reed hastings

Netflix Bounces Back With a Q4 Beat, but Says Amazon Is Coming

Reed Hastings’s numbers are much better than Wall Street expected. But he warns that he won’t turn a profit in 2012.

Peter Kafka in Media
January 25, 2012 at 1:24 pm PT

Reed Hastings

Co-Founder and CEO
Netflix, Inc.

Hastings co-founded Netflix as a DVD rental-by-mail company in 1997. In 2002, Netflix went public, and in 2003, Netflix reached 1 million subscribers. Thanks to streaming content over the Internet, Netflix now has over 20 million subscribers. Earlier in his career, in 1991, he founded Pure Software, which made tools for Unix software developers. He built Pure into one of the world's 50 largest public software companies before selling it to Rational Software in 1997. Reed received a BA from Bowdoin College and an MSCS in AI degree from Stanford University. Between Bowdoin and Stanford, Reed served in the Peace Corps as a high school math teacher in Swaziland. That may have been an easier task than his current one: dealing with media and cable companies who fear disruptive change.

Posts With Reed Hastings

Netflix Reminds Us That It’s a Streaming Video Company, Again

in Media on January 4 at 7:30 am PT

Its customers watched more than two billion hours of digital content, the company says. But we’ll have to wait a month to learn what that means.
reed hastings

Resolutions for 2012 (Comic)

in Voices on December 30, 2011 at 2:30 pm PT

Here is the latest comic from our Joy of Tech friends at Geek Culture, Nitrozac and Snaggy. Joy of Tech appears three times a week in the Voices section of this site.
mind

Netflix Really, Really Doesn’t Want Your DVD Money

in News on December 22, 2011 at 12:25 pm PT

“Old fogey discs” are a billion-dollar business for Reed Hastings and company. But if you want to see how badly Netflix wants out, go ahead and try to give someone a DVD gift subscription today.
cracked disc

Why Netflix Customers Who Haven’t Bailed Probably Won’t

in Media on December 22, 2011 at 3:00 am PT

Investors are furious with Reed Hastings, and a notable number of his customers left earlier this year. But the ones who stuck around — and there are 20 million-plus — are still pretty happy.
reed hastings netflix

HBO + iPad = More HBO-Watching, “Steady” HBO Subscribers

in Media on December 6, 2011 at 11:12 am PT

People who have the on-demand service for iOS or Android love it. But it doesn’t seem to have brought Time Warner’s pay channel any new blood.
game of thrones

Jeff Bewkes Renames Netflix: It’s Not the Albanian Army, It’s a Flying Hamburger

in News on December 5, 2011 at 3:30 am PT

The Time Warner CEO is happy to take Reed Hastings’ money, though.
bewkes

Why the Netflix Buyback Strategy Worked Like Magic — Until It Totally Failed

in Media on November 22, 2011 at 5:03 am PT

Netflix has been a consistent buyer of its own shares. That plan worked beautifully for years. And then it blew up.
reed hastings netflix

Has Netflix Put Its Checkbook Away?

in Media on November 17, 2011 at 5:23 am PT

If you’re waiting to hear about more big Netflix content deals in the near future, you may be disappointed.
reed hastings netflix

Why Amazon Is Happy to Burn Money on the Kindle Fire

in Media on October 26, 2011 at 3:00 am PT

The company won’t ever talk numbers, but it made it quite clear: It’s going to sell its new tablet at a loss so it can sell more stuff in the long run.
Jeff Bezos announces Kindle Fire

Reed Hastings Lays Out the Netflix Comeback Plan

in Media on October 25, 2011 at 3:00 am PT

The idea is simple: Turn Netflix into a “premium television network,” like HBO. Convincing investors and customers that he can do it will be hard work.
reed hastings

Viral Video: SNL Honors Steve Jobs (Sort Of)

in Media, October 25, 2011 at 12:31 am PT

The Go-Go Growth Days Screech to a Halt at Netflix

in Media, October 24, 2011 at 1:14 pm PT

Just How Much Damage Did Netflix Really Do to Itself?

in Media, October 24, 2011 at 3:30 am PT

Netflix Takes a (Short) Breather

Netflix Eats Crow (Comic)

in Voices, October 13, 2011 at 4:58 pm PT

Netflix Gets “Gossip Girl” — And a Time Warner Deal

in Media, October 13, 2011 at 10:02 am PT

Qwikster Is Gonester: Netflix Kills Its DVD-Only Business Before Launch

in Media, October 10, 2011 at 5:01 am PT

Netflix Killer? Try Netflix Promoter: Amazon Talks Up a Rival Video Service.

in Media, September 29, 2011 at 3:00 am PT

Why the Dish/Blockbuster Streaming Service Won’t Wound Netflix

in Media, September 23, 2011 at 11:42 am PT

Here Comes the Next Bump for Netflix: A Blockbuster/Dish Streaming Service

in Media, September 23, 2011 at 4:00 am PT

Reed Hastings Explains the Recent Netflix Changes (Comic)

in Voices, September 22, 2011 at 2:19 pm PT

Is Netflix Going to Try an iTunes Model? Nope (For Now).

in Media, September 21, 2011 at 11:11 pm PT

“Qwikster” Is a Crummy Name, But It’s Better Than “Old Fogey Discs”

in Media, September 19, 2011 at 7:30 am PT

Netflix Renames DVD Business, Apologizes — But Doesn’t Back Down

in Media, September 18, 2011 at 9:10 pm PT

The Bull (Or at Least Less Bearish) Case for Netflix

in Media, September 16, 2011 at 7:01 am PT