28 ms·

Dave Goldberg, CEO of SurveyMonkey, has died

468 points by mech4bg 11y ago

testingonprod 11y ago
It is at these times we must confront our own mortality.
- larrys 11y ago
  When I started to see similar things happen to friends or acquaintances when I was about the same age every time I heard of someone getting sick or dying prematurely I would say to myself "time to buy that Porsche you always wanted". So I did. My parents generation worked hard but never spent any money always assuming they would live to a ripe old age.
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    - kayoone 11y ago
      It's obviously not about money, he was trying to say that one should not pass everything off until you are older, because there is always a Chance that you wont get old.
      - sukilot 11y ago
        If you will your savings to a worthwhile institution, there's no problem.
    - varelse 11y ago
      What good is all that money if you don't live to spend/change the world with it?
  - sukilot 11y ago
    You can do so much better than buying an expensive toy. Why bother working so hard to blow it on something silly?
    - benatkin 11y ago
      No matter where you spend it, money goes somewhere. Why shouldn't people at Porsche be able to earn money from someone who wants and is able to afford one of their cars?
    - jacquesm 11y ago
      Silly for you. But for him it meant enough that he decided to spend his cold hard earned cash on it and that's good enough for most and probably should be good enough for you. One mans expensive toy is anothers childhood dream or self promised reward for decades of hard work. And who knows, it may turn out to be a good investment in the longer term, Porsches and Ferraris have a way of keeping their value (provided you don't drive them too much or wrap them around a tree).
    - _random_ 11y ago
      What is not silly? Someone invented a way of enjoying things after you die? Or is there a template for being happy that we all must adhere? Let me guess: "spend quality time with the people you love", "travel the world and experience more", "achieve something that will remembered" and other typical b..it.
- chime 11y ago
  My thought are with Dave's family. It's a morbid coincidence that I was sitting here, filling out my will using http://getyourshittogether.org/ http://getyourshittogether.org/ when I came across this HN post. I had been avoiding filling it out for months because it never felt important enough to do. Finally last night I decided that I was going to fill it all out today. Just as I started to fill it out, I thought "Oh let me just check HN and reddit once." Then I saw this post and your comment. After I hit reply here, I'm going to finish the entire document before I come back here. I have too many loved ones to leave stranded in this world after me just because I was too lazy and distracted to do what's needed.
  - artmageddon 11y ago
    Thanks for posting this site, I hadn't heard of it before and intend to use it...
  - papasmrf 11y ago
    As an estate lawyer, the biggest issue I see with these types of estate plan services is that amateurs use them and fuck up their documents. Either they execute the documents incorrectly (in which case you might as well not have it), they let beneficiaries serve as witnesses, the documents don't plan for obvious contingencies, or they set up trusts and then neglect to transfer any assets to them (in which case the trust is useless). If you are not dealing with estate matters on a daily basis, then you don't know what you don't know about it. If you have a few assets to try to get to the next generation, you can afford to go see a lawyer. Go find a lawyer who will do your estate plan on a flat fee basis. You'll know exactly the cost and you won't get hit by an attorney charging you by the hour and running up the hours.
    - girvo 11y ago
      Agreed. I studied law although I didn't graduate, and estate law has so many little twists and turns that it's worth paying a lawyer to tackle it; I can't think of much worse than my death causing even more stress and fighting between those left behind due to an ill-defined will.
    - 11y ago
heimatau 11y ago
I hate death. My regards to Sheryl Sandberg and the rest of the family.
markcc01 11y ago
All the best to Dave and family. Very tragic.
FiReaNG3L 11y ago
Original source: https://www.facebook.com/robert.h.goldberg https://www.facebook.com/robert.h.goldberg
- KhalilK 11y ago
  https://www.facebook.com/robert.h.goldberg/posts/10153303390627269 https://www.facebook.com/robert.h.goldberg/posts/10153303390...
jstoiko 11y ago
Tragic
rrtwo 11y ago
Cool video with Dave about startups: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTtnSgQL-Bg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTtnSgQL-Bg
- alexqgb 11y ago
  That's a really great video. I can understand why he was so highly regarded. So sorry that this is what brought it to my attention.
- rmason 11y ago
  Here's the definitive one with Jason Calacanis interviewing him from three years ago: http://thisweekinstartups.com/dave-goldberg-of-surveymonkey-on-this-week-in-startups-251/ http://thisweekinstartups.com/dave-goldberg-of-surveymonkey-...
- wiggumz 11y ago
  Since we are talking about rich people here, and it sounds like this guy was not ruthless, is there any chance of foul play? Heart attacks can be induced, and usually there is someone around who knows CPR. People don't usually die from Heart attacks these days, especially not people who Have enough money to get excellent healthcare. Was there anything Goldberg was doing that was in any way connected to the spooks? He did once work for Bain. Or could the US government have killed him in order to ensure compliance from someone close to Goldberg like the Facebook CEO?
- wiggumz 11y ago
  Is there any chance of foul play? Heart attacks can be induced, and usually there is someone around who knows CPR so this seems odd. People don't usually die from Heart attacks these days, especially not people who Have enough money to get excellent healthcare. Was there anything Goldberg was doing that was in any way connected to the spooks? Or could the US government have killed him in order to ensure compliance from someone close to Goldberg like the Facebook CEO?
  - meepmorp 11y ago
    > Or could the US government have killed him in order to ensure compliance from someone close to Goldberg like the Facebook CEO? Are you seriously not aware how crazy this sounds to other people?
jonathanehrlich 11y ago
The most genuine, respected person in our community. My heart breaks for Sheryl and her family.
chrisper 11y ago
I wonder how he died?
- staunch 11y ago
  > David Goldberg, one of Silicon Valley’s most high-profile, well-regarded and well-liked entrepreneurs, died suddenly last night of undetermined causes. http://recode.net/2015/05/02/beloved-silicon-valley-entrepreneur-david-goldberg-dies-suddenly/ http://recode.net/2015/05/02/beloved-silicon-valley-entrepre...
- sergiotapia 11y ago
  He looked otherwise healthy I wonder if it was something related to sleep apnea. Ryan Davis from Giantbomb also died suddenly while on his honeymoon. http://www.giantbomb.com/ryan-davis/3040-93335/forums/ryan-davis-s-father-confirms-what-happened-to-ryan-1444428/ http://www.giantbomb.com/ryan-davis/3040-93335/forums/ryan-d...
  - kayoone 11y ago
    Doesn't make sense to speculate, could be a million things like heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, aneurysm, complications with undiagnosed diabetes etc etc
    - weeeeeefdsg 11y ago
      COULD BE MUURDER
  - mrbill 11y ago
    Way too many people dismiss sleep apnea. Folks, it can kill you - or cause other serious problems. In addition to narcolepsy, your general metabolism can get messed up too. I spent 4+ years not getting any REM sleep and my metabolism STILL suffers as a result - even 14 years after starting on CPAP and using it EVERY night since then. It's too long to go into here - but I did a writeup years ago about my "journey", along with my wife's issues with PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome). http://weblog.mrbill.net/archives/2014/01/13/falling-in-love-with-my-wife-v2-1/ http://weblog.mrbill.net/archives/2014/01/13/falling-in-love... Do you snore (badly)? Do you find yourself tossing and turning a LOT at night? Do you wake up gasping or with a general sense of dread/fear? Are you super-tired during the day? Have you ever fallen asleep while typing, while at a stoplight in your car, etc? Talk to a doctor about having a sleep study done. It might save your life.
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mech4bg 11y ago
Dave was an excellent CEO and the nicest guy - everyone at SurveyMonkey liked him and liked working for him. This is just devastating news. I saw someone say on Twitter "Dave defined the word 'mensch'" - very true.
- fnord123 11y ago
  >"Dave defined the word 'mensch'" FWIW, mech4bg is probably referring to Yiddish for "human being" and not a reference to the terrible ex MP (UK) Louise Mensch.
  - mech4bg 11y ago
    In German it means human being, in Yiddish it's taken to be "a person of integrity and honor" - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mensch http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mensch
    - frik 11y ago
      True. German Wikipedia article translated to English: https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=de&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fde.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FMensch&edit-text=&act=url https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&pr... (see the Etymology section)
- deleted 11y ago
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- deleted 11y ago
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csense 11y ago
For those of us who've never heard of this guy, what did he do, and why is this the number one story on HN right now?
- roaree 11y ago
  He was the CEO of a huge and successful startup, and husband to Sheryl Sandberg.
  - th0br0 11y ago
    For those who had to look up the name of his wife like I did: she's the COO @ Facebook
  - dredmorbius 11y ago
    And Sandberg is the COO of Facebook and author of the book Lean In, about women in tech / business.
- joshu 11y ago
  I would have thought that someone on HN would know how to use a search engine.
  - larrys 11y ago
    In an oddly related way this reminds me of a time prior to the Internet. In that era you would open up the Yellow Pages and call a company or a store and ask them if they "carried such and such widget". They would reply "no". You would then say "do you know of anyone who does" hoping for a tidbit of info or direction on who you could contact next. The person on the other end would inevitably tell you to, as if this was valuable info, "why don't you try the Yellow Pages?". People really did that. The irony is not that you got their number from the YP but that they thought they were giving you good advice by telling you to use something that was as ubiquitous as doing a google search is today.
    - deleted 11y ago
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shabda 11y ago
I will take this time to write something I wrote on Steve Jobs death: go get a comprehensive health check today. In our community, we are data driven about everything, except our health and body. I will copy what I wrote 1304 days ago, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3080327 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3080327 In January 2009 I was Stage 5 chronic kidney disease, in July 2009 I had a kidney transplant. Looking back there were so many telltale signs that I had over the last six months, which I was ignoring as I was busy building my startup. A regular health check has the potential to catch a problem like this. I now nag each of my friends and family in having an annual health check. Its the best time you can spend. This was not the first time I made a mistake like this. When I was a kid, I had trouble seeing my teacher's blackboard. I just kept moving closer to the blackboard. I saw a doctor when I had trouble understanding what the teacher was writing from the first row. Problems like this creep up on you over years, and they are so gradual you don't realize them. You wont run your site without a Google Analytics/Pingdom. Dont do it with your life. If you haven't had a health check, get it done today.
- istsehrgut 11y ago
  yeah ok, but seriously fuck pingdom.
- smm2000 11y ago
  What do you mean by comprehensive health check? What tests should I do? I do yearly physicals, but I feel they are mostly "feel good" exercises.
  - giarc 11y ago
    Do they draw blood and ask for a urine sample? Do they make you strip down and examine you from head to toe? Do they make you "turn and cough"? Do they listen to your heart and lungs? Do they look in your mouth? Do they look in your eye? Do they ask you about your health history? If some or all of these are "no", it's not a comprehensive exam.
    - carc 11y ago
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cvgraham 11y ago
Dave was one of the best people in the tech space -- genuinely honest, super-smart and just an all-around good guy. He was one of the few people I really looked up to and admired in the valley. This is a huge loss today.
papasmrf 11y ago
Of course we dont know why he died but I echo the sentiment that you need to be getting annual physicals and blood work to catch potential issues sooner rather than later. A few years ago a nurse told me my blood pressure was a bit high but I didnt think it was that high to worry about so I never followed up on it. Then a few months ago I went for a dental check up where they checked my blood pressure and after a particularly chaotic morning the nurse told me my blood pressure was 220 over 150, which is crazy high blood pressure The dentist ended the appointment and told me very strongly to go straight to the doctor. When I got there my pressure had gone down to 150 / 90, but the doctor started me on a low dose of blood pressure medicine. It costs $5.00 per month, and who knows what health disaster was awaiting me had I not discovered this. Even if you are relatively normal weight, in your 20s, and healthy, you could still have issues and not realize it until you have a check up.
- brianwawok 11y ago
  What are the side effects of your blood pressure medicine? Do you regularly exercise? Meditate? Have you looked into treating blood pressure other ways than a pill? Knowing something (blood pressure is high) is cool.. but turning that into (I must pop pill X) doesn't always seem like the best strategy.
  - papasmrf 11y ago
    As if I said anywhere in my post "I must pop pill x." Side effects = none. Cost = negligible. Could I afford to exercise more and lose a few pounds? Sure. But that is not going to reduce what was too high blood pressure quickly enough to not be a risk, particularly upping my exercise regimen with untreated high blood pressure.
  - bqe 11y ago
    Many modern blood pressure medicines have almost no side effects for the gross majority of those taking them. I had a very similar experience to the person you're replying to. I am active, eat healthy, and have tried to go off of my high blood pressure meds more than once, but each time, my blood pressure creeps back up. Modern medicine is a wonderful thing. Don't be scared of medicine when it's the right option.
subverting 11y ago
5,999,999 to go
jimjam7382 11y ago
I wonder how having a nonstop high demand, high stress job for 25+ years factored into all of this.
andyfleming 11y ago
Does hacker news still do the black bar to honor people in the community who have passed away?
- Kiro 11y ago
  This questions often pops up whenever there's a thread about someone passing away on the front page. I think it's problematic since it will be up to the admins to decide whether a person was "important" enough to have a black bar. A very hard task where each consideration will be controversial. Therefore I don't think they should do it all.
  - danso 11y ago
    They've done it for people particularly important to the community...Steve Jobs and Aaron Swartz (I think: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5046845 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5046845). I think it's a difficult task in that you can't include everyone...but I think it'd be fine if the admins did it by personal consensus...I imagine who they think would be noteworthy would be in line with what most users think.
    - sjwright 11y ago
      I agree. The black bar exists because the owners/admins deem it to exist. It is necessarily a mark of respect granted by them, not by the community. Any discussion or meta-discussion about its application will only confuse this true meaning and doesn't help anyone.
    - mhartl 11y ago
      Also for John McCarthy
mozumder 11y ago
So sad. =^( My condolences to his family.
mdesq 11y ago
Such a young guy who has already contributed so much. My heart goes out to Sheryl and the children.
downandout 11y ago
It's so sad when people die suddenly. SurveyMonkey itself hasn't even updated their team page [1]. I wonder what happened? Heart attack? I feel for Sheryl Sandberg...she seems like an exceptionally decent and grounded person, which in my experience is rare among obscenely wealthy people. [1] https://www.surveymonkey.com/mp/aboutus/management/ https://www.surveymonkey.com/mp/aboutus/management/
- mech4bg 11y ago
  There hasn't been time and people are still in shock. A statement has been issued though: https://www.surveymonkey.com/mp/dave-goldberg-statement-surveymonkey/ https://www.surveymonkey.com/mp/dave-goldberg-statement-surv...
xxcode 11y ago
Keep leaning in.
jane_is_here 11y ago
That is why you should see a competent primary care physician/GP/family care practitioner regularly.
- dmak 11y ago
  I'm confused. Did he have cancer brewing for a long time that had gone undetected?
  - _random_ 11y ago
    I also wonder if there is a place on earth where doctors genuinely care about you outside of an emergency.
yuashizuki 11y ago
No one gives a shit about the people that died yestarday http://www.philly.com/philly/news/nation_world/20150503_U_S__airstrikes_killed_Syrian_villagers__rights_group_claims.html http://www.philly.com/philly/news/nation_world/20150503_U_S_... but when this fat idiot dies, its a big deal and makes it to the top of HN. No shit, survey monkey is a billion dollar company. Dont worry I am expecting down votes from angry bigots.
- geoffw8 11y ago
  Whoah. Uncalled for dude. This is a tech site you have to remember, he's a CEO of a tech site/husband to SS/seems like he was a big figure in the community. I'm sure every single one of us cares that people died yesterday. Don't want to get into a big debate, jus sayin. #deepbreaths
pigubrco 11y ago
"Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone, Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone, Silence the pianos and with muffled drum Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come. Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead Scribbling on the sky the message He Is Dead, Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves, Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves. He was my North, my South, my East and West, My working week and my Sunday rest, My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song; I thought that love would last for ever: I was wrong. The stars are not wanted now: put out every one; Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun; Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood. For nothing now can ever come to any good." W. H. Auden
Snesker 11y ago
Is Hacker News the best place for internet eulogies? Seems like this could be a good opportunity for someone to make a website or an application.
theorique 11y ago
There is some speculation that Goldberg died in Mexican drug violence (courtesy of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel), and that this is being suppressed for reasons unknown - perhaps to limit the damage to Facebook's brand and stock price, perhaps for more sinister reasons. http://www.unz.com/isteve/dave-goldberg-died-same-day-as-cartel-terrorist-outburst/ http://www.unz.com/isteve/dave-goldberg-died-same-day-as-car...
lazylady 11y ago
Over work is hard on our bodies. In Chinese medicine it can cause the body to be too yang (or tight).
deleted 11y ago
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468 points by mech4bg 11y ago

testingonprod 11y ago

It is at these times we must confront our own mortality.

larrys 11y ago
When I started to see similar things happen to friends or acquaintances when I was about the same age every time I heard of someone getting sick or dying prematurely I would say to myself "time to buy that Porsche you always wanted". So I did. My parents generation worked hard but never spent any money always assuming they would live to a ripe old age.
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  - kayoone 11y ago
    It's obviously not about money, he was trying to say that one should not pass everything off until you are older, because there is always a Chance that you wont get old.
    - sukilot 11y ago
      If you will your savings to a worthwhile institution, there's no problem.
  - varelse 11y ago
    What good is all that money if you don't live to spend/change the world with it?
- sukilot 11y ago
  You can do so much better than buying an expensive toy. Why bother working so hard to blow it on something silly?
  - benatkin 11y ago
    No matter where you spend it, money goes somewhere. Why shouldn't people at Porsche be able to earn money from someone who wants and is able to afford one of their cars?
  - jacquesm 11y ago
    Silly for you. But for him it meant enough that he decided to spend his cold hard earned cash on it and that's good enough for most and probably should be good enough for you. One mans expensive toy is anothers childhood dream or self promised reward for decades of hard work. And who knows, it may turn out to be a good investment in the longer term, Porsches and Ferraris have a way of keeping their value (provided you don't drive them too much or wrap them around a tree).
  - _random_ 11y ago
    What is not silly? Someone invented a way of enjoying things after you die? Or is there a template for being happy that we all must adhere? Let me guess: "spend quality time with the people you love", "travel the world and experience more", "achieve something that will remembered" and other typical b..it.
chime 11y ago
My thought are with Dave's family. It's a morbid coincidence that I was sitting here, filling out my will using http://getyourshittogether.org/ http://getyourshittogether.org/ when I came across this HN post. I had been avoiding filling it out for months because it never felt important enough to do. Finally last night I decided that I was going to fill it all out today. Just as I started to fill it out, I thought "Oh let me just check HN and reddit once." Then I saw this post and your comment. After I hit reply here, I'm going to finish the entire document before I come back here. I have too many loved ones to leave stranded in this world after me just because I was too lazy and distracted to do what's needed.
- artmageddon 11y ago
  Thanks for posting this site, I hadn't heard of it before and intend to use it...
- papasmrf 11y ago
  As an estate lawyer, the biggest issue I see with these types of estate plan services is that amateurs use them and fuck up their documents. Either they execute the documents incorrectly (in which case you might as well not have it), they let beneficiaries serve as witnesses, the documents don't plan for obvious contingencies, or they set up trusts and then neglect to transfer any assets to them (in which case the trust is useless). If you are not dealing with estate matters on a daily basis, then you don't know what you don't know about it. If you have a few assets to try to get to the next generation, you can afford to go see a lawyer. Go find a lawyer who will do your estate plan on a flat fee basis. You'll know exactly the cost and you won't get hit by an attorney charging you by the hour and running up the hours.
  - girvo 11y ago
    Agreed. I studied law although I didn't graduate, and estate law has so many little twists and turns that it's worth paying a lawyer to tackle it; I can't think of much worse than my death causing even more stress and fighting between those left behind due to an ill-defined will.
  - 11y ago

heimatau 11y ago

I hate death. My regards to Sheryl Sandberg and the rest of the family.

markcc01 11y ago

All the best to Dave and family. Very tragic.

FiReaNG3L 11y ago

Original source: https://www.facebook.com/robert.h.goldberg https://www.facebook.com/robert.h.goldberg

KhalilK 11y ago
https://www.facebook.com/robert.h.goldberg/posts/10153303390627269 https://www.facebook.com/robert.h.goldberg/posts/10153303390...

jstoiko 11y ago

Tragic

rrtwo 11y ago

Cool video with Dave about startups: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTtnSgQL-Bg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTtnSgQL-Bg

alexqgb 11y ago
That's a really great video. I can understand why he was so highly regarded. So sorry that this is what brought it to my attention.
rmason 11y ago
Here's the definitive one with Jason Calacanis interviewing him from three years ago: http://thisweekinstartups.com/dave-goldberg-of-surveymonkey-on-this-week-in-startups-251/ http://thisweekinstartups.com/dave-goldberg-of-surveymonkey-...
wiggumz 11y ago
Since we are talking about rich people here, and it sounds like this guy was not ruthless, is there any chance of foul play? Heart attacks can be induced, and usually there is someone around who knows CPR. People don't usually die from Heart attacks these days, especially not people who Have enough money to get excellent healthcare. Was there anything Goldberg was doing that was in any way connected to the spooks? He did once work for Bain. Or could the US government have killed him in order to ensure compliance from someone close to Goldberg like the Facebook CEO?
wiggumz 11y ago
Is there any chance of foul play? Heart attacks can be induced, and usually there is someone around who knows CPR so this seems odd. People don't usually die from Heart attacks these days, especially not people who Have enough money to get excellent healthcare. Was there anything Goldberg was doing that was in any way connected to the spooks? Or could the US government have killed him in order to ensure compliance from someone close to Goldberg like the Facebook CEO?
- meepmorp 11y ago
  > Or could the US government have killed him in order to ensure compliance from someone close to Goldberg like the Facebook CEO? Are you seriously not aware how crazy this sounds to other people?

jonathanehrlich 11y ago

The most genuine, respected person in our community. My heart breaks for Sheryl and her family.

chrisper 11y ago

I wonder how he died?

staunch 11y ago
> David Goldberg, one of Silicon Valley’s most high-profile, well-regarded and well-liked entrepreneurs, died suddenly last night of undetermined causes. http://recode.net/2015/05/02/beloved-silicon-valley-entrepreneur-david-goldberg-dies-suddenly/ http://recode.net/2015/05/02/beloved-silicon-valley-entrepre...
sergiotapia 11y ago
He looked otherwise healthy I wonder if it was something related to sleep apnea. Ryan Davis from Giantbomb also died suddenly while on his honeymoon. http://www.giantbomb.com/ryan-davis/3040-93335/forums/ryan-davis-s-father-confirms-what-happened-to-ryan-1444428/ http://www.giantbomb.com/ryan-davis/3040-93335/forums/ryan-d...
- kayoone 11y ago
  Doesn't make sense to speculate, could be a million things like heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, aneurysm, complications with undiagnosed diabetes etc etc
  - weeeeeefdsg 11y ago
    COULD BE MUURDER
- mrbill 11y ago
  Way too many people dismiss sleep apnea. Folks, it can kill you - or cause other serious problems. In addition to narcolepsy, your general metabolism can get messed up too. I spent 4+ years not getting any REM sleep and my metabolism STILL suffers as a result - even 14 years after starting on CPAP and using it EVERY night since then. It's too long to go into here - but I did a writeup years ago about my "journey", along with my wife's issues with PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome). http://weblog.mrbill.net/archives/2014/01/13/falling-in-love-with-my-wife-v2-1/ http://weblog.mrbill.net/archives/2014/01/13/falling-in-love... Do you snore (badly)? Do you find yourself tossing and turning a LOT at night? Do you wake up gasping or with a general sense of dread/fear? Are you super-tired during the day? Have you ever fallen asleep while typing, while at a stoplight in your car, etc? Talk to a doctor about having a sleep study done. It might save your life.

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mech4bg 11y ago

Dave was an excellent CEO and the nicest guy - everyone at SurveyMonkey liked him and liked working for him. This is just devastating news. I saw someone say on Twitter "Dave defined the word 'mensch'" - very true.

fnord123 11y ago
>"Dave defined the word 'mensch'" FWIW, mech4bg is probably referring to Yiddish for "human being" and not a reference to the terrible ex MP (UK) Louise Mensch.
- mech4bg 11y ago
  In German it means human being, in Yiddish it's taken to be "a person of integrity and honor" - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mensch http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mensch
  - frik 11y ago
    True. German Wikipedia article translated to English: https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=de&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fde.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FMensch&edit-text=&act=url https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&pr... (see the Etymology section)
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csense 11y ago

For those of us who've never heard of this guy, what did he do, and why is this the number one story on HN right now?

roaree 11y ago
He was the CEO of a huge and successful startup, and husband to Sheryl Sandberg.
- th0br0 11y ago
  For those who had to look up the name of his wife like I did: she's the COO @ Facebook
- dredmorbius 11y ago
  And Sandberg is the COO of Facebook and author of the book Lean In, about women in tech / business.
joshu 11y ago
I would have thought that someone on HN would know how to use a search engine.
- larrys 11y ago
  In an oddly related way this reminds me of a time prior to the Internet. In that era you would open up the Yellow Pages and call a company or a store and ask them if they "carried such and such widget". They would reply "no". You would then say "do you know of anyone who does" hoping for a tidbit of info or direction on who you could contact next. The person on the other end would inevitably tell you to, as if this was valuable info, "why don't you try the Yellow Pages?". People really did that. The irony is not that you got their number from the YP but that they thought they were giving you good advice by telling you to use something that was as ubiquitous as doing a google search is today.
  - deleted 11y ago
    [deleted]

shabda 11y ago

I will take this time to write something I wrote on Steve Jobs death: go get a comprehensive health check today. In our community, we are data driven about everything, except our health and body. I will copy what I wrote 1304 days ago, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3080327 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3080327 In January 2009 I was Stage 5 chronic kidney disease, in July 2009 I had a kidney transplant. Looking back there were so many telltale signs that I had over the last six months, which I was ignoring as I was busy building my startup. A regular health check has the potential to catch a problem like this. I now nag each of my friends and family in having an annual health check. Its the best time you can spend. This was not the first time I made a mistake like this. When I was a kid, I had trouble seeing my teacher's blackboard. I just kept moving closer to the blackboard. I saw a doctor when I had trouble understanding what the teacher was writing from the first row. Problems like this creep up on you over years, and they are so gradual you don't realize them. You wont run your site without a Google Analytics/Pingdom. Dont do it with your life. If you haven't had a health check, get it done today.

istsehrgut 11y ago
yeah ok, but seriously fuck pingdom.
smm2000 11y ago
What do you mean by comprehensive health check? What tests should I do? I do yearly physicals, but I feel they are mostly "feel good" exercises.
- giarc 11y ago
  Do they draw blood and ask for a urine sample? Do they make you strip down and examine you from head to toe? Do they make you "turn and cough"? Do they listen to your heart and lungs? Do they look in your mouth? Do they look in your eye? Do they ask you about your health history? If some or all of these are "no", it's not a comprehensive exam.
  - carc 11y ago

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cvgraham 11y ago

Dave was one of the best people in the tech space -- genuinely honest, super-smart and just an all-around good guy. He was one of the few people I really looked up to and admired in the valley. This is a huge loss today.

papasmrf 11y ago

Of course we dont know why he died but I echo the sentiment that you need to be getting annual physicals and blood work to catch potential issues sooner rather than later. A few years ago a nurse told me my blood pressure was a bit high but I didnt think it was that high to worry about so I never followed up on it. Then a few months ago I went for a dental check up where they checked my blood pressure and after a particularly chaotic morning the nurse told me my blood pressure was 220 over 150, which is crazy high blood pressure The dentist ended the appointment and told me very strongly to go straight to the doctor. When I got there my pressure had gone down to 150 / 90, but the doctor started me on a low dose of blood pressure medicine. It costs $5.00 per month, and who knows what health disaster was awaiting me had I not discovered this. Even if you are relatively normal weight, in your 20s, and healthy, you could still have issues and not realize it until you have a check up.

brianwawok 11y ago
What are the side effects of your blood pressure medicine? Do you regularly exercise? Meditate? Have you looked into treating blood pressure other ways than a pill? Knowing something (blood pressure is high) is cool.. but turning that into (I must pop pill X) doesn't always seem like the best strategy.
- papasmrf 11y ago
  As if I said anywhere in my post "I must pop pill x." Side effects = none. Cost = negligible. Could I afford to exercise more and lose a few pounds? Sure. But that is not going to reduce what was too high blood pressure quickly enough to not be a risk, particularly upping my exercise regimen with untreated high blood pressure.
- bqe 11y ago
  Many modern blood pressure medicines have almost no side effects for the gross majority of those taking them. I had a very similar experience to the person you're replying to. I am active, eat healthy, and have tried to go off of my high blood pressure meds more than once, but each time, my blood pressure creeps back up. Modern medicine is a wonderful thing. Don't be scared of medicine when it's the right option.

subverting 11y ago

5,999,999 to go

jimjam7382 11y ago

I wonder how having a nonstop high demand, high stress job for 25+ years factored into all of this.

andyfleming 11y ago

Does hacker news still do the black bar to honor people in the community who have passed away?

Kiro 11y ago
This questions often pops up whenever there's a thread about someone passing away on the front page. I think it's problematic since it will be up to the admins to decide whether a person was "important" enough to have a black bar. A very hard task where each consideration will be controversial. Therefore I don't think they should do it all.
- danso 11y ago
  They've done it for people particularly important to the community...Steve Jobs and Aaron Swartz (I think: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5046845 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5046845). I think it's a difficult task in that you can't include everyone...but I think it'd be fine if the admins did it by personal consensus...I imagine who they think would be noteworthy would be in line with what most users think.
  - sjwright 11y ago
    I agree. The black bar exists because the owners/admins deem it to exist. It is necessarily a mark of respect granted by them, not by the community. Any discussion or meta-discussion about its application will only confuse this true meaning and doesn't help anyone.
  - mhartl 11y ago
    Also for John McCarthy

mozumder 11y ago

So sad. =^( My condolences to his family.

mdesq 11y ago

Such a young guy who has already contributed so much. My heart goes out to Sheryl and the children.

downandout 11y ago

It's so sad when people die suddenly. SurveyMonkey itself hasn't even updated their team page [1]. I wonder what happened? Heart attack? I feel for Sheryl Sandberg...she seems like an exceptionally decent and grounded person, which in my experience is rare among obscenely wealthy people. [1] https://www.surveymonkey.com/mp/aboutus/management/ https://www.surveymonkey.com/mp/aboutus/management/

mech4bg 11y ago
There hasn't been time and people are still in shock. A statement has been issued though: https://www.surveymonkey.com/mp/dave-goldberg-statement-surveymonkey/ https://www.surveymonkey.com/mp/dave-goldberg-statement-surv...

xxcode 11y ago

Keep leaning in.

jane_is_here 11y ago

That is why you should see a competent primary care physician/GP/family care practitioner regularly.

dmak 11y ago
I'm confused. Did he have cancer brewing for a long time that had gone undetected?
- _random_ 11y ago
  I also wonder if there is a place on earth where doctors genuinely care about you outside of an emergency.

yuashizuki 11y ago

No one gives a shit about the people that died yestarday http://www.philly.com/philly/news/nation_world/20150503_U_S__airstrikes_killed_Syrian_villagers__rights_group_claims.html http://www.philly.com/philly/news/nation_world/20150503_U_S_... but when this fat idiot dies, its a big deal and makes it to the top of HN. No shit, survey monkey is a billion dollar company. Dont worry I am expecting down votes from angry bigots.

geoffw8 11y ago
Whoah. Uncalled for dude. This is a tech site you have to remember, he's a CEO of a tech site/husband to SS/seems like he was a big figure in the community. I'm sure every single one of us cares that people died yesterday. Don't want to get into a big debate, jus sayin. #deepbreaths

pigubrco 11y ago

"Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone, Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone, Silence the pianos and with muffled drum Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come. Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead Scribbling on the sky the message He Is Dead, Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves, Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves. He was my North, my South, my East and West, My working week and my Sunday rest, My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song; I thought that love would last for ever: I was wrong. The stars are not wanted now: put out every one; Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun; Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood. For nothing now can ever come to any good." W. H. Auden

Snesker 11y ago

Is Hacker News the best place for internet eulogies? Seems like this could be a good opportunity for someone to make a website or an application.

theorique 11y ago

There is some speculation that Goldberg died in Mexican drug violence (courtesy of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel), and that this is being suppressed for reasons unknown - perhaps to limit the damage to Facebook's brand and stock price, perhaps for more sinister reasons. http://www.unz.com/isteve/dave-goldberg-died-same-day-as-cartel-terrorist-outburst/ http://www.unz.com/isteve/dave-goldberg-died-same-day-as-car...

lazylady 11y ago

Over work is hard on our bodies. In Chinese medicine it can cause the body to be too yang (or tight).

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