culture and knew that not everyone is cut out to thrive there. Although Mr. Hsieh stepped down as CEO last summer, his former company has continued to emphasize the kindness preached by its founder. This includes special steps Zappos has taken to connect with its customers during the pandemic with a variety of programs including “customer service for anything.” Launched in April, Zappos offers customers help with information on merchants in their areas and recommendations on helpful apps to use during a lockdown. The online retailer also encouraged customers to call just to talk if they wanted to hear “a kind voice.” The topics — the weather, what’s on television, etc. — didn’t matter. Zappos wanted its customers to know it would “love to connect” with them.

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