No Rules Rules

No one can question the incredible growth and success that Netflix has had over the last several years. As such, I was intrigued by what made the company so good at creating content and disrupting the distribution chains that had been a backbone of Hollywood for generations with the introduction and mainstreaming of streaming. Written by Reed Hastings, the CEO of Netflix, I was fascinated to see how this small DVD distribution company blossomed into the behemoth power player that it has become. Beyond its relevance in Hollywood, this book really gave me great insight into how any successful corporation… show more.

Netflix began in earnest the more recent and continuing evolution of the TV industry, and in this book Netflix co-founder and current co-CEO Hastings shares how the company went from losing $57 million in one year to producing Oscar-winning films, as well as the unique philosophies that have led to hundreds of millions of subscribers. Who would have predicted when we first started receiving those little red envelopes of DVDs in the mail that we’d soon be watching TV without actual TVs? We can only wonder what they’ll think of next.   

By far my favorite book on Empowerment at Netflix is the newly released No Rules Rules by co-founder Reed Hastings, along with Erin Meyer.  Most of what’s been written prior on Netflix is more origin story than innovation engine, and this book gives you a good look at a company that sets the empowerment dial to 10.