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.
Maybe 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.
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.
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.
I 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!
would 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?
It'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.
Is 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.
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.
Building 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.
What 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.
I 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)
More 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.
>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
Some 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.
Status 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.
That'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.
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.
Pretty 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?
Did 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.
Maybe 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)
awongh|11 months ago
Saying "all he has to show for it" is like saying all Jimmy Carter got was 4 years of stress.
cheschire|11 months ago
mathgladiator|11 months ago
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.
Workaccount2|11 months ago
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).
Imustaskforhelp|11 months ago
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!
yesimahuman|11 months ago
par|11 months ago
avandekleut|11 months ago
freedomben|11 months ago
maxloh|11 months ago
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.
rayiner|11 months ago
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.
tw1984|11 months ago
It is only common in Northeast Asia (China, Japan and Korea).
screye|11 months ago
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.
adamlgerber|11 months ago
chirau|11 months ago
Imustaskforhelp|11 months ago
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)
PaulHoule|11 months ago
boringg|11 months ago
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|11 months ago
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
tonyhart7|11 months ago
he living a lavish live and probably didn't have to think about money for his life and his descendant
Nifty3929|11 months ago
I'm very grateful for these people.
fullshark|11 months ago
moritonal|11 months ago
Of course, this is all a hunch, I hear Samsung is quite a good company.
lordfrito|11 months ago
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.
eswat|11 months ago
Some people die sooner than expected but that doesn't mean their yardstick should be measured in quantity of years. What about quality?
onlyrealcuzzo|11 months ago
Presumably he was living a quite nice and comfortable life.
slightwinder|11 months ago
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.
xtracto|11 months ago
By now, we should have some sort of portable appliance a medication that would save us from sudden heart attack.
StefanBatory|11 months ago
You are a leader of one of the most influential companies in the world and most likely the most influential in Korea.
Imustaskforhelp|11 months ago
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)
SirMaster|11 months ago
Plenty of people enjoy the work they do...
trueismywork|11 months ago
gosub100|11 months ago
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