LEVELS – A Whole New Level

#22 - Building startup culture from the ground up | Marc Randolph, Co-Founder of Netflix & Sam Corcos

Sep 6, 2021

Marc Randolph, Co-Founder of Netflix, discusses the importance of building startup culture from the ground up. They delve into topics such as the evolution of company culture, the challenges of maintaining culture as a company grows, the significance of selection and deselection in culture development, and the importance of focusing on culture from the beginning stages of a startup. They also explore the balance between opportunity and performance in team growth and the impact of company size on fostering a risk-taking culture.

50:09

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Marc Randolph

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Quick takeaways

Building a strong company culture is essential from the beginning stages of a startup and influences the behaviors and values of future employees.

Culture acts as a magnetic field that aligns employees and allows companies to move quickly and consistently.

Deep dives

The Importance of Culture in Early Stage Startups

When building culture in a company, it is important to recognize that culture is not just about superficial perks like ping pong tables or espresso machines. Culture is created by the conditions that are established and the values that are emphasized. The first group of people in a company influence the culture for the next cohort of people to come in. Therefore, it is essential to prioritize cultural development as a team grows. Culture is not something that can be imposed superficially with posters or values written on the wall. It is a reflection of the behaviors and values that are reinforced within the organization.

Aligning talent and values in hiring

01:23

Introduction

4min

Building and Reinforcing Company Culture

18min

Focusing on Company Culture

7min

Hiring Philosophy and Evaluating Talent and Values

3min

The Importance of Culture in a Startup

12min

Balancing Opportunity and Performance in Team Growth

5min

Building startup culture and the significance of starting early

2min

A startup needs to create and establish a company culture in the beginning in order for the team to thrive and grow as the company scales. Understandably, it may seem counterintuitive to focus on intangible things like culture in the early days of a startup, but it’s key. Netflix Co-Founder Marc Randolph is a standout leader to talk to about this; he helped build Netflix’s culture 20 years ago. To this day, CEOs still reference Marc’s Netflix culture playbook. Listen as Sam Corcos and Marc Randolph discuss the importance of building company culture from the ground up.

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🎙️ What Marc Randolph & Sam Corcos discuss:

(05:08) – What is company culture?
(08:31) – Culture comes from emphasizing behaviors
(11:34) – How to send the right signals
(14:14) – A culture of personal responsibility
(18:33) – Treat people like adults
(21:35) – You can’t keep people who have bad judgment
(24:08) – Scaling amplifies mistakes
(40:37) – Explain why you make your decisions
(44:00) – Your team is your priority
(46:47) – The responsibilities of a manager

Transcript & Show notes

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