Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career

How Netflix builds a culture of excellence | Elizabeth Stone (CTO)

Feb 22, 2024

01:13:44

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In this podcast, Elizabeth Stone, CTO of Netflix, discusses career advice, Netflix's high-performance culture, leadership practices, and transparency. They explore fostering excellence within teams, setting clear expectations, and Netflix's unique culture focused on high talent density and freedom with responsibility. Additionally, they touch on chaos testing, innovation, and the impact of endurance sports on mental resilience.

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Quick takeaways

High talent density at Netflix fosters a culture of excellence through hiring top performers and radical candor.

Economists play a valuable role in tech leadership, offering unique problem-solving perspectives and incentives.

Elizabeth Stone's leadership style emphasizes setting high standards, delivering quality work, and fostering continuous improvement.

Deep dives

The Importance of High Talent Density at Netflix

High talent density at Netflix is crucial for cultivating a culture of excellence, where employees thrive and contribute to exceptional outcomes. Reed Hastings, Netflix's founder, instilled this belief since the company's inception. Maintaining high talent density involves hiring top performers, fostering radical candor, and promoting freedom and responsibility.

Dedication is about excellence, not just long hours

00:49

Setting Clear Expectations and Providing Direct Feedback

01:02

Timely Decision-making for Team Fit

01:16

Insights on Recommended Books, TV Shows and Interview Questions

01:47

Introduction

5min

From VP of Data to CTO: A Unique Journey

4min

Fostering Excellence and Feedback in Team Leadership

18min

Setting Clear Expectations and Netflix's Unique Culture

15min

Maintaining Excellence and Freedom within Teams

4min

Fostering Innovation and Transparency

5min

Innovative Chaos Testing and System Reliability

19min

Exploring the Impact of Endurance Sports on Mental Resilience and Universal Skills

3min

Elizabeth Stone is the chief technology officer of Netflix. She previously served as vice president of product data science and engineering, and as vice president of data and insights, at Netflix. Before Netflix, Elizabeth was vice president of science at Lyft, chief operating officer at Nuna, a trader at Merrill Lynch, and an economist at Analysis Group. In our conversation, we discuss:

• Elizabeth’s advice for career advancement

• Netflix’s unique high-performance culture

• How, and why, Netflix maintains a high bar for excellence

• Intentional leadership practices

• How to foster an “open door” culture within your team

• The Keeper Test and how it contributes to maintaining a high bar for excellence

• The power of transparent communication

• Much more

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