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Heart attack at 63. What a shame. Guy worked at the company longer than I’ve been alive and all he has to show for it is an inheritance and obituary. Makes you
by rm_-rf_slash 2y ago
Heart attack at 63. What a shame. Guy worked at the company longer than I’ve been alive and all he has to show for it is an inheritance and obituary. Makes you wonder what we’re working so hard for.
- mathgladiator 2y agoIt's a good question. My home was recently destroyed by fire (not a total loss of dwelling, but 95% of contents due to smoke and water), and I'm quitting tech to accept being a rancher and body builder. I love tech, but tech doesn't love me. So, #yolo on to the next thing.
- avandekleut 2y agoGood luck! Your username suits you.
- mathgladiator 2y agoThanks. I love math, and I regret not being able to usefully use it more. I don't regret leaving academia, but life is a mystery. The next chapter feels... good and right.
- par 2y agowould love to follow your progress if you're going to be publicly blogging it (would be ironic, i know.) Also, really sorry for your loss. Was it the palisades fire?
- mathgladiator 2y agoI thought about doing a youtube channel, honestly. Both as a parody and a progress. It's strange. I will probably get more love for making a video about my future barndo than my tech projects. It was an electrical fire due to a 20 year old wire and an external flood light that has never worked.
- Imustaskforhelp 2y agoSorry for your loss. But may I ask, about the comment "I love tech, but tech doesn't love me" Where does this really arise from? I have some theories and feel free to tell me which one is the right one:- 1)Does this arise from the fact that tech is excessively used to create AI coder assistants to take the coders out in the first place 2)Does this arise from the fact that you feel as if you are a working machine in a cog, like most of what coders do in tech is unethical or useless in terms of human resourcefulness (asking because I saw one hackernews post about it some day where the guy was a microsoft engineer working on some project that he believed to have no impact other than surveillance) Because these were the two theories as to why you might feel like that way. And I am genuinely interested in what you believe. Curious for your response!
- nashashmi 2y agoCreators of tech vs users of tech are very different mindsets. My guess is the creators culture is not something you can just learn and work with. There is an inherent egotistical nature in the creator. And sometimes that is a difficult situation to work with .
- tmpz22 2y agoNot OP but the business of western tech places absolute minimum value on individuals and relationship building. It's all short term gain at the expense of all else. I'd expect the average tech employee to live shorter less fulfilled lives despite their wealth. [1]: What makes a good life lessons from the longest study on happiness (Harvard) - https://www.ted.com/talks/robert_waldinger_what_makes_a_good_life_lessons_from_the_longest_study_on_happiness?language=en https://www.ted.com/talks/robert_waldinger_what_makes_a_good... [2]: The secret to living longer may be your social life - https://www.ted.com/talks/susan_pinker_the_secret_to_living_longer_may_be_your_social_life https://www.ted.com/talks/susan_pinker_the_secret_to_living_...
- organsnyder 2y agoThat may be true in many (even most) places, but it's not universal. I've found the most success when I'm able to build relationships, even at large well-known tech companies. That being said, I strongly believe that it's never wise to find fulfillment solely—or even primarily—in vocation. Absolutely try to build a career that is life-giving, but there is so much joy and meaning to be found outside of work. We thrive in community.
- yesimahuman 2y agoI sold my startup and got out of tech and I’m much happier. Didn’t fully understand how miserable the whole industry and the long hours sitting at the computer were making me. Good luck with the new life!
- gardenhedge 2y agoWhat was the startup?
- simantel 2y agoIt's in their profile.
- gardenhedge 2y agoOh, cool I've used ionic framework
- selimthegrim 2y agoWhat are you doing now?
- yesimahuman 2y agoCliché but woodworking and working on my house! Been learning tons of new things that have nothing to do with coding. I’d probably get into rehabbing/flipping houses before I’d ever go back into tech
- Workaccount2 2y agoJust a heads up, this only works well if you have a nice cushion of cash to do it on. Someone with 30% tech ability will easily out-earn someone with 100% ranching ability. And have way more free time. And live way more comfortably. Don't be fooled, the greenest grass is in the tech sector (and finance too).
- jonnybgood 2y agoNot everything is about how much money you’ll make.
- scarface_74 2y agoYes. But we all have an addiction to food and shelter.
- SirMaster 2y agoYou don't need much money to have food and shelter...
- ge96 2y agoThat homesteader life
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- rurp 2y agoMost people obtain those just fine without a tech salary.
- amanaplanacanal 2y agoIn the US, only the poorest of the poor don't have shelter, and even they mostly have food.
- 2y ago
- freedomben 2y agoIn 3 to 5 years once AI is doing most of our tech jobs, we may look back on this comment as someone with laser vision
- mathgladiator 2y agoMaybe. I was using AI via API, and I was building a tool chain to build a social network with PHP... I realized that I could focus on the product, but then I realized I was solving a problem which is social in nature rather than technical. I am going to get in absolute peak shape, get a few cattle, raise some chickens to produce eggs, and maybe study to become a personal trainer.
- fullshark 2y agoStatus seeking, cultural conditioning, an innate desire to be valuable to your community/loved ones. Certainly don't do it to consume more, which is what basically all economic models assume.
- onlyrealcuzzo 2y agoThe guy was making ~$4M per year. Presumably he was living a quite nice and comfortable life.
- xtracto 2y agoThis makes me think... how is it that in 2025, a 63 year old super rich guy can die of a heart attack. By now, we should have some sort of portable appliance a medication that would save us from sudden heart attack.
- geodel 2y agoUnless there is zero probability someone rich can die of heart attack even if they are billionaire. Overall they are dying less from preventable/lifestyle diseases which is reasonable expectation.
- slightwinder 2y agoDid he? Money is no guarantee for happiness or comfort. Considering his position and how young he died, he likely had a very stressful live, and little time for his personal enjoyments. At least, he hadn't enough time to take care of his own health. My assumption is, he worked hard to gain money, and died before he reached the point where he could fully use it for his personal benefit. Which is indeed sad.
- SirMaster 2y agoDo you actually know anything about his life? I don't know how you can make that assumption at all.
- TheBigSalad 2y agoAbsolutely wild how people will just make up a story to fill in the gaps in their knowledge, and believe it.
- slightwinder 2y ago
- tonyhart7 2y ago"Makes you wonder what we’re working so hard for." he living a lavish live and probably didn't have to think about money for his life and his descendant
- screye 2y agoYep. Jong-Hee was self-made, and did not come from a Chaebol family. Samsung is controlled by the (founding) Lee family, and as of 2025, Samsung's executive chairman (Lee Jae-yong) is the family patriarch. Samsung might not have been his baby, but glad he could taste the very pinnacle of power in SK before death came knocking.
- moritonal 2y agoThat's a very pessimistic view on the role of work. Whilst possibly true, it's equally possible that his decent choices allowed Samsung to succeed in areas, and in turn recently employ more people, who in turn could live safe, stable fulfilling lives. I think people forget how bad a chaotic life without safety nets is for most people. Of course, this is all a hunch, I hear Samsung is quite a good company.
- chirau 2y agoWhat do you mean 'all he has to show for it is an inheritance and obituary'? What else was he supposed to have or anyone else for that matter? I'd think inheritance covers a lot at the very least.
- PaulHoule 2y agoI mean, everybody dies.
- Imustaskforhelp 2y agoI mean, maybe he meant to point out that south korea as a country focuses way too much on this work culture and he might've sacrificed his precious family time / just became a "well off cog" in this huge machine. Maybe he was passionate. Maybe he felt obliged / motivated even to prove to others who helped him get to CEO that he was the right choice. But in the end , like all people , he died. In the end , all he had after all his efforts were inheritance and obituary. We might never know if his final moments were full of regret or full of acceptance & happiness. Death is just one breath away. Knocking on our doors. Our fragile egos can't understand death but it very desperately tries to. I am not sure why but I really wish to end my comment with the famous quote by Albert Camus, "One must imagine Sisyphus happy." (Not sure, if it really relates to the other paragraphs in this comment but I for one felt like that so I am just writing it out here)
- rm_-rf_slash 2y agoNot SK in particular but the point of all of this in general, especially for those who have reached such heights. 63 is a young age to die in a rich country, especially for a corporate titan. Warren Buffett has been at the helm of Berkshire Hathaway an entire-my-lifetime of years between him and Jong-hee Han. Gabe Newell famously has yachts around the world, explores the oceans and seems to be enjoying the fruits of his labor without kicking the bucket immediately after the release of Half Life 2. Chuck Feeney made himself a multi billionaire and impressively gave it all away to charity within his lifetime. While so many plutocrats would “pledge” their wealth after death, Feeney had the stones to do it while he drew breath, earning him a high seat in the pantheon of philanthropy. So what’s the point of all this work if it buys you an early grave? I’m sure he would have enjoyed a comfortable and lengthy retirement with his family, if he could’ve gotten there.
- StefanBatory 2y agoJourney, not the destination I'd say. I'm sure he must have enjoyed being CEO in the end. You are a leader of one of the most influential companies in the world and most likely the most influential in Korea.
- Imustaskforhelp 2y agoMaybe the author is questioning if the journey was worth it? Did he feel in the moments leading up to his death ,that his influence was used in the most effective ways or did he feel regret about the ways he used his influence. To be honest, I think money can have diminishing returns after some point, and maybe with his CEO , he got a lot of responsibilities which might have really stressed him out (which potentially , increases heart attack rate)
- adamlgerber 2y agoBuilding and growing a business of any size is probably one of the most intellectually stimulating lives possible. People work for years without any where close to his amount of engagement with the world.
- awongh 2y agoMaybe you're not familiar with the Chaebol system in Korea, but the leadership of Samsung is like some kind of modern-day monarchy-(not necessarily the CEO but the founding Lee family are royalty in the inheritance sense)- Samsung the company exists as a sort of independent nation-state that drives the Korean economy. (this guy was in charge of about 1/4 of the GDP of the entire economy of Korea) Saying "all he has to show for it" is like saying all Jimmy Carter got was 4 years of stress.
- lordfrito 2y ago> Makes you wonder what we’re working so hard for You're working for the life you get to live in the hours inbetween that you're not working. The world judges the guy by being the CEO of Samsung. However he judges his life by what he got on the in between. Hopefully by his standards he lived a full life, loving family, experiences, etc.
- trueismywork 2y agoWork is worship
- maxloh 2y agoIt's common for Asian people, especially Asian men, to work like hell for their parents and children, and not really think about what other life choices they have. That's caused by social values and expectations – people think you are disrespectful to your parents if you don't provide them and carry on the family name. That happened to my dad too. He worked really hard for his family, but as his child, it is crystal clear to me that he doesn't enjoy childcare. The situation is improving as the new generation puts more focus on their own life. But it's still a long way to go.
- tw1984 2y ago> It's common for Asian people It is only common in Northeast Asia (China, Japan and Korea).
- ctxc 2y ago+India :)
- _lvbh 2y agoSoutheast as well (Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, etc). I don't know much about South and West Asian cultures
- thehappypm 2y agoSidebar but don’t those countries usually get called “ East Asia”? Northeast Asia would more accurately be Siberia
- rayiner 2y agoIs that an improvement, or is it just more of a western mentality? I was raised by asian parents (who had no life of their own), and my wife was raised by Anglo American parents (who “put more focus on their own life”). And from my perspective as a child, I’d rather have my upbringing than her’s. And I’m happy to pay it forward and do for my kids what my parents did for me. I think “choices” are vastly overrated. I don’t think my kids would be happy if I quit my high paying job to pursue my dreams or whatever. Not that there’s anything else I would want to do! Part of what makes the Asian mentality work is that you avoid “grass is greener on the other side” thinking that will just leave you discontented. For all the talk of “choice”—Americans don’t really that happiness is itself a choice. You can choose to be happy doing what you have to do.
- gosub100 2y ago[flagged]
- boringg 2y agoMore like you are pushing your perspective out here. You think he didn't enjoy being in charge of an organization that was building some remarkable products and pushing the possibility of what humanity can build? I think maybe you would prefer sitting on a beach doing nothing but I bet you this person enjoyed what they were doing on the whole.
- Barrin92 2y ago>but I bet you this person enjoyed what they were doing on the whole. well given that the man just dropped dead of a heart attack at his daughters wedding at a relatively young age I'd maybe take that bet. I'm currently reading Evan Dou's book on Huawei and one constant among the leaders in that company seems to be mental and physical exhaustion, up to depression, chronic illness and suicide, virtually no time spent with family, and not enjoyment but an almost martial sense of loyalty to the company. Running Western companies already doesn't seem to do wonders for one's mental health judging by some of the prominent figures, but East Asian giants sound even worse. I'll take the beach and my family over either one
- boringg 2y agoYou under estimate that people very much want to build and be part of something lasting and meaningful. Certainly takes its mental toll - its part of the trade off and it certainly isn't for everyone. Its a demanding job. My point is that some people want that and some people want to hang out at the beach - its a personal choice. OP original comment is question why people work so hard - because sometimes to do important things it requires hard work.
- Nifty3929 2y agoSome people are working as hard as they can for humanity in general. It's still "for them" in the sense that this is what drives and motivates them. But we're all the winners. These are the folks that work long hours at the expense of their own health and family relationships. These are the folks that people ask about "don't they already have enough money" - when it's not about the money at all. It's about doing and creating and building something better for humanity. Sometimes these are our best corporate leaders, or government officials, or scientists, or even revolutionaries and cultural leaders. I'm very grateful for these people.
- eswat 2y agoPretty sure he lived a life past just having “to show for it is an inheritance and obituary.” He wasn’t an IC drone and this probably makes more sense if you’re in Korea. Some people die sooner than expected but that doesn't mean their yardstick should be measured in quantity of years. What about quality?
- SirMaster 2y ago>Makes you wonder what we’re working so hard for. Plenty of people enjoy the work they do...