Reed Hastings - Building Netflix - [Invest Like the Best, EP.453]

My guest today is Reed Hastings, the co-founder and former longtime CEO of Netflix.

Netflix is an example of two ideas that everyone talks about, but are extremely hard to do in practice. The first is finding a simple idea and taking it extraordinarily seriously. Reed talks about how even the DVD business was nothing more than a stepping stone toward streaming, which they envisioned from the company’s inception in 1997. The second is talent density, and what it actually takes to set and sustain an exceptionally high bar over decades as a company grows. 

We talk about how those ideas shaped Netflix’s culture and strategy, what Reed learned from mistakes like Qwikster, and why Netflix treated content like a venture portfolio.

We also discuss Reed’s work today. He shares how he’s thinking about AI, what he’s learned from serving on the boards of Microsoft, Meta, Anthropic, and Bloomberg, and what excites him about Powder Mountain, the ski resort he acquired after Netflix.

Please enjoy my conversation with Reed Hastings.

For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

-----

This episode is brought to you by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Ramp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Ramp’s mission is to help companies manage their spend in a way that reduces expenses and frees up time for teams to work on more valuable projects. Go to⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠ramp.com/invest⁠ to sign up for free and get a $250 welcome bonus.

-----

This episode is brought to you by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Vanta. Trusted by thousands of businesses, Vanta continuously monitors your security posture and streamlines audits so you can win enterprise deals and build customer trust without the traditional overhead. Visit vanta.com/invest. 

-----

This episode is brought to you by Rogo. Rogo is an AI-powered platform that automates accounts payable workflows, enabling finance teams to process invoices faster and with greater accuracy. Learn more at Rogo.ai/invest.

-----

This episode is brought to you by ⁠WorkOS⁠. WorkOS is a developer platform that enables SaaS companies to quickly add enterprise features to their applications. Visit ⁠WorkOS.com⁠ to transform your application into an enterprise-ready solution in minutes, not months.

-----

This episode is brought to you by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Ridgeline⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Ridgeline has built a complete, real-time, modern operating system for investment managers. It handles trading, portfolio management, compliance, customer reporting, and much more through an all-in-one real-time cloud platform. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ridgelineapps.com.

-----

Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://thepodcastconsultant.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠).

Timestamps

(00:00:00) Sponsors

(00:03:33) Welcome to Invest Like The Best

(00:04:29) Intro

(00:05:43) Sponsors

(00:07:16) The Concept of Talent Density

(00:11:19) Evaluating Talent

(00:13:47) Managing on the Edge of Chaos

(00:14:51) Why Netflix Gave Large Severance Packages

(00:16:37) The Keeper’s Test

(00:17:07) The Qwikster Mistake

(00:19:15) The Informed Captain

(00:20:39) How to Come Up with Good Ideas

(00:22:32) Transitioning to Streaming

(00:23:05) Being on the Board of Facebook, Microsoft, Anthropic & Bloomberg

(00:26:25) The Role of a Board Member

(00:29:37) Sponsors

(00:30:15) Why Netflix Had Open Compensation

(00:32:04) Netflix’s Content Strategy

(00:37:52) Competing with YouTube and Traditional TV

(00:39:23) Creating Hit Content

(00:40:02) Impact of AI on Netflix

(00:41:24) Innovations in Show Formats

(00:43:23) Sponsors

(00:43:44) Netflix's Technology Backbone

(00:45:29) Expanding into Gaming

(00:46:06) Lessons from Failed Projects

(00:47:30) Financial Strategy and Capital Allocation

(00:50:27) Stepping Down as CEO

(00:50:52) Powder Mountain

(00:56:08) Focus on Education and AI

(00:59:00) Risks and Benefits of AI

(01:00:56) The Kindest Thing

(01:02:56) Sponsors