Zappos Founder Tony Hsieh’s Friends, Family Feud Over His $500 Million Estate

It has been one year since the tragic death of Zappos found Tony Hsieh. Hsieh, who was known for being generous with his time and money, died with  Yet, Hsieh’s assets are still tied up in court due to a feud between his friends and family. Some of the financial claims are based on deals scribbled on sticky notes. 

Tony Hsieh was known for “promoting happiness in the workplace and a fun-loving approach to making profits” died without a will. In the year of his death, Hsieh struggled with alcohol and drug use as well as mental-health issues. 

During this time, he spent most of his time in his mansion in Park City, Utah, along with an “entourage of people.” The Park City mansion is where the walls were “covered with thousands of sticky notes detailing everything from life mantras to financial deals.” 

The fact that Hsieh died intestate and with thousands of sticky notes with messages without context has made the court battle over his estate particularly difficult. Hsieh’s family and friends are arguing over “who had Mr. Hsieh’s best interest at heart, and who was out to use him for his wealth and connections.” 

See Katherine Sayre, Zappos Founder Tony Hsieh’s Friends, Family Feud Over His $500 Million Estate, The Wall Street Journal, December 19, 2021. 

Special thanks to David S. Luber (Florida Probate Attorney) for bringing this article to my attention.