Re-inventing Television, ...and Corporate Culture

I was exposed to Netflix back in 2014 when they were looking at launching their operations in Japan. At that time, they seemed to me the very standard Californian company who had enough cash to enter the Japanese market. I thought they wanted to re-invent television. I was wrong on my appreciation. They re-invented corporate culture.

What I did not know in 2014 is that Netflix was the most passionating company culture-wise.

I should have read this No Rule Rules book back then, in 2014.

Launched in 1998 as a DVD rental service, Netflix has turned into the giant we know thanks to a great international culture sensitivity and you must read this book if your are in multicultural business environment.

Japan's specificities are well covered in this book and I learned a lot as they share corporate experiences that I could not live as an entrepreneur their, despite I had large corporate as clients.

The most valuable part of this book, to me, is the coverage of the culture of feedback and its variations in an international environment.

Build a unique corporate culture is difficult exercise and Reed Hasting and his team managed to make it a sustainable asset by nurturing responsibility, trust, decision, freedom...

Now, all successful companies are made of great founders and attract sooner or later people who are looking for a nice business card and some confort. All the Microsoft, HP, IBM and other Facebook are history example. This is the "I joined Google because there are free meals" attitude.
I must confess that I have ex-colleagues who were not so good and joined biggest names, at my biggest surprise.
What will happen to Netflix' culture as the company grows ? How will they enforce the innovation culture. I am curious to follow the topic over the net years.

I recommend you to read this book if you work in a culturally diverse company, if you are active at building a culture in your startup or changing a larger corporate culture.