Netflix to Employees: If you don't like our content, you can quit(wsj.com)
wsj.com
Netflix to Employees: If you don't like our content, you can quit
https://www.wsj.com/articles/netflix-to-employees-if-you-dont-like-our-content-you-can-quit-11652478092
343 comments
Fair enough. Seems pretty reasonable to expect your employees to be willing to work on what you ask them to work on, given that you're paying them and they voluntarily signed up to work for you. And as people who were able to get a job at Netflix, they surely had other options.
I cancelled my Netflix account after the whole Cuties debacle. While visiting my friends I have noticed that Netflix content quality has been dropping sharply the last few years. Let's hope this exodus of customers and content creators will create a new, more interesting industry for the future.
FWIW Daphne's sister Becky said “Dave was the biggest bright spot for Daphne” before her suicide.
“Blaming Dave is beyond the wrong thing to do, “He helped her and let her be comfortable while talking with him. She had many demons; Dave Chappelle was NOT one of them.”
Source: https://nypost.com/2021/10/11/dave-chappelle-is-an-lgbtq-all...
“Blaming Dave is beyond the wrong thing to do, “He helped her and let her be comfortable while talking with him. She had many demons; Dave Chappelle was NOT one of them.”
Source: https://nypost.com/2021/10/11/dave-chappelle-is-an-lgbtq-all...
> if you don’t like that, you can quit.
Someone will be doing layoffs soon and want people to leave voluntarily
Someone will be doing layoffs soon and want people to leave voluntarily
They shouldn't shy away from controversial content for fear of offending people.
Major studios give creative concessions to foreign markets like China in order to be allowed into their film market. It was incredibly naive of Netflix to think they were too big that they could ignore feedback and input from strong audience bases. You can't build a mass market product based on servicing the needs of a woke minority in a functional market. The market will quickly remind you of this mistake when you don't have any more investors pumping funds into the business.
They need more than an ad-supported tier to come out of this. In the midst of a shaky market and lowest ever subscription numbers, they have no choice but to cater to all walks of audiences if they are to survive.
And spend less on shows, I was seeing crazy budgets to the tune of $30M per episode[0] on the new upcoming season of Stranger Things. That's now bad for the bottom line.
[0] https://decider.com/2022/04/21/stranger-things-season-4-30-m...
They need more than an ad-supported tier to come out of this. In the midst of a shaky market and lowest ever subscription numbers, they have no choice but to cater to all walks of audiences if they are to survive.
And spend less on shows, I was seeing crazy budgets to the tune of $30M per episode[0] on the new upcoming season of Stranger Things. That's now bad for the bottom line.
[0] https://decider.com/2022/04/21/stranger-things-season-4-30-m...
So Activision-blizzard has been mired in controversy for several years now. Lawsuits, scandals, etc. A lot of content creators have quit producing content for their games and people wonder if Blizzard can recover. IMHO Blizzard is one good release away from people forgetting all these controversies.
Netflix has thrown money at creating original content. If you look at some of their releases it's clear they've had more money than they know what to do with. Money will only take you so far. I agree they needed to do this. I disagree with how they've gone about it.
This has forced them into price hikes. In their most profitable markets they're now losing subs. The share price is like 75% off its peak.
How does this relate to Activision? Easy. If things were going well at Netflix (eg the share price was hitting new heights, sub numbers were up) I guarantee you no one would care about any of this. But things aren't going well and that foments dissent.
So while employees may have legitimate complaints (and they do) the main story is that things aren't going well at Netflix and they may have overspent themselves into a really tough spot. I know I no longer perma-subscribe to Netflix. It's more expensive than HBO. I'll pay for 1-2 months a year to catch up and that's it.
I fully expect Netflix to stem this kind of bleeding at some point by only having 6 month or annual subscriptions or those will be at the current price and the monthly price will be $20+.
Netflix has thrown money at creating original content. If you look at some of their releases it's clear they've had more money than they know what to do with. Money will only take you so far. I agree they needed to do this. I disagree with how they've gone about it.
This has forced them into price hikes. In their most profitable markets they're now losing subs. The share price is like 75% off its peak.
How does this relate to Activision? Easy. If things were going well at Netflix (eg the share price was hitting new heights, sub numbers were up) I guarantee you no one would care about any of this. But things aren't going well and that foments dissent.
So while employees may have legitimate complaints (and they do) the main story is that things aren't going well at Netflix and they may have overspent themselves into a really tough spot. I know I no longer perma-subscribe to Netflix. It's more expensive than HBO. I'll pay for 1-2 months a year to catch up and that's it.
I fully expect Netflix to stem this kind of bleeding at some point by only having 6 month or annual subscriptions or those will be at the current price and the monthly price will be $20+.
This is what being placated feels like. They're only interested in a very one-sided depiction of "diversity".
It's somewhat surprising how quickly Netflix has given up on their "progressive"values, which probably they thought were the right path to making more money, as soon as they found out they can actually be detrimental to them.
Now they have new values! Free speech, and they think they are a very serious topic that must be treaded carefully and thoughtfully. Because values are very important, not profit.
But you can be sure that if showing 10 year olds in a bikini was profitable, and society wasn't shocked by this, we'd have some new made up value supporting doing so.
Now they have new values! Free speech, and they think they are a very serious topic that must be treaded carefully and thoughtfully. Because values are very important, not profit.
But you can be sure that if showing 10 year olds in a bikini was profitable, and society wasn't shocked by this, we'd have some new made up value supporting doing so.
I now know, that if I lived in Ancient Rome I wouldn't have been wind swept by Christianity and converted, or If I lived in Salem I wouldn't have hunted witches. This is a religion we are dealing with. A mob and a stupid time in history to live. Netflix pays very well, you shouldn't need to protest at work. Grow up.
> We let viewers decide what’s appropriate for them, versus having Netflix censor specific artists or voices
This is a funny take on it. Of course Netflix censors specific artists and voices by choosing to just not produce their content.
This is a funny take on it. Of course Netflix censors specific artists and voices by choosing to just not produce their content.
I think the best years are over for Netflix.
The hard awakening is here to make content that the users want and they are a movie/tv content company, not a „tech company“.
Their Engineering Blog is great, some really great projects, but sometimes and even more and more there are projects that left me asking: „Why so complicated“
At scale everything is a problem, but some „solutions“ seem „well we have staff, money and time for nice funny stuff“ vibe.
Like inventing batch jobs, but more complicated
The hard awakening is here to make content that the users want and they are a movie/tv content company, not a „tech company“.
Their Engineering Blog is great, some really great projects, but sometimes and even more and more there are projects that left me asking: „Why so complicated“
At scale everything is a problem, but some „solutions“ seem „well we have staff, money and time for nice funny stuff“ vibe.
Like inventing batch jobs, but more complicated
This wasn't a good look on Netflix employees back then: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMPp6kdXUek
I don't really see how this is news. That is how companies work. Don't like what the company is doing? Leave... Any job is weighing the positives vs the bad.
Finally.
Netflix feels like the discount dvd bin at walmart now. Hulu seems like a much better option these days.
Based. The pendulum has begun its return swing
[deleted]
I can't help but feel this is aimed at trans activists who protested the Chappelle special. I think he went too far at a couple places, but that's what comedians do.
I don't think it's transphobic to push back on trans activists. I have problematic issues (bipolar, recovering alcoholic) but I don't go around demanding the world accommodate me and calling people who won't listen to me haters.
I don't think it's transphobic to push back on trans activists. I have problematic issues (bipolar, recovering alcoholic) but I don't go around demanding the world accommodate me and calling people who won't listen to me haters.
As if Netflix is not filled with woke propaganda already...
Note: Expect sentiment downvotes in HN
Note: Expect sentiment downvotes in HN
[deleted]
Good for Netflix.
Coca-Cola, Disney and others have recently been reminded that businesses are there (wait for it....) to make money for their owners!
Business should be professional and all about business. Politics belongs elsewhere.
Coca-Cola, Disney and others have recently been reminded that businesses are there (wait for it....) to make money for their owners!
Business should be professional and all about business. Politics belongs elsewhere.
I can’t think of anything worse for a company like Netflix than the woke crowd coming for them. Isn’t every horror movie filled with violent hate and evil?
"Hey, offending people sells and we're in it for the money...". If this bothers you, chant "we're in it for the money" until it doesn't. If it still bothers you, get outta here.
In the last part of the 20th century, the utterly drab and lackluster Three-Letter Networks were drab and lackluster in part because they were trying to avoid offending as large a portion of the population as possible. But, with way more than 3 networks competing now, you can't be drab and get anyone's attention. Which means either you have content that's offensive to lots of people, and hope that it is offset by other content that appeals to those people, or you shrink down to a niche provider that appeals only to a much smaller portion of the population.
The third factor is that many companies cannot get financing or keep up their share prices unless they can pretend they will be as big as Facebook, so just existing in your little niche may not work well either. Unstoppable force meets immovable objects...