Because Hsieh died intestate, meaning without a will in place, the courts will be heavily involved with what happens to his assets. His fortune will now go into probate, the process the government uses to decide how to distribute the deceased's property.According to Chris Castanes, President of Surf Financial Brokers, the first order of business will be to identify any outstanding bills that need to be paid. "His estate could be tied up for years as people come forward making claims," he says. "If he had borrowed money, all of his creditors will be first in line."After any creditors are satisfied, a process which can take months, a probate court judge will decide how to distribute Hsieh's property.Hsieh was a resident of Nevada, a community property state. That means a spouse would usually inherit his fortune, but Hsieh was unmarried. In Hsieh's case, his parents and his two brothers are his next-of-kin.Andrew Chen, Founder of Hack Your Wealth, says that if Hsieh had no next-of-kin, his entire fortune could have ended up going to the state."Since Tony's estate is very large (reportedly approaching $1 billion), if no next of kin is found, this could mean a very large windfall to the state of Nevada and/or other states where Tony holds property," Chen says.