On with Kara Swisher

Reed Hastings on Hollywood’s Future, Netflix’s Shakeup and Knowing When to Leave

On with Kara Swisher

Show Notes

After nearly 30 years building Netflix – from its humble beginnings as a DVD-by-mail outfit to a streaming service powerhouse – co-founder and former chairman Reed Hastings fully walked away from the company when he stepped down from the board of directors this past June. His departure came at a tumultuous time in Hollywood and at Netflix itself. On top of the fallout from its failed bid to buy Warner Bros. Discovery, Netflix has also been struggling with stagnating engagement and slowing revenue growth, prompting a big C-Suite shakeup and a mass layoff earlier this month.

Speaking at the Masters of Scale Summit in San Francisco, Kara and Reed talk about Netflix’s future and why he thinks making better content is the key to turning its fortunes around. They also talk about why Reed remains bullish on AI’s future, especially when it comes to education.

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