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Square Inc. Co-Founder Tristan O’Tierney Dies at 35
- SteveNuts 8y agoWow this is really sad. Everyone reading this, please take care of yourself. Physically and mentally.
- gotocake 8y agoI would add that if you feel like taking care of yourself is impossible, overwhelming, or not worth it, there is no reason on Earth to not seek help. There is no shame in getting the help you need!
- escapecharacter 8y agoThe bottom of the article is (most likely algorithmically) populated with a display of Square’s live stock changes. Which seems in poor taste.
- nerdbaggy 8y agoSuch a shame that these amazingly intelligent people can’t find peace of mind
- axaxs 8y agoI think the two could be tangentially related. Not necessarily intelligence, but constant thinking and wondering. In my own experience, I loved working on new things and learning new things. I took some time to step away, and wow did I get bored easy, and found myself zoning out thinking, even so far as doing it when others were talking to me. Sleep was impossible, and it was really easy to turn to alcohol just for the mental rest. Even Elon Musk commented on this recently. Paraphrasing because I don't remember the quote, on Joe Rogan, he mentioned it's not so nice to be him because his mind was always working and he couldn't turn it off. It really hit home for me, and I couldn't even imagine how much worse it is for some folks, especially those who founded companies and have that stress on top.
- sn41 8y agoSo true. Towards the end of my doctoral thesis, I found myself brooding and gloomy, and difficult to relate to others. The same mood returns when I am intensely working on something,
- mamon 8y agoHappiness, for all I know is basically the ability to ignore sad and inconvenient truths about the world around you. The smarter you are, the harder it is to maintain this delusion.
- wolco 8y agoThe smarter you are the more you would understand this and smarter people would be happier. The happiest people don't worry and find joy in the things around them.
- DesiLurker 8y agoI have learnt to find some joy in watching my young kids. They haven't been corrupted/encumbered by it all. Secondly, the hope is that as they grow the world will slowly improve with them as shown by some long term data. Third, meditating helps! it helps me get out of my own thinking framework and make some breathing room for myself. Lastly, I feel there is a very important reality that we all are largely unaware of it is that (IMHO) we live our lives in log scale, meaning generally every new experience creates much lighter impression than the one by say a few years ago. if you accept that (barring physical discomfort) world is not such a bad place compare to even a few decades ago.
- distances 8y agoWorld isn't perfect for sure but it is indeed eye-opening to sometimes check how much worse things were as recently as 70s and 80s. Helps to put today's issues into perspective, and be a bit more content.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- blackdogie 8y agoTragic.
- winslow 8y agoTake care of your health everyone. Health, Family, & Friends are all more important than work. Note: I'm not saying work caused this, especially since he was set for life with his work at Square (according to the article).
- meesterdude 8y agoAnyone know what the addiction was? given kidney involvement i'm leaning towards alcohol, but don't want to assume. I know it's cliche to say, but asking for a friend. A loss for a lot of people, especially his young family.
- lostgame 8y agoUpvoting this. I’d like to know, too. :3
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- jsjohnst 8y agoI’m not sure why it matters, but it wasn’t just one thing he struggled with. Out of respect for him, I’m not going to say more than that.
- meesterdude 8y agofwiw I'm literally asking for a friend. that's why it matters.
- jsjohnst 8y agoEvery person’s situation is different, so I’m not sure why one person’s addiction matters for your friend. That was my point in saying that. That said, ping me privately, my contact info is in my profile. I’ll do what I can to help.
- meesterdude 8y agothanks for the downvotes to a serious question. real great community here.
- RickJWagner 8y agoAddiction is a terrible thing. Never take the first step. It's your best defense.
- willbw 8y agoSure, but I believe over 85% of adults will drink alcohol at some point in their lives so that is easier said than done.
- wolco 8y agoSadly once you are older it starts to make more sense.
- sgspace 8y agoEven Jesus drank wine
- mirimir 8y agoI've read that he had some reputation as an alcoholic.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- adventured 8y agoSome of the photographs in his portfolio are amazing, I'd suggest a look: http://otierney.net/cities http://otierney.net/cities
- o10449366 8y agoThank you for sharing! I work in tech but photography is my passion. Those are some wonderful pictures he was able to capture.
- busyant 8y agoHe also has a remarkably helpful and detailed description on how to shoot light trails on that site. http://otierney.net/tutorials/2014/4/24/long-exposure-light-trails http://otierney.net/tutorials/2014/4/24/long-exposure-light-...
- jpatokal 8y agoIf anybody else is wondering how to navigate that, you need to mouseover the right image to get an arrow, then click to advance. (Because scrolling vertically would be just too obvious.) There are also additional pages of pics under the +Portfolio dropdown.
- jsjohnst 8y agoIf you like those, here’s a bunch more: https://500px.com/tristan https://500px.com/tristan https://instagram.com/tristan https://instagram.com/tristan https://www.flickr.com/photos/tristanotierney/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/tristanotierney/ I’m coordinating a memorial in San Francisco the end of this month. We intend to have it at an art gallery with his photography on display. If you want to be notified about it, reach out (contact info on my profile).
- sah2ed 8y agoI trust there are separate plans to preserve his websites & photos on archive.org’s wayback machine.
- 8y ago
- pkaye 8y agoWhen I was diagnosed with kidney disease, I was one step into stage 5 kidney failure where dialysis is considered. However there were very few outward signs. Even my PCP was not expecting it when he ordered a standard lot of tests. Our bodies don't always have clear signs of things going wrong. Make sure to have regular checkups.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- walshemj 8y agoSame with me though my kidney failure was caused by Sarkoid and that was diagnosed early with chronic kidney failure as the sarcoid expressed its's self one of my eyes. IT was only when I was having an untrasound that the problem in the kidney was found and I had a couple of decades of managed decline before I went on to the transplant list.
- sarah_k 8y agoIt was alcohol addiction.
- platz 8y agoReally makes you wonder how much is too much, how many years, frequency of regular vs binges, etc.. apparently some alcohol-related diseases only take a few decades to manifest.
- randomacct3847 8y agoI hate how normalized alcohol consumption is in most countries. At some point last year I realized I was drinking 4x days/week and knew I needed to step back. Have really stopped drinking during the week since the new year and saving the occasional drink for vacations only.
- rubicon33 8y agoIn all likelihood, pills were also involved. People rarely die at 35 from just alcoholism alone. It can happen, but it's rare.
- dsnuh 8y agoReading this on mobile, and there is a huge ad for Belvedere Vodka. Just like the "Fuck Cancer" movement, it's time we had a "Fuck Alcohol" movement. I'm hoping with cannabis gaining more and more support throughout the US that we see a drop-off in alcohol consumption. It may take a generation or two, but I think it's time to drop this poison as a society. R.I.P. and so sorry to hear that his young daughter will not get to know her father.
- jdavis703 8y agoI get high from cannabis about once a week, so I’m not a tee-totaler. But weed is no substitute for alcohol if you’re concerned about addiction. The main reason that I used to drink to excess was to drown my anxiety / depression. I had a wake up call a few years ago and now only drink or get high on weekends... but what I’ve learned since then is it’s much better to treat your mental health problems with mindfulness and meditation (or even a therapist).
- whbk 8y agoSorry to see this. My last year of college, with absolutely zero experience in tech I tried to build a fintech startup that needed seamless processing of micro-payments and so I pinged Tristan in the early days of Square's beta program when they were just shipping out card readers asking if they might expose an API in the near future. Small interaction, but he got back to me and coming from the Midwest, that was my first experience with how open Silicon Valley can be, with a co-founder at one of the hottest startups taking the time to respond to some random college kid interested in kicking the tires on his project. My project went nowhere but I had fun exploring the tech involved, decided to learn to code, made it out here and am now running a venture-backed startup after a couple engineering jobs. I thought just the fact that he responded was really cool at the time and try not to blow off cold emails like that as a result.
- kethinov 8y agoI went to high school with him. That's how he was with me as well when I randomly said to him one day, "Hey you seem better at this computer programming thing than me. Let's hang out." I too credit Tristan with helping me transition from computer programmer novice to computer programmer professional.
- Aeolun 8y agoIt’s starting to seem common. Every time I read some form of ‘successful tech founder dies young’ it’s almost always related to some form of addiction. I wonder if that’s just the only thing being reported on, or it’s just the most likely way for these people to die.
- tibbetts 8y agoAt that age my doctor said the things that were likely to kill people like me were motorcycle accidents, extreme sports, and drug addiction. So if your hobbies are software and photography, that mostly leaves drug addiction.
- smileysteve 8y agoStatistically, in the 30s, suicide and drugs (addiction or overdose) are the top 2. Car accidents is next. Extreme sports and motorcycle accidents apply to such a smaller percentage of the population.
- newman8r 8y agoA lot more people die from overdoses each year than you might think. The number in 2007 was ~70,000 people in the US. That's more than double the number of people who die in traffic accidents.
- newprint 8y agoLast year, at age 35, I started drinking heavily. I would buy a bottle of Absolute and would not stop till I see the bottom of it. 2 bottles a week at min. About 5-6 months, I've stopped drinking without anyone's help. Yesterday and today, I'm having a strong urge to get completely wasted. Just go to the store around the block, buy bottle of Absolute. Yesterday, while driving on I-695, I saw a guy with a child seat on the back seat and thought to myself: "I want that too". Tristan O’Tierney dies at 35, survived by his three-old-year daughter.
- dustingetz 8y agocongrats on your time. there is no shame in asking for help, in fact that is what a smart person would do!
- 0x8BADF00D 8y agoI'm surprised you were able to function the next day with that amount. I recently turned 30, and I definitely cannot drink as much as I used to. I get an allergic response to alcohol, which really sucks because I used to enjoy it. There is a mutation in OPRM1 in certain populations that causes your opiate receptors (particularly mu subtype) to release endorphins when drinking. I've definitely had that happen to me when I used to drink heavily. But that changed when I took LSD-25. While I still drink, it is nowhere near the same level as when I was younger, and I attribute that to my psychedelic experiences. Stay strong.
- grogenaut 8y agoWhat's the allergic response?
- 0x8BADF00D 8y agoHistaminergic. My eyes get watery, throat gets scratchy, nose runny, etc.
- computerex 8y agoI am allergic to alcohol too, always have been. Drinking causes my skin to turn bright red, and it makes me feel like I'm on fire. Burning pins and needle all over my body, especially the soles of my feet. It's excruciating, and as a result I don't drink.
- bbqchippy 8y agoSometimes people feel shame about their substance use. Sometimes people feel badly and turn to substances, or use substances gradually and find that they can't stop. Every one deserves to be fully accepted, loved, and to feel better. And sometimes it seems impossible to feel that within one's self. I hope it becomes easier to talk about one's experience with another. A friend, counselor, family member, a kind stranger. The boxes on internet sites. Even when one feels only darkness, another person can light a match to illuminate a tad bit. Small steps, over time, add up to better. It's slow and hard. And recovery can be like that. But it can be better. Always.
- gigatexal 8y agoMy condolences to his daughter and his mom and those that knew him. This sucks!
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- newnewpdro 8y agoPart of what drove me to leave the SF tech industry was the normalized daily alcohol consumption. At one startup in SOMA, on my first day the CEO introduced me to the team and pressured me to drink a shot of booze as was the company's tradition. My first group interaction with the entire company (~30 heads) was responding "water" to the CEO's question "so what's you're drink?" asked while standing next to a bar on wheels rolled over for the occasion, which I had to repeat two or three times, when he repeated the question expecting me to cave under pressure. Utter stupidity, may as well be insisting I smoke a cigarette from my perspective.
- alchemism 8y agoThe first time I ever did a “keg stand” in my life was not in college, but in my late 30s one week after joining a startup which had kegs in the office.
- mb_72 8y agoI left one software company, in part because they developed apps for pubs and restaurants, and most of the other employees came from a hospitality background and wanted to get wasted each Friday night. That I wanted to a) spend time with my daughter (on alternating weeks) or b) just go home and chill out alone was not acceptable, and my disinterest in the partying culture lead to many cold shoulders at work also. Much younger me had not even considered asking about the 'after-work' culture when interviewing; lesson learned!
- bitzun 8y agoI believe my previous drug issues were strongly related to the drinking culture at the company I worked for during that time. I am at a point now where if I felt pressured like this I would not shrug it off like I used to, but instead contact HR.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- tippecanoe 8y agoFor those who have a problem with alcohol from being a bit of a drunk to an addict, there's a pill for that: Naltrexone, taken one hour before drinking, blocks positive reinforcement for drinking alcohol. This treatment is called the "Sinclair method." Studies show Naltrexone and the Sinclair method prevents excessive consumption and over time can extinguish addiction. Over the course of a year alcoholics can basically totally lose interest in alcohol. It's not a fringe treatment. It has been the standard of care in Finland for decades. Here is a global listing of physicians familiar with the treatment: https://cthreefoundation.org/find-a-physician https://cthreefoundation.org/find-a-physician These board certified physicians prescribe it in many states in the US via telemedicine consultations: https://www.mdproactive.com/what-we-treat/alcohol-use-disorder https://www.mdproactive.com/what-we-treat/alcohol-use-disord... (I'm suggesting this online practice because I understand it may be hard to find a physician familiar with this treatment in some areas in the United States.) I went from being a bit of a drunk even by American standards to having no interest in alcohol after a couple pills. The first time I took it, I knew it could have saved by grandfather's life. It's really heartbreaking that so few people know about this treatment. Anyone who likes alcohol would be amazed how useless it is without the opioid response (that Naltrexone blocks). You can find papers about this on Google scholar: https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C14&q=sinclair+method+alcohol&btnG=&oq=sinclair+method+alc https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C14&q=sin... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naltrexone https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naltrexone https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53JObexh0w0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53JObexh0w0 https://www.amazon.com/Cure-Alcoholism-Medically-Eliminate-Addiction/dp/1937856135/ https://www.amazon.com/Cure-Alcoholism-Medically-Eliminate-A... https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdeh0LP6kuSQ9GsorQpVnUw https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdeh0LP6kuSQ9GsorQpVnUw
- twblalock 8y agoWhat an incredibly dangerous suggestion that people seek out a prescription for this kind of drug online at mdproactive or anywhere else. You also did not mention that a number of studies have shown this drug to be only modestly effective at treating alcohol abuse, and that there are better treatments. It can also cause liver damage. It's not a magic pill.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- sidcool 8y agoRIP. We need to support each other in times of need. Any addiction has as much a social component as psychological. Startups are hard and it has different effect on different people. Talk to your friends. Seek help, professional or personal.
- brightball 8y agoI’ve never been a heavy drinker, but at one point 2 years ago I handled a project by myself to move 6 million dollars a month in charity transactions from one uncooperative payment processor to another. I normally handled stress well, but this was a different level and it was physically taxing on me. I had a glass of wine one night about 3 weeks into this and immediately felt so much better that I ended up having 3-4 / night for 3 months just to cope with the stress. As soon as the project ended (successfully I might add), I stopped...but I’ll never forget how much I felt like I needed the alcohol during that time. I’ve never experienced that in my life but it gave me a new appreciation for what it must be like to really struggle with the addiction. If I felt like that every day I don’t know what I’d do. Sincerest condolences to his family.
- supermw 8y agoAlcohol should never be used for stress, only for social lubrication. There's better ways to deal with stress. Pump iron, or go for a run. 30-60 minutes of running should give you a reset.
- brightball 8y agoI’m not proud of it. I was as shocked by the effect at that time.
- newnewpdro 8y ago"social lubrication" is another way of saying reducing anxiety stress.
- therein 8y agoSocial anxiety about the current moment, though. They are different anxieties.
- newnewpdro 8y agoIt's irrelevant if one's alcohol requirement for social interaction still results in frequent consumption and potential addiction.
- joering2 8y agoThoughts and prayers to his family!
- manav 8y agoIf you or anyone you know has any issues, I recommend they see a psychiatrist or some sort of counselor and medical professional before handling their issues on their own. There is no shame in it. Mental health is as important if not more important than every other aspect of our physiology, yet it's still not taken seriously especially in Silicon Valley.
- aviv 8y agoJust putting this out there... https://soilandhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/02/0201hyglibcat/020127shelton.III/020127.ch36.htm https://soilandhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/02/0201hyglibca... One of the early uses of fasting was to treat alcoholism. Edit: why would anyone in their right mind downvote this? Why do I even bother with HN anymore. Suggest a lifelong drug/vaccine with who knows what consequences, and HN celebrates the post. Suggest a 3-5 day fast to rid oneself of alcoholism and get downvoted and flagged. Unreal...
- tomhoward 8y agoIt's probably just not the right context for introducing this topic. The suggestion that a fast might have cured this person's alcoholism and saved their life is highly speculative and may be seen as offensive by some.
- sridca 8y agoOffensive really? Is it part of the American culture? Genuinely curious.
- tomhoward 8y agoNothing to do with American culture - I'm not American. It's about speculating about what might hypothetically have prevented the death that we're talking about, when we have absolutely no idea what was going on in that person's life, hence we're in no position to speculate.
- jes5199 8y agoHoly shit. Tristan. We argued about code quality. I learned a lot from you. I’m so sorry.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- sverige 8y agoYou never know when you're going to die. Realizing that it could be today can change your perspective on life. Losing your fear of dying will make you dangerously honest.
- silversurfer99 8y agoIt is not impossible to stop using and drinking completely. I am a very high performing software engineer and 20 years ago I had an opioid problem. I experienced bad things and out of control things as part of my addiction. My thinking was nuts. Yes I could have killed myself. My productivity dropped so much I was told "all the managers are wondering about you," but no one could figure it out, because I didn't seem like the type. I quit my job. Then I did the whole rigamarole of getting clean and I followed the suggestions of people who had struggled with the same problem and gotten freedom around it. I still do that. I am saying this (under a brand new login) because if there are people out there who are feeling hopeless, there is hope for you. I don't think about using anymore and I have learned tools to deal with my (substantial) success. You can too. The best thing was I got clean when my son was very young, he never saw me loaded, I had a good and stable relationship with his mother, and my son has no attraction to drugs or alcohol at this point. I was raised in an alcoholic home so I can't tell you the sense of accomplishment and gratitude I have about that. You don't have to be a genius to do this. You need willingness and honesty and you need to get some help. Good luck, I am rooting for you.
- agumonkey 8y agoside note: you can have addictive and obsessive behavior non related to alcohol too. You have peace and happiness inside of you [1]. The twenties seem like a transitional period full of intense, if not overwhelming, emotions that can shadow the calm and joy .. only to be replaced by substances or ~hobbies (gambling, sex, whatever). best of luck and rip TOT
- threatofrain 8y agoAlcohol is such an incredibly shitty drug I don't understand why it's so popular and why people don't substitute it with another drug. What's most curious is why people don't do drug substitution for cost mitigation.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- rswail 8y agoIf someone gets a cancer, we don't judge them for having weak DNA replication. If someone gets an infectious disease, we don't judge them for having a weak immune system. If someone becomes addicted to a substance, we shouldn't judge them for having a weak physical or psychiatric system. Addiction is a disease and should be treated as such. All of the xA (Alcoholics/Narcotics/Gambling etc) Anonymous are fine communal assistance groups, but addiction is not about will power.
- cyberferret 8y agoThank you for the analogies here. I must admit that I've always struggled to understand just how addiction works. I was one of those that always put it down to 'lack of willpower' due to sheer lack of understanding of the depth of how this condition works. Also, I am thinking that coming from a POV where I don't have any addictive tendencies makes it all the more harder to put myself in the other persons shoes. Not being pious or getting on a high horse here - it is genuinely like someone who doesn't have ADHD or autism trying to understand what it is like for someone who does. Analogies like the above makes it easier to comprehend though.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- hamilyon2 8y agoYou are completely right. Mental diseases, however, look to other people completely different compared to regular diseases. Some argue they are not diseases at all, since they may lack known biological / cellular component. This becomes more complicated in case when they do not seek treatment.
- otabdeveloper2 8y ago> If someone becomes addicted to a substance Are you mad? Nobody suddenly becomes 'addicted'. Addiction is something you do willfully and deliberately to yourself. Addiction is not a disease, it is a form of self-harm.
- system2 8y ago
- PastorMatthew 8y agoA few responses. AA is not the only game in town as there is reformers unanimous. AA strings you along with your addiction while reformers unanimous results it forever. All of this begins with a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. When that is left out of the life of a 35 year old who is dead because of an addiction it is the one thing that was missing they could help him like nothing ever can in this world.
- PastorMatthew 8y ago*Resolves
- fireattack 8y agohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Square,_Inc https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Square,_Inc. has zero mention of his name (and only list Dorsey and McKelvey as founders). Is he really not a co-founder or Wikipedia is wrong?
- kirishnareturns 8y agoWhy should we care if he dies, what did he do for poor people in SF? Nothing. He didn't cure cancer or give homeless people his fortune. No one cares what he did for himself and what he did to himself.
- edilikeseggs44 8y agothis is such a sad sad story. I lost my Aunt in 2014 to Alcoholism and a good friend of mine on October27th 2018, just last year a few months ago. he was only 48 and my Aunt was only 56 years young. this breaks my heart and his little girl doesn't have her Dad anymore. He must have had alcohol poisoning or maybe his heart just stopped. Praying for his family during this sudden unexpected death.
- edilikeseggs44 8y agoIt sounds like Tristan did alot of good for people and was very successful in his Career, He just had an addiction and couldn't overcome it. I feel especially bad for his Parents, Family, his girlfriend and his 3 year old Daughter most of all. When she gets older she will fairly barely even remember him or maybe she wont remember him at all. This is such a sad story and he was just so young.
- MichaelNeely 8y agoI am an alcoholic and I have been fighting for my life for 30 years. I also tried to disprove the AA program for 23 years. After I didn't drink for 6 years I tried it again and resumed how messed up my life was. Now after 1 year in AA and working "the program," my life is getting to be the best I have had as an adult...and a coder.
- adjkant 8y agoStumbled upon his twitter bio while reading the comments and thought it was appropriate to post here: "Square Co-Founder turned traveling photographer. Searching for the meaning of life and got lost along the way. Maybe it is hidden in these moments." Condolences to all who knew him.
- abrookins 8y agoVery sad news. Most people I’ve met treat alcohol as a casual, mostly harmless substance. On the other hand, the world is filled with people dying quickly and slowly from alcohol addiction. This discrepancy can be very confusing, especially for young people, as it’s often not clear which camp you’ll fall into — until it’s too late. Personally, I think alcohol is worth giving up. Why find out how bad things can get? In my case, I quit 10 years ago. In that time, I’ve built a career as a software developer, grown a marriage, and become a father. I have a great social life, deeper friendships than I ever had while drinking, and have replaced the access to creativity I used to feel by drinking alcohol with running and meditation. Sobriety is an extremely viable path.