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For Sale Apr 17, 2026 at 2:32 AM

Billionaire Netflix cofounder Reed Hastings is leaving the company

Posted by BoratheSlifer

Billionaire Netflix cofounder Reed Hastings is leaving the company
Business Insider
Billionaire Netflix cofounder Reed Hastings is leaving the company
Reed Hastings, who helped start Netflix in the late 1990s, will leave the company's board to focus on "philanthropy and other pursuits."
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sockhergizer Apr 17, 2026 +566
Who did he sleep with?
566
Tom_Bradys_Penis_AMA Apr 17, 2026 +722
Believe it or not, Mike Vrabel
722
coldhandslol Apr 17, 2026 +78
Who hasn’t
78
Pengo2001 Apr 17, 2026 +28
I haven‘t and my wife hasn‘t!
28
reebokhightops Apr 17, 2026 +54
Mike Vrabel here. I did f*** your wife. *Twice.*
54
classless_classic Apr 17, 2026 +22
Mike Vrabel also chose this guys wife.
22
Total-Khaos Apr 18, 2026 +2
I too choose Mike Vrabel to f*** my wife.
2
-Boston-Terrier- Apr 17, 2026 +8
u/pengo2001 just went to Sedona with him and cuddled.
8
Snoo93079 Apr 17, 2026 +1
That you know of.
1
Aggressive_Noise6426 Apr 17, 2026 +7
“I’m here for the g*******” 
7
Chaossy Apr 17, 2026 +6
I'd believe it
6
TedSanders Apr 17, 2026 +167
He stepped down as CEO years ago; this is just him leaving the board. In all my interactions with him at Netflix I liked him a lot. One of my favorite execs to ever work for.
167
IceBreak Apr 17, 2026 +21
Who is your favorite?
21
TedSanders Apr 17, 2026 +45
Actually, probably Reed.
45
rhdkcnrj Apr 17, 2026 +37
Did you clash with Ted Sarandos because of your very similar names or was it a two alphas situation
37
TedSanders Apr 17, 2026 +15
Surprisingly, I only accidentally got his mail a single time.
15
[deleted] Apr 17, 2026
[deleted]
0
rhdkcnrj Apr 17, 2026 +6
>No, that is actually Sandaros. There’s a third individual involved named Ted Sandaros? Did he get along with Ted Sarandos and Ted Sanders?
6
SkateWiz Apr 17, 2026 +54
As an investor I always liked him, but I think his dream died with ads tier.
54
Boss452 Apr 17, 2026 +14
I thought he was passionate about the whole thing.
14
[deleted] Apr 17, 2026 +12
[deleted]
12
Tifoso89 Apr 17, 2026 +2
My name is Mr Sgnitsah, I come from far away. I think Reed Hastings was a great executive
2
jaerie Apr 17, 2026 +4
Does a technical employee have a lot of interactions with the CEO of Netflix?
4
NoRequirements7000 Apr 17, 2026 +21
When you were hired you used to have a 1 on 10 chat with Reed where you could ask him anything you wanted. He also had an Open QA doc where you could pose questions and he would answer them. He also walked around campus pretty regularly and would sit in line and wait to get lunch with the rest of us. He is/was a very down to earth guy with some good (in my opinion) ideas on how to run a company. (Treating people like adults, transparency, etc)
21
TheGRS Apr 17, 2026 +5
Always was very impressed by their values and decision frameworks. I would love to work for a company that’s both doing well and embracing the same things (and one I could realistically get a foot in the door at).
5
NoRequirements7000 Apr 17, 2026 +3
Yeah I’m with you there. The last several years have been a bit more… Amazon style management… but when I first joined I was impressed by how they treated their people. It was a culture shock suddenly being trusted to use good judgement. It had a bad rep for being a place where managers would fire you on a whim… and I never saw that actually happen. I saw plenty of people get let go and the majority of them were folks who were doing a bad job, showed poor judgement, or weren’t a good fit. All of these people also received 4 or more months of pay. Four months of Netflix salary is more like a year’s salary at a normal job. As for realistically getting in the door, you might be a better fit than you would believe. Netflix hired people from a pretty diverse set of backgrounds (experience and education wise). So, don’t opt yourself out too soon. I knew plenty of people without a college degree there.
3
[deleted] Apr 17, 2026 +20
[deleted]
20
khinzaw Apr 17, 2026 +8
My CEO is someone I despise and every level of senior leadership is infested with inefficient workaholism where everyone at that level is pulling all nighters because they have no life outside their work and are incompetent at managing projects. One literally said they would need to hire like 300 people to hit the deadline, but they don't want to do that so they halved the amount of time we had to complete tasks instead. It didn't go well.
8
jaerie Apr 17, 2026 +4
I get that, I was just wondering since you specifically said interactions.
4
[deleted] Apr 17, 2026 +4
[deleted]
4
jaerie Apr 17, 2026 +3
Fair, didn't pay attention to the name. But yeah, it was a good observation, I was specifically about them saying they had interactions with Reed.
3
drainfrog_92 Apr 17, 2026 +50
Plot twist: he slept with the realization that endlessly greenlighting algorithm shows isn’t fulfilling. More likely he just wants to enjoy his billions and do philanthropy instead.
50
walker3342 Apr 17, 2026 +24
You guessed it: Frank Stallone.
24
HarspudSauce Apr 17, 2026 +7
Ok, but Barfly Frank Stallone or Hudson Hawk Frank Stallone? 
7
MukdenMan Apr 17, 2026 +4
I didn’t even know he was sick
4
Dairy_Ashford Apr 17, 2026 +2
"where do you want it babe?" "this is the end"
2
shadrap Apr 17, 2026 +2
I wrote this thinking "no one will get this," and then kept reading and saw you beat me by 9 hours!
2
walker3342 Apr 17, 2026 +2
There are dozens of us! Dozens!
2
shadrap Apr 18, 2026 +2
Two dozen!
2
turb0_encapsulator Apr 17, 2026 +10
Nobody. He just decided he won't get picked up for another season.
10
tank_GB Apr 17, 2026 +7
Judging by those nipples, Olaf, Sven or Elsa.
7
lightoftheshadows Apr 17, 2026 +2
Yes
2
Smegmasaurus_Rex Apr 17, 2026 +2
A movie theater
2
shadrap Apr 17, 2026 +2
You guessed it! Frank Stallone.
2
rcanhestro Apr 17, 2026 +1
he was already half way out, Netflix had a Co-CEO system for a couple of years now.
1
sonic10158 Apr 17, 2026 +1
The members of Coldplay
1
sspiegel Apr 17, 2026 +187
what a career, started a dvd rental company that turned into the one of the most dominant media company in the world. and is not an old hag and despicable like murdoch.
187
celticgea Apr 17, 2026 +40
Helped an unprofitable business model to overtake a stagnated cable TV business and destabilize the (flawed) entertainment industry as we knew it back then thru heavy market consolidation. What a career.
40
fezfrascati Apr 17, 2026 +18
And if the WB purchase had gone through, that would have been his icing on the cake.
18
sspiegel Apr 17, 2026 +24
i think icing on the cake is to get paramount to overpay and outbid netflix to buy warner. that company is going to have to slog through taking on so much debt and legacy cable business for a long time.
24
Sirwired Apr 17, 2026 +2
Yeah, the smoking fetid remains will be up for sale in a few years when Ellison gets bored flushing massive amounts of money down the toilet.
2
alwaysbehuman Apr 18, 2026 +2
Don't forget he started his post-college career as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Swaziland.
2
-Clayburn Apr 18, 2026 +1
> media company Psh. At this market cap, it's a tech company.
1
-Kaldore- Apr 17, 2026 +708
He’s been talking about it for a while. He’s more interested in philanthropy work now. He’s actually one of the billionaires that actually does some good with his money. 
708
LimerickJim Apr 17, 2026 +250
He's worth $5.8 billion. When you have that much the returns on your investments are tens of millions of dollars a year in a bad year. At that point it takes effort to give away your money 
250
berlinbaer Apr 17, 2026 +264
> At that point it takes effort to give away your money mackenzie scott got around 36 billion in her divorce, has donated around 19 billion since then, and has around 35 to 40 billion left.
264
Juleno_ Apr 17, 2026 +19
Wow
19
SerHodorTheThrall Apr 17, 2026 +137
Which really speaks to how broken our stock and equities systems are. Literally giving away tens of billions and still making money just sitting around lol
137
Liimbo Apr 18, 2026 +6
No that means they are working exactly as intended. They were always a means to maintain wealth, not gain it.
6
Hesitation-Marx Apr 17, 2026 +30
Yeah, and she can’t just dump lest she f*** things up for the charities she’s trying to help. She’s one of the few billionaires I don’t want to send to Venus.
30
BastianHS Apr 17, 2026 +11
>She’s ~~one of the few~~ the only billionaire~~s~~ I don’t want to send to Venus.
11
Hesitation-Marx Apr 17, 2026 +9
I like my Governor (Pritzker), and only want his wealth redistributed. But yes.
9
redrum221 Apr 17, 2026 +5
Lauren Powell Jobs is another.
5
TheLogicError Apr 17, 2026 +3
warren buffet?
3
I_Think_I_Cant Apr 17, 2026 +2
[Christy Walton seems to be pretty good too](https://assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com/hub/i/r/2025/06/12/a2350f67-e298-47f7-bdc4-12b2908a6d3b/thumbnail/620x780/b09f6211521b8935d7e443284f6982f8/nokingsad.jpg).
2
Seablob5525 Apr 18, 2026 +5
This is true. But you make it sound like she just got the money and can’t get rid of it. She was a key part of amazon since the beginning, and a smart investor. She makes money from her endeavors, it’s not just a pile of money she got that she’s trying to burn through
5
DeaddyRuxpin Apr 18, 2026 +4
And that’s what annoys me so much when people complain about raising taxes on the ultra wealthy. The increase in taxes that are desired would be absorbed by their money making them money in practically the blink of an eye. It would have no real meaningful impact on their finances while being able to do massive good for everyone else.
4
iwastoolate Apr 17, 2026 +46
Returns would be hundreds of millions.
46
thisgrantstomb Apr 17, 2026 +7
A high yield savings account would net you 232 million a year. If your assets were all liquid.
7
LimerickJim Apr 17, 2026 +2
I was being overly conservative in my approximation. It would only take 1.725% growth to return $100 million which is half the yield on a 2 year treasury note (lowest yield bond).
2
rip1980 Apr 17, 2026 -11
A bad year would be 580M in otherwise normal conditions. Current diversified growth focused 3 year avg. would be closer to 960M/yr.
-11
Toby_O_Notoby Apr 17, 2026 +17
Let's average it and call it at $780m. Break that down and he's making $15m a week, every week, for the entire year. Want a yacht? Larry Ellison has one that costs $200m so that's a pretty good benchmark. It'll take you 14 weeks to earn that. How about a few houses? Get one in Jackson Hole, one in Hawaii and another in New Zealand just in case. Get each one at for $50m and you're at about 18 weeks worth of earnings. And we're not visiting those places flying commercial so budget another $80m to buy and upkeep a private jet. You're now at 23 weeks. Now you've got some change left in your pocket so let's get Lambo, a Ferrari *and* a Bently for what you make in a day. Ok, so now you own three mansions, three luxury cars, a yacht and a private jet with *half* of one year's worth of earnings. You could double it to six houses and cars with two yachts and two jets and still probably have some money left over come Dec 31st. And the best part is? Next year you get to do it all again. Because you haven't even touched the $5.8 billion you're worth, just the f****** money you make through investing it.
17
skiborobo Apr 17, 2026 +9
And here I am with a flooded basement that I’m losing sleep over… this life is weird.
9
modfoddr Apr 17, 2026 +6
You're looking at this all wrong. You don't have a flooded basement...you have a cellar spa with plunge pool. Welcome to the 1%.
6
__Hello_my_name_is__ Apr 17, 2026 +24
I feel like most people don't really realize this. Like, at some point you are so rich that you literally cannot run out of money. Not in the sense that you have too much to spend. But in the sense that even if you would make it your life's goal to become poor, you would not succeed. These people have, quite literally, infinity money. They will never run out of it, no matter what they do, no matter what they buy. They literally cannot run out of money.
24
ComfortableExotic646 Apr 17, 2026 +3
Most people realize this. A billion dollars only comes from owning stock, and you can't sell the stock without damaging the price of the stock, which other people rely on.
3
f-ingsteveglansberg Apr 17, 2026 +18
I always find it crazy that so many rich folk feel morally entitled to their money because of hard work or graft or being smart or whatever. But at a certain level of wealth doing absolutely nothing will net them more wealth than the smartest and hardest working person on the planet on their smartest most hard working day of their life.
18
Android1822 Apr 17, 2026 +6
Wish my problems were making so much money I could not even give it away fast enough. My problems are more, can I even afford anything this week?
6
FunnelCakeGoblin Apr 17, 2026 +8
Well then why the f*** does the cost of a Netflix account keep going up
8
Lovethemtitties80085 Apr 17, 2026 +12
They have a responsibility to their share holders, not the end user. Kind of like politicians or how anything is run in that awful country. Is the money going up? Great. The rest? F*** em.
12
Seinfeel Apr 17, 2026 +2
Oh no! It’s so difficult to find people worthy of my money!
2
Awkward_Tick0 Apr 17, 2026 +2
It’s difficult to gift that much money to an org that will use it responsibly
2
Seinfeel Apr 17, 2026 +1
So many homeless shelters and food banks, you don’t need to give one single charity millions
1
FaceMcShootie Apr 17, 2026 +1
My buddy’s job is exactly this. They are responsible for helping the movement of these big sums of money and allocating it to proper departments/how it will be utilized at the donatee
1
iginca Apr 17, 2026 +1
I can help him 🥲
1
PracticalPractice768 Apr 17, 2026
Hang on there. What you just stated makes way too much sense. Where is the emotional “blow it all away on misguided charities!” Or “money simply solves the other 99 problems.” I mean, if they really want to sustain the charity, set up a trust fund type thing, use 35% of gains into the charity, 10% admin shit, 20% into large it’s large project, and reinvest the rest.
0
1234567890-_- Apr 17, 2026
1% of that is 58 million. Normal “safe withdrawal rates” by investment managers are like 3-4%. Its more than tens of millions lmao.
0
toughtacos Apr 17, 2026
You think? At that point you just have someone do it for you, there’s no effort to it.
0
outdoorsauce Apr 17, 2026 +91
And yet he has still managed to piss off all of northern Utah. Boy, life just keeps coming don’t she.
91
appletinicyclone Apr 17, 2026 +38
What did he do
38
FreshestCremeFraiche Apr 17, 2026 +90
Like you I am not up to date on the Northern Utah gossip
90
outdoorsauce Apr 17, 2026 +27
It’s kind of unfortunate because it’s a small community who doesn’t really have anybody to stick up for them in the media. https://localfreshies.com/powder-mountain-news/#:~:text=Removal%20of%20Season%20Cap,of%20the%20season%20pass%20limit.
27
SerHodorTheThrall Apr 17, 2026 +20
I'm so tired of this "local community" c***. Just because you live in a small town doesn't make you better than anyone or special. You don't get to own the ski mountain. Our natural monuments belong to us all, not a group of rich assholes angry that they aren't allowed to own all the season tickets and other people will be able to ski.
20
outdoorsauce Apr 17, 2026 +1
Did you read the article? You are arguing against local citizens and for this: Seniors 75 and older will no longer ski free; their pass will now be $1,049. Children ages 7-17 enrolled in the Weber or Cache County school program, which was $109, will now be $199 for those aged 7-12, and $1,049 for ages 13-17.” You are also arguing for the privatization of a ski resort by a billionaire. Whether we’re happy with the short term changes or not doesn’t matter, the long term precedent is what’s dangerous. Fuckin weird take in 2026 big dog, have you circulated that opinion with your skier friends? Oh you’re not actually a skier? I never would have guessed
1
PerforatedPie Apr 17, 2026 +18
I mean, the place was bleeding money, something had to change.
18
Cabrill0 Apr 17, 2026 +11
I live in northern Utah and have not heard about why I am apparently pissed off
11
shadrap Apr 17, 2026 +2
Just you wait! You'll blow your top!! (It's about him developing Powder Mountain)
2
moldyolive Apr 17, 2026 +12
Isn't he one of the largest democrat donors, so whatever he did to piss them of specificly was probably superfluous
12
anonyngineer Apr 17, 2026 +10
He’s not MAGA or a Democrat, rather, pretty much a Silicon Valley libertarian (pro charter schools, etc.)
10
skankenstein Apr 17, 2026 +10
I used to work for the charter school cult he helped found. The whole thing was weird as f*** with how they needed you to fully drink the koolaid to be effective. I left and will never work for a charter again. Whenever I meet other ex staff; they all agree it is very cult-like.
10
duniyadnd Apr 17, 2026 +3
I don’t know much about charter schools, are there any resources you can point me to show your point of view?
3
skankenstein Apr 17, 2026 +3
That his charter uses cult like indoctrination in order to exploit labor? No, you have to experience it for yourself.
3
Frisnfruitig Apr 17, 2026 +27
It's sad this isn't the norm for all billionaires. They could do so much good with all that wealth, but instead they decide they need a bigger yacht or another estate in New Zealand where they can go hide when the masses turn on them. Maybe try cleaning the ocean or something? But no, can't do that of course. Gotta get more! More for me me me!
27
jemosley1984 Apr 17, 2026 +11
They don’t care about their role in the social contract. I’m starting to think throughout all time, the rich have always been the main problem. War? Rich. Famine? Rich. It just makes me wonder.
11
Garconanokin Apr 17, 2026 +1
The norm is taking as much as possible from you and me and changing the laws to ensure that that happens. Can’t afford a house? Thank a billionaire.
1
OneBillPhil Apr 17, 2026 +3
You mean there’s rich guys out there that don’t endlessly just want more and more and it’s never enough?
3
ProtonPizza Apr 17, 2026 +2
I was wondering why I hadn’t heard of him.
2
helpmehomeowner Apr 17, 2026 +7
The only good billionaire is a...not billionaire.
7
Omatzus Apr 17, 2026 +5
F*** all billionaires. Even the generous ones. You can't become that wealthy without exploitation somewhere along the line.
5
Djinnwrath Apr 17, 2026 +15
Not to mention, if you stay a billionaire you aren't being charitable fast enough.
15
quack_quack_mofo Apr 17, 2026 -11
Who is netflix exploiting
-11
SpiderJerusalem42 Apr 17, 2026 +2
Creators.
2
DrGreenMeme Apr 17, 2026 -24
Who did Jay-Z, Notch, Rhianna, Warren Buffet, James Cameron, etc. exploit?
-24
pewqokrsf Apr 17, 2026 +13
Jay-Z and Rhianna made most of their money from products, not their music.
13
DrGreenMeme Apr 17, 2026 -14
And?
-14
AfterSchoolOrdinary Apr 17, 2026 +19
Who do you think is making the products and how well would you say they’re compensated?
19
DrGreenMeme Apr 17, 2026 -1
Idk, you tell me if you're making a claim that the workers aren't well compensated? If the implication is sweatshops, those jobs pay several times what the local alternative does, that's why workers walk past the farms to apply. Walk me through the fantasy of Jay-Z and Rihanna never creating products because they decided it was immoral: Jay-Z and Rihanna never build the factory, never place the orders, never cut the paychecks — and somehow the worker in Shenzhen ends up better off? How? The workers don't get promoted because the brand stayed away. They go back to subsistence farming, or whatever was paying worse than the factory they were lining up to work at. You didn't free anyone. You felt righteous for an afternoon and left them poorer.
-1
targetcowboy Apr 17, 2026 +3
It's obvious you know your comment is bad faith and ridiculous by how you're framing this. You bring up sweatshops without being prompted so you obviously know what they're talking about. Even the way you frame their pay are several times higher. If someone is being paid 50 cents and I pay them $1.50 an hour than I'm still exploiting them if I make billions a year.
3
DrGreenMeme Apr 17, 2026
Calling it bad faith doesn't make it bad faith. You obviously implied sweatshops plus the other replies from commenters. You invented both numbers -- $1.50/hr *and* "billions a year." Neither Jay-Z nor Rihanna earn billions a year, that's a net worth built over 20+ years. And you didn't just pull $1.50 out of thin air, you also stripped it of all context. You never once asked what that wage actually buys in the country where the worker lives. A dollar figure that sounds miserable in the US can cover rent, food, and a normal life somewhere else. Purchasing power is the entire point, and you skipped it because the raw number *sounds* damning to a Western reader. That's not an argument, that's a vibe. Take your own framing seriously: the worker is choosing $1.50 over the $0.50 alternative. You call the $1.50 exploitation. So what's the non-exploitative move? Pay $0 by never building the product in the first place? Pay as much as you would an American worker -- at which point overseas workers don't even make sense to hire in the first place? On top of all this, no one has managed to provide a single source that provides evidence of Rihanna and Jay-Z somehow exploiting workers. You're literally arguing based on vibes.
0
targetcowboy Apr 17, 2026 +2
I never said anything about Jay Z or Rihanna. I specifically spoke generally about billionaires
2
[deleted] Apr 17, 2026 +5
[deleted]
5
Cadbot10 Apr 17, 2026 +7
I mean Buffet's made a few unsavory investments that affected peoples lives but the rest are true, even add some athletes like Jordan, Messi, Ronaldo
7
moskowizzle Apr 17, 2026
Jordan, Messi, and Ronaldo have exploited every defender they've played against!
0
BagdadSuperior Apr 17, 2026 +3
At least for Fenty (Rihanna), it has been reported that their sweatshops have worse working conditions than even Shein: https://remake.world/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Remake_AccountabilityReport_2022.pdf
3
DrGreenMeme Apr 17, 2026 +1
Where in the report does it say that? The source literally says they score Fenty poorly due to "lack of transparency" -- so they are just making assumptions without any genuine evidence of misconduct.
1
SpiderJerusalem42 Apr 17, 2026 +1
Usually you need to have shoe leather breath to buy up all that propaganda. ABAB.
1
Adorable-Database187 Apr 17, 2026 -1
"philanthropy" he's paying taxes?
-1
StinkyNutzMcgee Apr 17, 2026 -1
Just like Netflix to cancel before the show is over
-1
jbl420 Apr 17, 2026 +22
I’m also planning on leaving Netflix soon; unfortunately not a billionaire
22
Cantholditdown Apr 17, 2026 +155
To all the haters you have no idea what it was like paying blockbuster $10 because you were 3 days late on a Titanic movie return at blockbuster in 1997 dollars. He completely busted blockbuster. Most satisfying thing ever. He made some dough but made renting and watching movies much cheaper. It was like the equivalent to blowing up Ticketmaster.
155
LanceFree Apr 17, 2026 +29
Totally. The blockbuster nostalgia is fun, but I hated the place due to late fees. I joined up with Hollywood Video because they were closer to my house and so I’d return videos on the way to work. Experience at that store was more or less same as Blockbuster, except the employees seemed lonely and wanted to chat while I was browsing, which was kind of annoying.
29
aznprd Apr 17, 2026 +7
Makes sense as to why Patrick Bateman had to drop everything to return his video tapes, so he wouldn't incur a fine
7
standardGeese Apr 17, 2026 +8
Blockbuster failed due to Carl Icahn buying up a ton of shares and wanting to turn a quick buck. Blockbuster was heavily investing into a streaming service that was catching on so well, Netflix wanted Blockbuster to buy them. But Carl Icahn installed a new idiot CEO who cut spending. Building a new streaming service costs a lot of money in up front investment and Carl’s involvement blocked a merger between Blockbuster and Hollywood Video. As soon as the stock price went up due to massive spending cuts, Carl cashed out and let the shell of a company burn. Here’s [one article](https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2020/09/22/how-netflix-almost-lost-the-movie-rental-wars-to-blockbuster.html) on the issue. Netflix was only beneficial to consumers for a very short window of time when IP holders didn’t realize the value of streaming rights. Once studios started charging more and building their own services, Netflix’s value went downhill and with it, lots of availability. Blockbuster had already crushed availability in local video stores, but Netflix made the issue worse by aiming to replace most of its catalog with in-house content that it owned distribution rights for. Now we have extremely high prices and crackdowns on password sharing. The only good media provider is your local library. Everyone else will screw you over to make a quick buck.
8
pdjudd Apr 17, 2026 +3
Also the whole affair of buying Netflix was back when they still were mailing DVDs primarily - Blockbuster either already had that or was near to launching it making the purchase something that made no sense when Netflix wasn’t the powerhouse it is today.
3
EducatedRat Apr 17, 2026 +16
Some of us just turned our movies back in on time.
16
Trisa133 Apr 17, 2026 +8
It was still $5 to rent a movie. $5 is a lot back then.
8
tehoway Apr 17, 2026 +3
Two VCRs and same day returns.
3
classless_classic Apr 17, 2026 +2
I did the same with a $15 unlimited Blockbuster account and a DVD burner.
2
Cantholditdown Apr 17, 2026 +13
Ah, the classic blame the consumer strategy.. Their business model was predatory as far as I am concerned and should have never been allowed.
13
PhilosopherKindly623 Apr 17, 2026 +6
Please articulate why renting something for a fixed time, then not returning said thing, then being charged a late fee is "predatory." I would honestly love to hear you try to defend that wild statement.
6
mmlovin Apr 18, 2026 +3
It’s not. & like Netflix isn’t f****** predatory now raising their price every year.. lol they set off the streaming subscription business…now I kind of miss cable just for the simplicity Plus it’s not like they just put blockbuster out of business. My small town had 3 little video rental places.
3
morosco Apr 17, 2026 +3
Even when you did, it could be pain in the ass. Renting a movie meant signing up for an errand on top of that.
3
exintel Apr 17, 2026 +5
Hey you want to go pick out a movie with me? Ahh yea that was fun
5
ComfortableExotic646 Apr 17, 2026 +9
Going to browse movies was one of the few things young people could do in town. We'd go to school and talk about all the wacky shit we saw, then plan on what to get the next weekend. I don't know what these weird corpo-fucks are talking about. Renting movies in real life was great. Browsing anything online is actual torture.
9
ngreenz 6 days ago +1
Spent hours in the local blockbuster browsing movies, was one of my favourite things. Still smile whenever I drive past the building today.
1
siphillis Apr 17, 2026 +17
Dude was just trying to sell his company to Blockbuster but was so insulted by their offer and conduct that he created a billion-dollar revenge machine
17
wareagle995 Apr 17, 2026 +4
Oh no! In this economy?!
4
Aevum1 Apr 17, 2026 +43
built the business, made his money, sold to a investment fund, went home with his cash while some big faceless corp runs the company in to the ground, the american dream
43
h2d2 Apr 17, 2026 +33
He didn't sell though...
33
ItsChappyUT Apr 17, 2026 +9
He’s got a ski resort to build next?
9
SetoXlll Apr 17, 2026 +8
Get that bag old man!
8
SweetJebus731 Apr 18, 2026 +2
See, I knew they’d notice when I canceled my subscription.
2
Fritanga5lyfe Apr 17, 2026 +2
Good career Reed!
2
[deleted] Apr 17, 2026 +3
[deleted]
3
Breal3030 Apr 17, 2026
That's the same Hastings? Huh, TIL.
0
camflan Apr 17, 2026 +11
No, it’s not
11
Breal3030 Apr 17, 2026 +1
Oh. Weird comment then.
1
trymorecookies Apr 17, 2026 +1
I still love that his original big move was to sidestep licensing by literally just buying DVDs.
1
RobleyTheron Apr 17, 2026 +1
What in the malware was that Business Insider website?
1
madasfire Apr 17, 2026 +1
He's leaving to focus on his ~~wealth~~ health
1
Alienhaslanded Apr 17, 2026 +1
I also would like to exit with a boatload of money
1
Aggravating-Kale1837 Apr 17, 2026 +1
I’m sure this will somehow increase rates.
1
Bullmoose39 Apr 17, 2026 +1
He heard I finally canceled my account, wants to go out on top before my heralding of the great decline.
1
schaudhery Apr 17, 2026 +1
Dude ran the company into the ground and dipped. Legendary.
1
defiant-raven Apr 18, 2026 +1
Finally! I heard he's been camping out in a storage closet for years, coming out only at night to forage.
1
katwin715 Apr 18, 2026 +1
I respect that man she is a great human
1
Busy-Buy-7834 3 days ago +1
Definitely more intrigue here than Ted Sarandos is signalling, more aptly a scandal. 
1
Rough_Promotion9414 Apr 17, 2026 +1
Live near him in Santa Cruz, Reed is a pretty normal dude for being a billionaire, approachable would shoot the shit with anyone at the supermarket, maybe he changed
1
Practical-Pick1466 Apr 17, 2026 +1
Government job or retirement.
1
Nvenom8 Apr 17, 2026 -9
Cool. Some rich f*** is going to do something different now. Who cares?
-9
LTC-trader Apr 17, 2026 +6
What drew you to this post?
6
bruddahmacnut Apr 17, 2026
My guess, anger and resentment.
0
Nvenom8 Apr 18, 2026
I subscribe to the sublistnook. What kind of stupid question is that?
0
LTC-trader Apr 18, 2026 +1
Are you answering a question with a question? That’s a deflection.
1
Nvenom8 Apr 18, 2026
No, I answered your stupid question. I then asked why you had to ask, because it’s a stupid question. Reading is hard, I know, but try.
0
LTC-trader Apr 18, 2026 +1
I didn’t ask how you saw the post (your response). I asked why you were DRAWN to it.
1
HighMarshalSigismund Apr 17, 2026 -2
I worked for Netflix circa 2010 at their call center. Shit job. Lots of angry people calling daily about incredibly stupid problems. Anyway, Fucko Hastings makes a comment one day about a price increase and how Americans aren't really paying attention anyway. Oh it turns out people were. The whole day was spent just taking abuse from people as if I was the CEO who made the comment or as if I could put my headset down and go tell him "Hey Fucko Hastings, your comment really upset your customer base." Apologizing on behalf of a company really hurt my soul. On the upside I would usually get an Apple out of the vending machine and make a pipe out of it so I could numb the mental pain of my day as I walked the 1.4 miles to the train station.
-2
bannedagainomg Apr 17, 2026 +3
Thats just any costumer service job, people dont call to say good job they call to complain and tell you its your fault, even when it rarely is. Bit different but when in retail i met a costumer who complained that a box of cable lugs had gone from 12pcs to 10pcs and since he needed 12 it forced him to buy 2 packs. So he wanted me to make a complaint and demand the change to be reversed, but mega stores like that do not listen to internal feedback about products and most importantly him buying 2 proves that the change was "good" for the seller. Still the correct move for me was just nod along and pretend i was totally going to fight this battle for him, i can imagine it works on the phone as well.
3
reinking Apr 18, 2026 +3
Everyone should have to work retail as sort of a bootcamp to "how to not be a jerk." :) I worked retail management for over 12 years. Not mega store size. The one thing I did for every store I managed, is place the customer service number in plain view of customers at the cash register area. If a customer was ever unhappy with the resolution I could offer them, I would invite them to call the CS number. In 12 years, zero called even when I encouraged them to do so. Suddenly, the big issue they had was not that important.
3
Smallsey Apr 17, 2026 -1
If he could give me like... 2 million dollars. Please. I won't need anything else.
-1
Alternative-Dot-884 Apr 17, 2026 -8
Right before a takeover. A horrible one
-8
6stringSammy Apr 17, 2026
Must have been a brisk morning stroll.
0
PaperCut611 Apr 17, 2026
Is he gunna start a water company too?
0
PondersOverYonder Apr 18, 2026
Be cooler if he left left. You know the big left. Forever.
0
MichaelEll1s Apr 17, 2026 -9
Thanks for ruining video rentals and how we enjoyed movies forever! Also your productions are shit. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.
-9
mandroth Apr 17, 2026 +5
Man, what an odd take
5
faxdontlie Apr 17, 2026 -3
Hopefully he's getting scared like all the other billionaires.
-3
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