Reed Hastings

Building a Digital Media Empire

An Introduction

Wilmot Reed Hastings, Jr. who is better known as Reed Hastings is

the co-founder and CEO of Netflix.
Born in Boston, MA on Oct 8th, 1960
Attended college at Bowdoin, graduating with a BA in Mathematics.
Joined the Peace Corp to teach math in Swaziland from 1983-1986.
Then attended Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA graduating in
1988 with a Masters in computer science.

Adaptive Technology, Pure Software

and the road to Netflix.

Founded Pure Software in 1991.

Adaptive
Technology

Learned Focus from CEO.

Pure Software

Rational
Software

Hastings left after the 1997 merger

with Rational Software.

The Birth of Netflix

In 1997 Hastings started Netflix with co-founder

Marc Randolph.
What sparked the idea an overdue movie.
The subscription model was based on a gym.
Hasting wasnt even sure if this idea would work.

Transformational Leadership

How Hastings brings his leadership to bare

Looks beyond the day-to-day
Defines his companies culture
Looks to the future
Drives innovation in his field
Is not committed to actions when presented with a better idea

A Corporate Culture for Success

Hastings has attempted to foster a corporate culture

that will
drive innovation
creative thinking
and keep the best minds at his company.

Fostering Dynamic Employees

Hastings espouses rewarding for performance,
not effort.
In protecting employee freedom.
Netflix offers market-appropriate salaries using a
three-pronged evaluation
what the employee could get elsewhere
The expense to replace the employee
and what it would cost to keep a specific
employee in his or her job.

Retooling for the Future

Hastings correctly anticipated that consumers
would eventually prefer to get movies instantly
delivered via the Internet
So rather than let any number of current and
potential competitors Blockbuster, HBO,
Showtime, Apple, and Amazon swoop in and
deliver a lethal blow
Hastings retooling Netflix as a streaming-video
company, disrupting his own business before it
was disrupted.

Building an Empire
Hastings has Netflix continuing to expanding
at home, and internationally
He has disrupted the movie distribution
industry once already - by streaming movies
and television shows over the Internet
Now hes changing the media game again
by producing original shows available only on
Netflix.
Virtually every movie deal today includes an
online-distribution component because of
Netflix

Leader of the Pack

Since its inception in 1997, Netflix has become

the worlds leading Internet television network Nearly 70 million members in 50 countries
That watch 100 million hours of TV shows and
movies per day
Produce original series, documentaries and
feature films.
Their members can watch as much as they
want, anytime, anywhere, on nearly any
Internet-connected screen

Works Sited
New York Times. Out of Africa, Onto the Web by Reed Hastings as told to Amy Zipkin. Dec
17, 2006.
Inc.com. How I did it: Reed Hastings, Netflix by Patrick J. Sauer. Dec, 2005.
CNN Money. Questions for Reed Hastings interviewed by Matthew Boyle. May 23, 2007.
Stanford Magazine. Home Movies by Joan OC. Hamilton. Jan/Feb 2006.
USA Today. Charismatic Founder Keeps Netflix Adapting by Jim Hopkins. Mar 23, 2006.
Business Week. Netflix: Flex to the Max by Michelle Conlin. Sept 24, 2007.
Inc.com.
3 Big Ideas to Steal from Netflix by Francesca Fenzi. Feb 5, 2013.
Fortune.com. Reed Hastings: Leader of the Pack by Michael V. Copeland. Nov 18, 2010.
DMR Digital Statistics/Gadgets/Fun. By the Numbers: 50+ Amazing Netflix Statistics and
Facts by Craig Smith. Dec 2, 2015.