With approximately 270 million subscribers, Netflix is the world’s largest streaming service provider. It’s also a huge international employer. As of June 2024, it’s estimated to have about 16,000 employees across six continents.
In addition to the cache of working for such a huge brand, Netflix is highly attractive to job seekers because of its well-known company culture. Its Culture Memo is famous in the recruitment and HR industries for its unique approach to managing its people. However, after reviewing the culture memo along with a select few of our legal recruiters in Toronto, we found that the company’s unique approach and culture may not be for everyone. We’ve worked with thousands of companies and we know it can take a certain type of person to work in a less rigid environment such as what Netflix offers its employees.
Below, I’ll dive into how you can succeed in a culture like Netflix. I’ll discuss:
- The infamous Netflix Culture Memo
- The four core principles of Netflix’s culture
- How to succeed in a culture like Netflix
What Is The Netflix Culture Memo?
The Netflix culture memo is a document that outlines the company culture and core principles for how it operates. It provides a glimpse of what the company expects of its employees. It is unique because it offers more general guidelines and principles over specific rules of operations.
The company recently updated the memo, the fourth revision since it was first introduced in 2009. This version includes a new title – Netflix Culture — The Best Work of Our Lives. This updated version has been in the works for a year and takes into consideration more than 1500 comments from its employees.
“As head of talent, I’m often asked, why do we place so much emphasis on the culture memo? We believe that our culture is key to our success and so we want to ensure that anyone applying for a job here knows what motivates Netflix — and all employees are working from a shared understanding of what we value most. The other question I’m often asked is — does Netflix seriously not have an expenses or vacation policy? The answer: we don’t,” says Sergio Ezama, Chief Talent Officer at Netflix.
“You might think that this kind of freedom leads to chaos. While we’ve had our fair share of failures — and a few people have taken advantage of our culture — our emphasis on individual autonomy has created a very successful business. This is because in our industry, the biggest threats are a lack of creativity and innovation. And we’ve found that giving people the freedom to use their judgment is the best way to succeed long term,” he adds.
The Four Core Principles Of Netflix Culture
At its core, four guiding principles represent the culture – high performance, people, growth and ambition, and continuous improvement. Here’s an excerpt from the Culture Memo:
- The Dream Team: We aim only to have high performers at Netflix — people who are great at what they do, and even better at working together.
- People over Process: You get better outcomes when employees have the information and freedom to make decisions for themselves. We hire unusually responsible people who thrive on this openness and freedom.
- Uncomfortably Exciting: To entertain the world, we need to be bold and ambitious. That means embracing the thrill of what’s next — even when it’s uncomfortable.
- Great and Always Better: We often say Netflix sucks today compared to where we can be tomorrow. We need the self-awareness to understand what should be better, and the discipline and resilience to get there.
5 Ways To Success in a Culture Like Netflix (Or Any Other Company)
Understanding what motivates Netflix (or any company you want to work for) is a key factor in having success once you join the organization.
“We believe that our culture is key to our success and so we want to ensure that anyone applying for a job here knows what motivates Netflix — and all employees are working from a shared understanding of what we value most,” says Ezama.
- Make sure the culture is right for you: No matter how great a company’s culture is, you could struggle to succeed and fit in if you don’t connect with it. So, it’s important to make sure to seriously assess the culture of the company you interview with for a job.
- Understand the essence of the culture: You need to have a strong understanding of a company culture to acclimate. This can take some time. There is always a learning curve when moving to a new company. Take a deep dive into the culture to ensure you understand what the company is about at its core.
- Embrace the freedom: Embrace the autonomy you’re afforded. This could take some getting used to, especially if you work for a more traditional company. You are provided freedom for a reason, so take advantage of it and play to your strengths.
- Find your inner motivation: Self-motivated people with a strong internal drive tend to have more success in companies with greater flexibility. You’ll need to tap into your motivation to maximize your potential and performance.
- Always look for ways to get better: High-performance cultures can have lofty expectations. So, it’s important for you to always be looking for ways to improve yourself and be a better teammate to others within the organization.
If you follow the insights above, you will be in a better position to have success in a company culture like Netflix, or any other company.
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