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Downtown Project Suicides Shock High Tech Community
HughPickens.com writes Nellie Bowles writes in Recode that three of the most prominent high tech entrepreneurs involved with Tony Hsieh's project to build a startup city in Downtown Las Vegas have recently committed suicide, sending the tight-knit community into a tailspin. In January 2013, Jody Sherman, the 48-year-old founder of Ecomom, one of the most prominent Vegas tech-funded startups, shot himself while in his car. His company had been going south. In January 2014, 24-year-old Ovik Banerjee, who was part of the first Venture for America group in Vegas and an integral member of the Downtown Project team, leapt from his Town Terrace apartment in downtown. In May 2014, Matt Berman, the 50-year-old founder of Bolt Barber, the flagship shop at the center of the Container Park, was found in his home in an apparent suicide by hanging. Whether or not the suicides are statistically significant, the deaths have clearly shaken the entrepreneurs.
According to Alyson Shontell, in a social media age where word of success and failure travels fast, entrepreneurs say it's harder than ever to run a company — and it's harder than ever to fail. "It was a hell of a lot of work for not a hell of a lot of return," says Dave McClure, an investor in Ecomom and the entrepreneur behind investment firm 500Startups. "And then there are days when you sit in a corner and cry. You can't really do anything else. You don't have a social life. You don't really want to interact with family and friends because there's just not much context for them. Your world revolves around your startup and it's all about trying to survive and not look like an idiot in front of employees." "In the past, failure was very contained," another entrepreneur says. "When you failed, you felt bad around your family, the people you raised money from, but it wasn't as public. Failure in an era of social media and social video and global events is a very public thing. Jody [Sherman] put himself out there this time and became very respected for what he was doing. That possibility of very public shame is something that didn't exist before." Brad Feld writes that if you are ever considering committing suicide, reach out to someone and ask for help. "It's ok to fail. It's ok to lose. It's ok to be depressed. If you are contemplating suicide, get help. If you have an entrepreneurial friend contemplating suicide, do your best to get them help."
According to Alyson Shontell, in a social media age where word of success and failure travels fast, entrepreneurs say it's harder than ever to run a company — and it's harder than ever to fail. "It was a hell of a lot of work for not a hell of a lot of return," says Dave McClure, an investor in Ecomom and the entrepreneur behind investment firm 500Startups. "And then there are days when you sit in a corner and cry. You can't really do anything else. You don't have a social life. You don't really want to interact with family and friends because there's just not much context for them. Your world revolves around your startup and it's all about trying to survive and not look like an idiot in front of employees." "In the past, failure was very contained," another entrepreneur says. "When you failed, you felt bad around your family, the people you raised money from, but it wasn't as public. Failure in an era of social media and social video and global events is a very public thing. Jody [Sherman] put himself out there this time and became very respected for what he was doing. That possibility of very public shame is something that didn't exist before." Brad Feld writes that if you are ever considering committing suicide, reach out to someone and ask for help. "It's ok to fail. It's ok to lose. It's ok to be depressed. If you are contemplating suicide, get help. If you have an entrepreneurial friend contemplating suicide, do your best to get them help."
You're talking about Vegas here. I seriously doubt that three guys all decided they couldn't handle the failure of a project like this.
All three methods of suicide are suspect as well.
I lived in Vegas for years and it's a really shitty town. I wouldn't be surprised at all to find some corruption behind it all that was coming to light.
Suicide? Meh...
In this day and age... it was the first thing that popped in my mind when you get a cluster like this.
But in the end, so many people seem to opt for suicide for reasons stemming from Facebook harassment to a failed business which tells me they are weak minded, weak willed, and frankly we are better off without them.
Ah, okay, you have stated it more plainly than in your post, above.
You reveal you are without empathy for your fellow humans. Sociopath, perhaps? You might make a good CEO.
I just don't understand this idea.
Why would you have only one chance? Why would your life from that point forward just suck forever?
A couple things here.
You are 100 percent correct, We will all fail at something. It's what we do afterwards that counts.
People have checked out early forever, who knows the guys rationale or lack of it
But here's what I think is a looming problem. Young people, at least in the US, have come through the batshit insane High self esteem/zero tolerance schooling system. They've had it drilled into their heads the not quite contradictory, but close to it concepts of "You are the most special person in the world", and "If you are caught smoking the the bathroom, it will go on your permanent record, and you'll end up living under a bridge", and They'll be expelled and their life completely ruined if you accidentally bring a spork to school.
So these poor kids get out of school not only thinking that they are the most special thing on earth (while not having earned that self esteem yet) and thinking that there is no tolerance for error. Failure is forever. So many crash and burn, and that self esteem takes a big hit.
Time will tell how the kids will react. Fortunately we have pharmaceutical companies selling maintenance "leveling" drugs, I guess. Still, that has to be a nasty hit to the ego. I failed at a few things in life, but I already knew I was a dumshit, and not to be all that surprised or dismayed.
The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
To end one's life is a choice, and the ultimate right of all human beings. To choose to die is not a punishment, nor should it be considered such.
[q]Once this has happened, something like depression is deadly. It isn't just feeling sad; it warps your perception of reality to the point where suicide actually seems to make sense. [/q]
I've had this.
It's a constant stream of severe negative feeling. One day, for a fraction of a second, i saw that suicide was an option for making is all stop. I'm still thankfull that i discarded that thought instantly. But i'm also still shocked that i had it in the first place.