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How Netflix Axed Its Own Cash Cow and Survived
In 2011, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings announced a plan to split the company into two: Qwikster for DVDs, Netflix for streaming. Customers revolted, stock tanked 80 percent in four months. But Hastings reversed course, apologized, and doubled down on original content. This episode unpacks that near-death experience — why a bold leader made a catastrophic product split, how the apology worked, and what it taught Silicon Valley about timing, humility, and the cost of being too early. We also trace the pivot to original programming, starting with House of Cards, and how Netflix turned a subscriber…
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