The Guide to the Freedom and Responsibility Culture at Netflix

I found these ideas very refreshing, coming from a business of NetFlix' size and maturity. If these slides resonate with you, you may enjoy Maverick by Ricardo Semler, an auto-biographical account of how he transformed SemCo (a brazilian company) from a rigid, process oriented organization into a business that values freedom and good judgment. As we start to grow GitHub, these kinds of stories are truly invaluable. I've worked for the kind of high complexity, high process companies that this slide deck rails against, and I have no desire to ever be part of that world again.

A fascinating read. Not having a vacation policy strikes me as an incredibly radical idea.<p>It sounds so civilized, yet my worry would be that people end up not taking enough time off due to a combination of peer pressure and indifference. In my experience I've found there are a set of people who always struggle to use up a given vacation allowance, and in a situation where there is no allowance I could see the natural behaviour of these people creating pressure on those who enjoy taking time off to take a lot less.

Amazing read. Rang true some many times with me.<p>I knew this was something special when it started out with an example of Enron's corporate values. Too many companies have corporate values printed on little cards, back of pamphlets or even "chiseled on the marble on the main lobby."<p>I think about two thirds the slides stressed on hiring the best talent possible, having high performers and keeping high performers. I have to agree. One of the most important things you can do, especially at a smaller company, is hire well.<p>One thing that is lacking is a reference to motivation. Compensating people well is important, but you also need a sense of impact and growth. See Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs (a little out dated but a great place to start):<p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslows_hierarchy_of_needs" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslows_hierarchy_of_needs</a><p>I'd say pay is at the lower levels. At the higher levels: -People need to feel appreciated (part of that is well compensated). -People need to feel like they are making a difference. (Your job adds value) -People need to like they're growing. It's not just about getting Sr. added to your job title but actually your learning something and self-actualizing.

If any Netflix employees are reading this, it would be great to hear your comments on how well those slides reflect the actual culture.

Most large companies don't want what they call "brilliant jerks." The problem is, not all these people are really jerks. Some just don't like being told what to do. That subset tend to make particularly good startup founders.

<i>Great workplace is not day-care, espresso, health benefits, sushi lunches, nice offices, or big compensation, and we only do those that are efficient at attracting stunning colleagues</i><p>I find this to be revealing of the culture this document is trying to express : the focus on the people. I don't think you can find that in many workplaces.

Makes me want to work there for a few years. Showing merely adequate engineers the door is high on my list of things to look for in my next position.

Wow.<p>I don't know if I've ever been so impressed by a corporate document.

Sounds like an awesome place to get fired from.

Pretty good, and happy I read it because it reaffirms the no-vacation-policy policy, which some contacts have recently been trying to talk me out of.

Inspiring, and also serves as a reference example of a presentation that explicitly says "These slides are meant for reading, rather than presenting". That's a very common document form, but seldom acknowledged.

Wow! I love these guys.<p>Their Jobs page quotes Godfather: "I will make an offer he can't refuse"<p><a href="http://www.netflix.com/Jobs" rel="nofollow">http://www.netflix.com/Jobs</a>

Somebody already said this: wow.<p>Awesome.<p>One thing that stood out for me in that document was their analysis of how company growth forces the reduction of creativity in the workforce by the implementation of rigid processes.<p>Even more impressive is their solution to avoiding this problem: <i>Just keep hiring more talented people.</i>

I really love the distinction made in the opening slides between a company's stated values and their "real values", which are shown through actions.<p>Dear Netflix: can you please open software development offices in NJ or NY? Please?

This is inspiring and awesome.<p>I think Yahoo found the bizarro world version of this.

Is there a direct link to the pdf?

I'm not sure whether this is inspiring, or frightening.<p>To paraphrase: "I pledge my allegiance to the Borg and will always give of myself and care for it above all else including my own needs."