The Kingdom of Happiness
Aimee Groth
In 2010 Tony Hsieh was introduced to many as a visionary modern business leader. Under Hsieh’s leadership, Zappos became the world’s largest online shoe company by championing satisfied customers and a valued workforce. After his company was purchased by Amazon, Hsieh turned his energies and considerable fortune toward a much larger goal: building a new and more socially conscious Silicon Valley in the heart of downtown Las Vegas, all within his five-year plan.
Hsieh challenged business and technology journalist Aimee Groth to uproot her life and be a participant in his social engineering experiment. Beginning with couch surfing, moving to a Downtown Project crash pad, and then living in Zappos corporate housing above the Gold Spike bar, Groth had a front-row view of Hsieh’s efforts to build his ideal society.
With interviews from insiders on all ends of the Zappos spectrum—like the “broken dolls” who gravitate toward Hsieh’s almost cultlike personality and make up his inner circle, to the Zapponians who live and work on campus, to players in the top echelon of Silicon Valley—Groth offers a unique view of a world few people know much about, and sheds a new light on this complex, eccentric man.
The Kingdom of Happiness is the story of one man’s quest to create his own nirvana in the desert based on his exacting design with lessons he’s gleaned from rave culture and Burning Man. Is it the business model of the future or a cautionary tale of hubris?
Duration - 10h 26m.
Author - Aimee Groth.
Narrator - Angela Brazil.
Published Date - Wednesday, 21 January 2026.
Copyright - © 2017 Aimee Groth ©.
Location:
United States
Description:
In 2010 Tony Hsieh was introduced to many as a visionary modern business leader. Under Hsieh’s leadership, Zappos became the world’s largest online shoe company by championing satisfied customers and a valued workforce. After his company was purchased by Amazon, Hsieh turned his energies and considerable fortune toward a much larger goal: building a new and more socially conscious Silicon Valley in the heart of downtown Las Vegas, all within his five-year plan. Hsieh challenged business and technology journalist Aimee Groth to uproot her life and be a participant in his social engineering experiment. Beginning with couch surfing, moving to a Downtown Project crash pad, and then living in Zappos corporate housing above the Gold Spike bar, Groth had a front-row view of Hsieh’s efforts to build his ideal society. With interviews from insiders on all ends of the Zappos spectrum—like the “broken dolls” who gravitate toward Hsieh’s almost cultlike personality and make up his inner circle, to the Zapponians who live and work on campus, to players in the top echelon of Silicon Valley—Groth offers a unique view of a world few people know much about, and sheds a new light on this complex, eccentric man. The Kingdom of Happiness is the story of one man’s quest to create his own nirvana in the desert based on his exacting design with lessons he’s gleaned from rave culture and Burning Man. Is it the business model of the future or a cautionary tale of hubris? Duration - 10h 26m. Author - Aimee Groth. Narrator - Angela Brazil. Published Date - Wednesday, 21 January 2026. Copyright - © 2017 Aimee Groth ©.
Language:
English
Opening Credits
Duration:00:00:24
Introduction
Duration:00:16:25
Chapter 1
Duration:00:14:47
Chapter 2
Duration:00:28:23
Chapter 3
Duration:00:07:10
Chapter 4
Duration:00:07:35
Chapter 5
Duration:00:14:19
Chapter 6
Duration:00:08:13
Chapter 7
Duration:00:11:34
Chapter 8
Duration:00:11:36
Chapter 9
Duration:00:08:38
Chapter 10
Duration:00:04:37
Chapter 11
Duration:00:08:22
Chapter 12
Duration:00:15:28
Chapter 13
Duration:00:07:03
Chapter 14
Duration:00:13:28
Chapter 15
Duration:00:05:08
Chapter 16
Duration:00:04:28
Chapter 17
Duration:00:04:00
Chapter 18
Duration:00:03:19
Chapter 19
Duration:00:02:55
Chapter 20
Duration:00:04:43
Chapter 21
Duration:00:15:08
Chapter 22
Duration:00:03:31
Chapter 23
Duration:00:08:12
Chapter 24
Duration:00:07:35
Chapter 25
Duration:00:06:02
Chapter 26
Duration:00:11:03
Chapter 27
Duration:00:21:36
Chapter 28
Duration:00:11:52
Chapter 29
Duration:00:04:06
Chapter 30
Duration:00:08:37
Chapter 31
Duration:00:10:35
Chapter 32
Duration:00:05:29
Chapter 33
Duration:00:08:18
Chapter 34
Duration:00:14:18
Chapter 35
Duration:00:25:14
Chapter 36
Duration:00:10:44
Chapter 37
Duration:00:11:07
Chapter 38
Duration:00:19:40
Chapter 39
Duration:00:08:55
Chapter 40
Duration:00:09:55
Chapter 41
Duration:00:03:18
Chapter 42
Duration:00:04:35
Chapter 43
Duration:00:04:01
Chapter 44
Duration:00:13:26
Chapter 45
Duration:00:13:50
Chapter 46
Duration:00:06:06
Chapter 47
Duration:00:05:59
Chapter 48
Duration:00:04:59
Chapter 49
Duration:00:14:21
Chapter 50
Duration:00:03:31
Chapter 51
Duration:00:08:36
Chapter 52
Duration:00:26:20
Chapter 53
Duration:00:04:42
Chapter 54
Duration:00:07:21
Chapter 55
Duration:00:10:22
Chapter 56
Duration:00:10:18
Chapter 57
Duration:00:19:11
Chapter 58
Duration:00:05:55
Chapter 59
Duration:00:05:01
Chapter 60
Duration:00:22:40
Afterword
Duration:00:07:03