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hardiksharma's review against another edition
3.0
It's like a typical Netflix movie - falls short of expectations.
heysunbee's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
spaces_and_solaces's review against another edition
3.0
We’ve all heard the Netflix founding story, right? The guy who gets fed up with being charged extra for video rental services and has a brilliant idea about DVD’s – by- mail & launches a company “Netflix” that revolutionizes the entertainment world.
Except that’s not the whole story or even the story.
The actual story is so much more complicated and starts with a customized dog food business idea.
Marc Randolph, eager to work for himself keeps coming up new business concepts while carpooling to work with Reed Hastings. When Hastings shows a mild interest in funding his new company, ($2Million!!!!) a DVD-by-mail service, Marc gathers brilliant people to work on the idea. What follows is a tale of perseverance & luck.
Netflix plays a huge part in shaping the current cultural narrative, & so I was eager to read how it all started. Tbh, as memoirs go it is a good one with entertaining chapters and little real insight into how Netflix become the behemoth media house it is today. This is more of a startup success story & a story about nurturing a kind of culture within the company.
There is not much about Netflix as we know of it today, a streaming giant. Probably because the author, co-founder of Netflix, left in 2003 and since then or maybe even before that, it’s actually been Hastings who is driving the company forward.
What was interesting & implicit in the writing was the power struggle between Hastings & Randolph. So, I wonder how much of this narrative is authentic.
That being said, it was an engaging, well told story. If you’ve ever wanted to create something or do something by yourself, reading this book may certainly help!
Except that’s not the whole story or even the story.
The actual story is so much more complicated and starts with a customized dog food business idea.
Marc Randolph, eager to work for himself keeps coming up new business concepts while carpooling to work with Reed Hastings. When Hastings shows a mild interest in funding his new company, ($2Million!!!!) a DVD-by-mail service, Marc gathers brilliant people to work on the idea. What follows is a tale of perseverance & luck.
Netflix plays a huge part in shaping the current cultural narrative, & so I was eager to read how it all started. Tbh, as memoirs go it is a good one with entertaining chapters and little real insight into how Netflix become the behemoth media house it is today. This is more of a startup success story & a story about nurturing a kind of culture within the company.
There is not much about Netflix as we know of it today, a streaming giant. Probably because the author, co-founder of Netflix, left in 2003 and since then or maybe even before that, it’s actually been Hastings who is driving the company forward.
What was interesting & implicit in the writing was the power struggle between Hastings & Randolph. So, I wonder how much of this narrative is authentic.
That being said, it was an engaging, well told story. If you’ve ever wanted to create something or do something by yourself, reading this book may certainly help!
socal_bookgirl's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.75
durva_1401's review against another edition
5.0
“You see, a startup is a lonely place. You are working on something that no one believes in, that you’ve been told time and time again will never work. It’s you against the world. But the reality is that you can’t really do it on your own.” ― Marc Randolph, That Will Never Work: The Birth of Netflix and the Amazing Life of an Idea
Co-founder and former CEO of Netflix, Marc Randolph takes you through the initial days of building our favourite binge-worthy OTT platform-NETFLIX. When he came up with the idea of Netflix, people said, “That will never work”. But he never stopped believing in his idea because he knew that he had the potential to make this idea a success.
So back in 1997, in times when the internet was new, in times when people rented or bought movies from physical stores, Marc and his co-founder Reed Hastings came up with the idea of ‘DVD by mail’. The book takes you along their journey from starting with DVD rentals to securing an IPO.
The book also highlights the days when ‘Amazon’ and ‘Blockbuster’ (chain of DVD rental stores) proposed to acquire Netflix, but Netflix didn’t give in as they were still at a very nascent stage. It also gives you a peek into the struggles of being an entrepreneur, of fighting against the odds. Marc also talks about his incredible partnership with co-founder Reed Hastings, about the culture at Netflix offices, about how he maintained a work-life balance by giving enough time to his family as well.
The book is an inspiring yet very entertaining read. Just like Netflix, this book is a binge-worthy read. You win with their wins; their hits and misses feel personal too! This book is my next favourite in line after reading ‘Shoe Dog’. Highly recommended for budding entrepreneurs, startup founders and for anyone who wants to venture into the business world.
After reading this one, I am excited to read ‘No Rules, Rules’ by Reed Hastings!
Rating: 5/5
Co-founder and former CEO of Netflix, Marc Randolph takes you through the initial days of building our favourite binge-worthy OTT platform-NETFLIX. When he came up with the idea of Netflix, people said, “That will never work”. But he never stopped believing in his idea because he knew that he had the potential to make this idea a success.
So back in 1997, in times when the internet was new, in times when people rented or bought movies from physical stores, Marc and his co-founder Reed Hastings came up with the idea of ‘DVD by mail’. The book takes you along their journey from starting with DVD rentals to securing an IPO.
The book also highlights the days when ‘Amazon’ and ‘Blockbuster’ (chain of DVD rental stores) proposed to acquire Netflix, but Netflix didn’t give in as they were still at a very nascent stage. It also gives you a peek into the struggles of being an entrepreneur, of fighting against the odds. Marc also talks about his incredible partnership with co-founder Reed Hastings, about the culture at Netflix offices, about how he maintained a work-life balance by giving enough time to his family as well.
The book is an inspiring yet very entertaining read. Just like Netflix, this book is a binge-worthy read. You win with their wins; their hits and misses feel personal too! This book is my next favourite in line after reading ‘Shoe Dog’. Highly recommended for budding entrepreneurs, startup founders and for anyone who wants to venture into the business world.
After reading this one, I am excited to read ‘No Rules, Rules’ by Reed Hastings!
Rating: 5/5
kimball_hansen's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. I love a good origin story of a business. Like [b:Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose|6828896|Delivering Happiness A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose|Tony Hsieh|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1344267716l/6828896._SY75_.jpg|7039054]. But this wasn't as good as Zappos or [b:Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of NIKE|27220736|Shoe Dog A Memoir by the Creator of NIKE|Phil Knight|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1457284880l/27220736._SY75_.jpg|4077583]. Just like the latter two, I still don't understand how they have customers and people spending a lot of money on their product but be losing millions of dollars a year and always on the brink of bankruptcy and going under unless the go public. Does every dang company have to go public or something? How much are the big wigs taking home for a salary before then?
Sounds like the author had some great parents. I wish he went more into their background. I liked how he had asked people for money when he was a college student and that helped him with asking people for money when doing Netflix. However, other than that I wasn't really impressed with Marc, I mean he bought beepos from the adult store manager when he visited them. But his partner, Reed, is leaps and bounds ahead of him. Marc is lucky to have a great partner like Reed with his pure, radical honestly. They have a great friendship. So Marc left Netflix to build other things, but what else has he done? He seems like a cocky, dorky nerd.
Their first day was so coolo. What a dream even if the servers crashed. They really caught lightning in a bottle. No company starts out like that.
Notes:
Netflix charged late fees at the beginning.
I never heard of laserdiscs before. Somehow they came out in the 70's but CDs didn't get big till 2 decades later. That's queer.
I don't understand why DVDs were cheaper to buy than a VHS tape back when DVDs were new and cutting edge.
If you don't put in any money, (if all you put in is time) then you get less of the ownership.
Stupid George Lucas tried to sue someone for using the word Droid. He thought he owned it. Idiot.
I wonder if Netflix helped spur the boom of DVDs.
The problem with many companies is they don't treat their employees like adults. People want a mission they can believe in. A problem to solve and space to solve it. Surrounded by by other adults who's abilities they respect. People don't want all those perksa job offers. They simply want freedom and responsibility. They want to be loosely coupled but tightly aligned.
A culture of freedom and responsibility coupled with radical honesty worked like a charm. People love having freedom and love being trusted..this is why I hate my current bosses and last boss.
Amazon was originally called Kadabra. Twitter was called status. Netflix was called Kibble. Bad names help force you to a better more appropriate name.
"You learn more in an hour or doing something, than a lifetime of thinking about it. You have to learn to love the problem not the solution. That's how you stay engaged. When things take longer than expected."
A general rule of web design is if you have to explain something you've already lost.
Peculiarity adds to the legend.
The subscription model was in its infancy in the late 90's. I wonder what is next for a good business model like that one.
The guy who started Breadbox came from Boogerflix.
Sounds like the author had some great parents. I wish he went more into their background. I liked how he had asked people for money when he was a college student and that helped him with asking people for money when doing Netflix. However, other than that I wasn't really impressed with Marc, I mean he bought beepos from the adult store manager when he visited them. But his partner, Reed, is leaps and bounds ahead of him. Marc is lucky to have a great partner like Reed with his pure, radical honestly. They have a great friendship. So Marc left Netflix to build other things, but what else has he done? He seems like a cocky, dorky nerd.
Their first day was so coolo. What a dream even if the servers crashed. They really caught lightning in a bottle. No company starts out like that.
Notes:
Netflix charged late fees at the beginning.
I never heard of laserdiscs before. Somehow they came out in the 70's but CDs didn't get big till 2 decades later. That's queer.
I don't understand why DVDs were cheaper to buy than a VHS tape back when DVDs were new and cutting edge.
If you don't put in any money, (if all you put in is time) then you get less of the ownership.
Stupid George Lucas tried to sue someone for using the word Droid. He thought he owned it. Idiot.
I wonder if Netflix helped spur the boom of DVDs.
The problem with many companies is they don't treat their employees like adults. People want a mission they can believe in. A problem to solve and space to solve it. Surrounded by by other adults who's abilities they respect. People don't want all those perksa job offers. They simply want freedom and responsibility. They want to be loosely coupled but tightly aligned.
A culture of freedom and responsibility coupled with radical honesty worked like a charm. People love having freedom and love being trusted..this is why I hate my current bosses and last boss.
Amazon was originally called Kadabra. Twitter was called status. Netflix was called Kibble. Bad names help force you to a better more appropriate name.
"You learn more in an hour or doing something, than a lifetime of thinking about it. You have to learn to love the problem not the solution. That's how you stay engaged. When things take longer than expected."
A general rule of web design is if you have to explain something you've already lost.
Peculiarity adds to the legend.
The subscription model was in its infancy in the late 90's. I wonder what is next for a good business model like that one.
The guy who started Breadbox came from Boogerflix.
jagisoffline's review against another edition
4.0
Story: 4/5. (Non-fiction). The story of Netflix is a story of an adventure in business and ideas and that adventure is quite an easy and fun one to follow. Randolph's approach to this story is exactly that: a story. It does not feel like a step-by-step how to on start-ups - something he said it almost was until he was advised against it. It reads like a team's journey of ups and downs from a small-town idea into a global behemoth. It is sprinkled with interesting characters both big and small but all very clear in their contribution into the company we know today. This was genuinely just a fun ride with bits of business knowledge which will stick around in the mind well after it was read. I liked reading this more than most of the Netflix original shows I've watched over the past year. Randolph's voice is very clear and inviting and friendly, making the story come across as if you're sitting with him at some café as he recites this tale. It was good and interesting and also insightful, which is all the things you'd want from an insider's look into how a company like this is formed.
Characterisation: ?/5. It's non-fiction. However, I will say that I found myself feeling as though I knew many of the people he spoke about, simply due to how well he managed to build images of them throughout this quick 300-page narrative. I remember their names and their roles, which is a lot to say for a non-fiction tale.
Language: ?/5. Non-fiction. Good and accessible and effective language for a general-audience story such as this.
?/15: A non-fiction tale about a company we all know well. I would suggest this to anyone looking for a fun true story to read over a few pages.
Characterisation: ?/5. It's non-fiction. However, I will say that I found myself feeling as though I knew many of the people he spoke about, simply due to how well he managed to build images of them throughout this quick 300-page narrative. I remember their names and their roles, which is a lot to say for a non-fiction tale.
Language: ?/5. Non-fiction. Good and accessible and effective language for a general-audience story such as this.
?/15: A non-fiction tale about a company we all know well. I would suggest this to anyone looking for a fun true story to read over a few pages.
alisajeffus's review against another edition
4.0
Enjoyable story about the beginnings of Netflix and life in the late 90s/early 00s in Silicon Valley. The stories of problem solving and culture building were super interesting & I enjoyed learning about the founder and his willingness to work in his strengths and be willing to be what the company needed him to be.
supriyasrivatsa's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book, a very interesting read. It's everything in the title - the birth of Netflix, the amazing life of an idea - from inception to shaping it to execution - the key; plus titbits about Marc Randolf's life. I liked that the book was a cross between a memoir and a documentary; to me, it seemed very wholesome that way. Towards the end of the book, I found the writing a bit vague and lacking the kind of energy the book had built up until then. Also a bummer that the book does not at all foray into how Netflix innovated and moved into streaming. However, overall, I found this to be a very interesting read with lot of insights to muse upon.