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
Airfare Squeezes Tourism, Another Arena Enters the Chat, and Why Young Nevadans Stay Home
Airfare is climbing fast as jet fuel costs surge, and higher ticket prices could squeeze tourism to Las Vegas, especially for internation...
Can the Summerlin North Dining Scene Compete with the Strip?
For years, Summerlin North has been something of a dining no-man’s land. But with burgeoning hotel food halls and fresh new spots at Tivo...
The Henderson City Council Race Everyone Is Watching
Henderson’s Ward 3 City Council race is shaping up to be one of the most chaotic contests in Southern Nevada, with a three-way primary fu...
DA Ignores Vacated Conviction, Roblox Pays $12 Million for Kids' Safety, and MGM Kills Iconic Buffet
A judge vacated Rickie Slaughter’s conviction, but he remains behind bars as the DA weighs a retrial, raising big questions about power a...
How Did So Many Palm Trees End Up in the Desert?
With 4/20 and Earth Day landing in the same week, City Cast Las Vegas revisits a lively conversation about the valley’s most polarizing p...
'Your City Could Be Better': Why Seattle Gives Every Voter $100 — Presented By City Cast Las Vegas
Could public financing get more Las Vegans involved in local elections? For the last decade, the City of Seattle has issued $100 in vouch...
Arts District Landlord Sues Own Tenant, the Reality of Taxing Tips, and an NBA Arena ... For Locals?
An Arts District dispute over patio concerts got louder this week, as a landlord is now suing his own tenant in an effort to quiet earl...
Is the Food at Vegas Strip Clubs Actually ... Good?
Strip clubs promise spectacle, but in Las Vegas they also promise a full menu, from late-night nachos to white-tablecloth steaks. Food wr...
How to Prove You’re a Real Las Vegas Local
Las Vegans love proving they’re the real deal. We give that instinct the merit badge treatment with a playful checklist of local status....
Is Vegas Running Out of Land for Housing?
We’ve all heard it by this point: Vegas needs more housing to drive down the price of homes. But where exactly are developers supposed to...