Reed Hastings: Building Netflix

by Matt Burgess

Overview

Reed Hastings is one of the world's foremost business leaders. As co-founder, chairman and CEO of Netflix, he has built one of the largest media and entertainment companies on the planet, with an estimated personal net worth of $3.6 billion. A notable philanthropist, he has served on the boards of a number of non-profit organisations as well as Facebook and Microsoft.

This concise but detailed biography provides an overview of Hastings' career trajectory. From his unique management style to the biggest mistakes he has made along the way, to the reasons behind his decision to take Netflix from a business that dealt with products (rental DVDs) to a technology company that focuses on streaming, Burgess sheds light on Hastings' success and looks to what the future may bring for him and his ventures.

Aspirational and positive, this is the perfect book for those looking for a concise and accessible account of a true global business visionary.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781474612555
Publisher:	Orion
Publication date:	03/26/2020
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
File size:	882 KB

About the Author

Matt Burgess is a British journalist and author based in London. He is a senior editor for the UK edition of WIRED magazine, where he writes news and features for the website, contributes monthly to the magazine, and appears on (and occasionally edits and hosts) the weekly podcast. He is the author of Freedom of Information: A practical guide for UK journalists.

Twitter: @mattburgess1

Table of Contents

1 Can Anyone Beat Reed Hastings? 1

2 Reed Hastings Jr 10

Bugs in the code 17

3 The Birth of Netflix 26

One monthly fee 30

Going public 37

A giant looms 41

4 A Culture of Freedom 54

Team players only 60

A ruthless approach 65

5 Internet TV Is Born 70

Emulating Apple 77

His biggest mistake 81

6 Dealing in Data 88

A million-dollar prize 92

7 A Culture of Trust 98

Everyone is responsible 101

Big decisions 109

8 Global Dominance 115

Rise of the Originals 121

Tackling spiralling debt 128

Conquering the world 132

9 Building an Education Empire 140

Bringing algorithms to education 146

10 Netflix's Next Decade 152

Epilogue 165

Acknowledgements 169

References 171

Index 181