Netflixed: The Epic Battle for America's Eyeballs

by Gina Keating

For Hastings, the strife was unnecessary and irritating. He was not one to lose control of his feelings but nevertheless clearly disliked being opposed. In the coming years, those who disagreed with him too often would find their personal capital dwindling and themselves marginalized at Netflix. Shortly after Hastings arrived, he announced without preamble at an executive staff meeting that he wanted to run Netflix, and that he and Randolph would act as co–chief executives. From the wan look on Randolph’s face it seemed clear to some in the room that Hastings either had not discussed the idea with him or had sprung it on Randolph shortly before the meeting. Hastings then turned to Lisa Battaglia Reiss, the human resources manager that Randolph had recently hired from Borland, and laid her off in front of her shocked coworkers, saying he wanted to bring in Patty McCord, his longtime personnel manager from Pure Atria. McCord managed to smooth over his worst gaffes at Pure Atria, and people who knew Hastings well believed that she acted as an emotional sense organ to prevent him from alienating staff—mainly nonengineers—who did not respond well to his blunt observations and pointed criticism.