TheNewYorkTimesbestsellerShortlistedforthe2020FinancialTimes&McKinseyBusinessBookoftheYearNetflixcofounderReedHastingsrevealsforthefirsttimetheunorthodoxculturebehindoneoftheworld’smostinnovative,imaginative,andsuccessfulcompaniesTherehasneverbeforebeenacompanylikeNetflix.Ithaslednothingshortofarevolutionintheentertainmentindustries,generatingbillionsofdollarsinannualrevenuewhilecapturingtheimaginationsofhundredsofmillionsofpeopleinover190countries.Buttoreachthesegreatheights,Netflix,whichlaunchedin1998asanonlineDVDrentalservice,hashadtoreinventitselfoverandoveragain.ThistypeofunprecedentedflexibilitywouldhavebeenimpossiblewithoutthecounterintuitiveandradicalmanagementprinciplesthatcofounderReedHastingsestablishedfromtheverybeginning.Hastingsrejectedtheconventionalwisdomunderwhichothercompaniesoperateanddefiedtraditiontoinsteadbuildaculturefocusedonfreedomandresponsibility,onethathasallowedNetflixtoadaptandinnovateastheneedsofitsmembersandtheworldhavesimultaneouslytransformed.Hastingssetnewstandards,valuingpeopleoverprocess,emphasizinginnovationoverefficiency,andgivingemployeescontext,notcontrols.AtNetflix,therearenovacationorexpensepolicies.AtNetflix,adequateperformancegetsagenerousseverance,andhardworkisirrelevant.AtNetflix,youdon’ttrytopleaseyourboss,yougivecandidfeedbackinstead.AtNetflix,employeesdon’tneedapproval,andthecompanypaystopofmarket.WhenHastingsandhisteamfirstdevisedtheseunorthodoxprinciples,theimplicationswereunknownanduntested.Butinjustashortperiod,theirmethodsledtounparalleledspeedandboldness,asNetflixquicklybecameoneofthemostlovedbrandsintheworld.Hereforthefirsttime,HastingsandErinMeyer,bestsellingauthorofTheCultureMapandoneoftheworld’smostinfluentialbusinessthinkers,divedeepintothecontroversialideologiesattheheartoftheNetflixpsyche,whichhavegeneratedresultsthataretheenvyofthebusinessworld.DrawingonhundredsofinterviewswithcurrentandpastNetflixemployeesfromaroundtheglobeandnever-before-toldstoriesoftrialanderrorfromHastings’sowncareer,NoRulesRulesisthefascinatinganduntoldaccountofthephilosophybehindoneoftheworld’smostinnovative,imaginative,andsuccessfulcompanies.
