
Why I'm Bearish on Netflix - primodemus
http://www.unz.com/gnxp/why-im-bearish-on-netflix/
======
iamleppert
I've interviewed at Netflix twice now and have been turned down both times.
Both times, not for technical reasons, for cultural reasons.

The first time they told me a vague I didn't fit their "culture deck" and the
second time they said I was a "brilliant jerk", despite being recruited to
join by an old co-worker that liked working with me. The kinds of cultures are
just excuses at the end of the day when someone on the team doesn't like you.

Both times, I wasn't impressed with their products and the teams building them
or what they had been able to accomplish. I don't buy the fact they hire top
of market, they just pay well. The reality is you get the people who are
available, at the time you want to hire. Just because you pay a bunch of
mediocre people well doesn't mean you're going to get a great product.

And it shows. Netflix hasn't been innovating recently. They are HBO, delivered
over the Internet.

~~~
gmarx
Brilliant Jerk? I wish I were hiring. That sounds great

~~~
CarolineW
I don't know how accurate the assessment is, and I don't know what kind of
jerk they might be talking about, but I have worked with brilliant jerks
before, and it was a relief when they finally moved on. They did amazing
things, but the atmosphere became increasingly toxic, and morale, quality, and
productivity all went up when they left.

Having a "Brilliant Jerk" on your team sounds useful and manageable, but in my
experience it's not.

Again, I don't know if this was an accurate assessment, but if you want to
have a brilliant jerk, all I can say is that you should be careful what you
wish for.

------
epberry
What a silly reason to be bearish on Netflix. If anything you should be
bearish on Netflix because they're highly leveraged and if their growth slows
down they're SOL.

As far as the specific "HR policy" outlined in the NYT article... I find it
extremist. It seems to me that you would turn off certain kinds of people from
ever applying to Netflix, people that might be highly skilled and would
contribute but don't ascribe to such a dispassionate view of hiring and
firing.

------
scdoshi
Would be interesting to hear from netflix employees on whether this hypothesis
rings true

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kqr2
But didn't this experiment already happen during Netflix's self inflicted
"death spiral", ala Qwikster? Did all of the top employees leave at that
point?

[http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/27/business/netflix-looks-
bac...](http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/27/business/netflix-looks-back-on-its-
near-death-spiral.html?_r=0)

~~~
guiambros
Also, those who got upset from getting fired (or frustrated from not getting
an offer) _really_ didn't understand the culture. It's an amazing company, but
they're very clear that its culture isn't for everyone.

Getting fired (or not hired) doesn't mean you're incompetent; it just means
the business needs have changed, and they now need something different than
you can offer.

I think this [1] is probably one of the best interviews with Reed Hastings.

[1]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYhP08uuffs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYhP08uuffs)

~~~
sjg007
Except it is misguided. You need high functioning teams not individuals.

~~~
guiambros
Without a doubt. But what leads you to believe that they don't have highly
functioning teams?

