Sample
  • Delivering Happiness

  • A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose
  • By: Tony Hsieh
  • Narrated by: Tony Hsieh
  • Length: 8 hrs and 17 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (8,113 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Delivering Happiness

By: Tony Hsieh
Narrated by: Tony Hsieh
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $21.83

Buy for $21.83

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Editorial reviews

Tony Hsieh is a really nice guy. This is what makes him a very unusual CEO, which is what makes his company so interesting. It also makes him a writer who doesn't use much corporate lingo, and a terrifically casual reader of his own book on the growth and development of Zappos, his unique company. One part memoir, one part philosophy, one part corporate handbook, and all silly optimism, Delivering Happiness will appeal to a surprisingly wide audience.

Hsieh begins with his business history, which adequately conveys his wackiness. First, there was the worm farm in elementary school. All the worms escaped, and he lost money. Then there was the mail order button business in middle school, so successful that he passed it along to his younger brothers in succession. In high school, he learned a bunch about programming, thereby combining his instincts with an appropriate knowledge base. He laughs out loud at his own computer club lunchtime antics, and so will you. Then there was the pizza business in his dorm at Harvard, where Hsieh found innovative ways not to attend any classes, and a high-paying corporate gig after graduation where he once again did as little as possible.

This is a man who likes to take business risks, and as he explains how he made decisions that caused him to grow from slacker into a Red Bull-pounding, 24-hour working machine, you'll be amazed that it sounds like he's smiling the entire time. From his first major start-up, which was subsequently sold to Microsoft, to his repeated close calls where Zappos almost went under before it was eventually bought out by Amazon, this true story of one man's corporate odyssey will leave you believing that anything really is possible. It will also at least make you want to shop at Zappos, if it doesn't make you want to move to as Vegas to work there.

Shot through with brief guest-narrations using the actual participants relevant to Hsieh's fast-paced world of entrepreneurship, there are a wealth of memos, emails, and testimonials that all serve as evidence to his weird intellect. And if you played a drinking game where you drank a shot every time Hsieh mentions having a drink, you'd be drunk before the book is half finished. From the tone of his voice to the story he tells, this is clearly a guy who needs his work to be fun and challenging. Just as Zappos has done, Hsieh's book casually fires the opening volley in a new era of corporate culture and management.

This eye-opening treatise on how to be happy at work has the added bonus of an hour-long conversation between Tony Hsieh and Warren Bennis, who has been universally considered one of the most significant leadership gurus for the past 40 years. Much of what Hsieh says is a more concise version of what he says in the book, though insights from the aging but still hilariously astute Bennis do offer something extra exciting. They discuss happiness in a way that is useful to all people, not just corporations. Megan Volpert

Publisher's summary

In this, his first audiobook, Tony Hsieh - the widely admired CEO of Zappos, the online shoe retailer - explains how he created a unique culture and commitment to service that aims to improve the lives of employees, customers, vendors, and backers. Using anecdotes and stories from his own life experiences, and from other companies, Hsieh provides concrete ways that companies can achieve unprecedented success. Even better, he shows how creating happiness and record results go hand-in-hand.

He starts with the "Why" in a section where he narrates his quest to understand the science of happiness. Then he runs through the ten Zappos "Core Values" - such as "Deliver WOW through Service", "Create Fun and A Little Weirdness", and "Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit" - and explains how you and your colleagues should come up with your own.

Hsieh then details many of the unique practices at Zappos that have made it the success it is today, such as their philosphy of allocating marketing money into the customer experience, thereby allowing repeat customers and word-of-mouth be their true form of marketing. He also explains why Zappos's number-one priority is company culture and his belief that once you get the culture right, everything else - great customer service, long-term branding - will happen on its own.

Finally, Delivering Happiness explains how Zappos employees actually apply the Core Values to improving their lives outside of work - and to making a difference in their communities and the world.

©2010 Tony Hsieh (P)2010 Hachette

Featured Article: Big Ideas in Business and Tech


Even the most successful entrepreneurs had to start somewhere. When it comes to groundbreaking technology, the people who became leading business executives often began as lone visionaries with nothing but an idea. Now that they’re global industry leaders, many of them have shared their amazing stories in memoirs. These tales of heartbreak and triumph will bring you along on the roller-coaster of success, all the while showing you the secrets of how business greats transformed their dreams into reality. Read on to find your next great inspiration!

What listeners say about Delivering Happiness

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    5,685
  • 4 Stars
    1,784
  • 3 Stars
    473
  • 2 Stars
    107
  • 1 Stars
    64
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    4,407
  • 4 Stars
    1,393
  • 3 Stars
    438
  • 2 Stars
    95
  • 1 Stars
    60
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    4,658
  • 4 Stars
    1,260
  • 3 Stars
    351
  • 2 Stars
    86
  • 1 Stars
    50

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Everyone must pursue happiness

I have never realized how a company culture is important until I read this book, and just happened because I red the Scrum book from Jeff Sutherland. Thanks to Felipe Garcia who introduced me to Scrum. Now I just want to pursue my life goal, that is helping others through my work.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fun, cultish (in a great way), depth and real

I really loved this audio book. Tony Hsieh expresses himself so well, his drive, humor, weirdness, lackadaisical side, brilliance and passion. This is a fantastic story for business owners, entrepreneurs, managers and wait... just every day people. I don't think you need to be a business professional to appreciate the philosophy and journey captures in Tony's authentic and very real book. Thanks, Tony.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

interesting story well narrated

If you could sum up Delivering Happiness in three words, what would they be?

interesting well narrated

What about Tony Hsieh’s performance did you like?

it was well read. very authentic

Any additional comments?

overall its an interesting story. he gets very kitsch towards the end and you can feel how much he loves himself. he is not very humble, that being said the story is interesting and well narrated. Bottom line no matter what I say about the guy he's a rock star!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

If only I read this few years ago.. Thanks Tony.

Where does Delivering Happiness rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

The best

What was one of the most memorable moments of Delivering Happiness?

Culture book and Core values

Have you listened to any of Tony Hsieh’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

never

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

To build a brand, start with culture

Any additional comments?

after listening to this , i bought every manager in our company a copy of this book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Best Business Book Ever

I really liked this book and what made it even better was Tony himself read the book along with other Zappos employees. A great read.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Explains the importance of culture

If you could sum up Delivering Happiness in three words, what would they be?

Unexpected, inspirational, fun

Who was your favorite character and why?

Tony himself

Have you listened to any of Tony Hsieh’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

People matter...no...really...

Any additional comments?

Started as a typical success story bio, describing an evolution of business, hardships of crash, perseverance. But then turned into something else, a story of not just building a business, but keeping it healthy and happy. The part about building company culture is of tremendous inspirational value.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great stories told by a passionate leader!

Easy listen that just flew by while I captured so many insights and growth opportunities.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The best business book I've ever read...listened

Not only is Tony Hsieh an excellent narrator, he is an incredible, very forward thinking person. If all CEO's of corporations thought like him, the world would be a much better place to live in. This is a must read...er, listen for anyone in business.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Pleasantly surprised

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would definitely recommend this book to any friend or acquaintance, this book gives you an overall view of real struggles that probably any companies goes through, its down to earth, easy to listen, inspiring and relatable.

I was expecting another book with just incredible stories about how success finally reach Zappos doors, but instead I found a book that takes you to a journey step by step of how success is built: risks and hard really hard work.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Delivering extraordinary leadership

I'm a business and personal coach and this book, from my point of view, is the best book on leadership I've ever read. Don't miss Tony Hsieh and his ideas!!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!