
Dave Goldberg, CEO of SurveyMonkey, has died - mech4bg
https://www.facebook.com/zuck/posts/10102063979260811
======
mech4bg
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.

------
rrtwo
Cool video with Dave about startups:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTtnSgQL-
Bg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTtnSgQL-Bg)

~~~
rmason
Here's the definitive one with Jason Calacanis interviewing him from three
years ago:

[http://thisweekinstartups.com/dave-goldberg-of-
surveymonkey-...](http://thisweekinstartups.com/dave-goldberg-of-surveymonkey-
on-this-week-in-startups-251/)

------
cvgraham
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.

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

------
FiReaNG3L
Original source:
[https://www.facebook.com/robert.h.goldberg](https://www.facebook.com/robert.h.goldberg)

~~~
KhalilK
[https://www.facebook.com/robert.h.goldberg/posts/10153303390...](https://www.facebook.com/robert.h.goldberg/posts/10153303390627269)

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chrisper
I wonder how he died?

~~~
goodJobWalrus
Mo Koyfman, a VC, tweeted that it is likely a heart attack.

[https://twitter.com/mokoyfman/status/594549389340876801](https://twitter.com/mokoyfman/status/594549389340876801)

~~~
pen2l
I know of 2 guys who had a case of "sudden death" in the valley, both from
heart attack, both were using stimulants and working very long hours in their
startups. I know from previous threads that a lot of folks in the valley use
stimulants to get through nights without sleep, to work with high focus, but
guys you have to be careful. Stimulant use aside, keep in mind cardiovascular
diseases is one of _the_ bigger killers out there. Cancer gets a lot of
attention, and it's a big killer, but most people don't realize how many
people are beaten by cardiovascular diseases. Eat healthy, and _exercise_ to
prevent these problems. Get a comprehensive exam from your physician annually
for good measure.

~~~
beachstartup
uhm, by all accounts (especially the video in this thread where he says as
much) this guy was far past the working-long-hours phase - the company was
mature and he stressed work life balance. i think mentioning stimulant abuse
here is a little ... shitty of you, to be honest.

some people just die young/young-ish of natural causes. i personally know
several people who have had freak heart attacks or brain conditions and passed
away. it's sad, but a fact of life (and death).

~~~
jsprogrammer
Generally places stress work life balance because the organization doesn't
actually afford its members a work life balance, so the perception of it
existing has to be constructed through propaganda.

i.e. If you already have work life balance, there's not need to stress it.

~~~
sontek
This is completely wrong. In our area (Silicon Valley) it is common and
expected to push hard and work long hours. It is an extremely competitive
environment and unless you're forced to go home most people work late into the
night.

Not making an effort and letting your employees know that you don't expect
them to work nights and weekends means you are ignoring the societal norms in
our field and most likely have engineers working their way towards burnout.

------
pigubrco
"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

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

------
theorique
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-
car...](http://www.unz.com/isteve/dave-goldberg-died-same-day-as-cartel-
terrorist-outburst/)

------
downandout
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
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-
surv...](https://www.surveymonkey.com/mp/dave-goldberg-statement-
surveymonkey/)

------
markcc01
All the best to Dave and family. Very tragic.

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

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

------
jimjam7382
I wonder how having a nonstop high demand, high stress job for 25+ years
factored into all of this.

------
mozumder
So sad. =^(

My condolences to his family.

------
jstoiko
Tragic

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

~~~
chime
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.

~~~
papasmrf
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
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.

------
shabda
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.

~~~
CatDevURandom
My spouse -- an md -- cringed a bit when I read your post. And not because
it's not well meaning, or important, but because without qualifying what
"comprehensive health check" means, that check could very well do you more
harm than good.

So, yes. Please find a good primary care physician you trust and visit on an
annual basis. Make sure you update that phsyician with what's going on in your
life. That includes any family history, pain, issues etc. When in doubt, see
another physician. But please don't go out and get a full MRI of your body
just because (which, you are not saying, but does happen). There are enough
VOMITs[0] in the course of normal defensive medicine. Don't go looking for
problems because -- although they'll definitely help you look -- you might not
be better off for it.

[0]: [http://messybeast.com/dragonqueen/medical-
acronyms.htm](http://messybeast.com/dragonqueen/medical-acronyms.htm)

~~~
shabda
We could argue about what comprehensive means, but if you see my post below,
the test I recommended has blood work for internal organs health check, chest
xray, abdomen ultrasound and (pap smear/mamogram etc depending on gender/age).
This requires one single blood draw, and no significant levels of radiation.

Most tests do have some degree of false positives, but there a number of
defensive diagnostic tests which are nearly error free and clinically
significant

To name some: * BUN + Serum creatinine - Kidney health * LFT - Liver health *
Sugar levels - Early detection of diabetes

I am not recommending a MRI, but everyone should get an annual health check,
for some values of comprehensive.

~~~
Osmium
Not disagreeing about your post at all, which sounds entirely reasonable to me
(I'm not a doctor), but I think this is worth emphasising:

> Most tests do have some degree of false positives,

I think many people don't appreciate the _danger_ of false positives.

The complications that can come from unnecessary treatments, the dangers that
more invasive tests might cause, the aggregate effect of all the time and
expense the extra testing causes (e.g. by putting a strain on hospitals who
may need that MRI for someone else), the negative emotional consequences of
the stress from the false diagnosis, the possible financial implications etc.
Even a very small chance of a false positive can have huge consequences if the
test is deployed widely enough.

~~~
zo1
>" _I think many people don 't appreciate the danger of false positives._"

Yes, but to most people, we compare that danger with the danger of a positive
test that never gets done. More information is never a bad thing. And I'm
reasonably sure that for almost every test that can have a dangerous false-
positive, there is also a corresponding test that can corroborate those
results, if not detect the false-positive.

------
papasmrf
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
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
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.

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

~~~
Kiro
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
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
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.

------
Snesker
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.

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

~~~
dmak
I'm confused. Did he have cancer brewing for a long time that had gone
undetected?

~~~
_random_
I also wonder if there is a place on earth where doctors genuinely care about
you outside of an emergency.

------
yuashizuki
No one gives a shit about the people that died yestarday
[http://www.philly.com/philly/news/nation_world/20150503_U_S_...](http://www.philly.com/philly/news/nation_world/20150503_U_S__airstrikes_killed_Syrian_villagers__rights_group_claims.html)
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
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

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xxcode
Keep leaning in.

------
csense
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
He was the CEO of a huge and successful startup, and husband to Sheryl
Sandberg.

~~~
th0br0
For those who had to look up the name of his wife like I did: she's the COO @
Facebook

