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A review by kimball_hansen
That Will Never Work: The Birth of Netflix and the Amazing Life of an Idea by Marc Randolph
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.