What Tony Hsieh Got Wrong About Downtown
Tony Hsieh has long been painted as a tortured visionary — most recently in the posthumous biography by two Wall Street Journal reporters dramatically titled “Happy at Any Cost: The Revolutionary Vision and Fatal Quest of Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh.” But longtime Las Vegas locals have observed the last decade of transformations along Fremont East (funded by Tony’s company Downtown Project) with mixed emotions.
Lifelong resident and writer Nicholas Russell recently penned an essay in the Baffler about the problem with mythologizing Tony Hsieh — he and host Dayvid Figler bust some Downtown Project myths, examine Tony’s legacy downtown, and break down just why it was so easy for Tony Hsieh to set up shop in Las Vegas.
How do you feel about downtown Las Vegas? Leave us a message or shoot us a text at 702-514-0719.
We’re also on Twitter! Follow us at @CityCastVegas
Want more Vegas news? Get our morning newsletter at lasvegas.citycast.fm/newsletter
Subscribe To Our Newsletter
Stay connected to City Cast Las Vegas and get ready to join the local conversation.
Latest Episodes
Do Political Endorsements Actually Sway Your Vote? Plus, Vegas Goes on Sale
The Retail Association of Nevada just flipped its endorsement from Gov. Joe Lombardo to Democratic challenger Aaron Ford, but do endorsem...
Nuclear Testing Returns to Nevada, Las Vegas Eyes Sloan for Growth, and Where to Relax with a Drink
The Nevada National Security Site is now a testing ground for microreactors, which got us wondering if Nevada is ready for another atomic...
Las Vegas Tourism Takes a Hit, Our Broken Eviction System, and a New Farmers Market
The LVCVA says Las Vegas is feeling the effects of the K-shaped economy, so we dig into whether catering to wealthy visitors is a sustain...
Is Vegas Entertainment in Trouble?
Mad Apple and Awakening announced permanent closures recently, spurring questions about what the future of entertainment in Vegas looks l...
‘Your City Could Be Better’: How Las Vegas Is Handling Record-Breaking Heat
It was another brutal summer in Las Vegas, but local government took recent record-breaking temps as a serious threat and is already roll...
Split Over the Arts District's Future, a Move to Ban Flock Cameras, and Why the Raiders Are Different Now
The Arts District BID proposal is dividing the neighborhood it's supposed to help, so executive producer Layla Muhammad breaks down why s...
Is Henderson Reinventing Itself? Plus, Omakase in a Shopping Mall, and Why Vegas Loves the Aces
The former Fiesta Henderson site is getting a second life as a 35-acre sports and entertainment complex, and Keep It Local writer Melinda...
Nevada's Election Fight, Data Centers on Tribal Land, and How to Be a Better VGK Fan
The Trump administration has subpoenaed the Nevada Secretary of State's office seven times in three months over voter records, so Nevada...
The Ins and Outs of Being a Sports Fan in Vegas
Las Vegas came to professional sports late, and the fan base that's grown around each new team has developed a uniquely Vegas feel to it....
‘Your City Could Be Better’: How Nashville Is Beating Flock — Presented By City Cast Las Vegas
Do you know what kind of surveillance technology is being used in Las Vegas? In Nashville, the city government has blocked numerous measu...