More Videos- Topless Business Is Taking Off
- Gambling Drunk, Texting to Live And America's On Sale - Your Emails
- The Lloyd's Prayer, Leggo My Eggo, Plate Hate & Your Emails
- Help Wanted—Please Run $4 Billion University
- Madoff—The Holiday Drink
- Drugs, Booze and Vegas
- Happy World Toilet Day
- Coffee, Tea or My Ad?
- Elvis Has Left The Building, But His Scent Remains
- I Have to Leggo My Eggo
MOST SHARED
- The 'Real' Jobless Rate: 17.5% Of Workers Are Unemployed
- Ritz-Carlton ?Struggling? in the US: President
- Garlic Price Rises Surpass Gold, Stocks in China
- Obama Reiterates Commitment to Boost US-India Ties
- Oil Price to Average $75.40 in 2010: Poll
- Half of Banks' Losses May Still Be Hidden: IMF Head
- Americans Ditch Planes for Trains this Thanksgiving
- New-Home Sales Jump 6.2% To Highest Level in Over Year
- Jobless Claims Below 500,000, Durable Orders Slip
- Topless Business Is Taking Off
- 3 Software Stock Picks from Lazard's Senior Analyst
- Schork Oil Outlook: Gas Bulls Pinning Hopes on Mother Nature
- Toyota Makes Recall Fix And So Long Saab
- Investors Bet on a New Year's Rally For eBay
- Why You Should Play the Reflation Trade: Stock Picker
- Citi Mortgage Reveals What Treasury Won't
- S&P to Hit 1,200 by Year-End: Chief Investor
- Amended Berkshire Hathaway Filing Indicates No Secret Stock Stakes at End of Q3
- Consumer Mood Improves, But Anxiety Over Finances
- Jobless Claims Below 500,000, Durable Orders Slip
- Garlic Price Rises Surpass Gold, Stocks in China
- Judge Erases Couple's $525,000 Mortgage Payment
- Obama Going to Copenhagen Climate Summit
- Half of Banks' Losses May Still Be Hidden: IMF Head
- Seeking Deals, Holiday Fliers Get Early Start
- Americans Ditch Planes for Trains this Thanksgiving
- FDIC's Bair Cautions on Risks in Bank Break-Up Plan
RSS FEED
Funny Business
Text Size 
 |
AP |
] so many times I've stopped ordering flowers for the funeral. Yet the company which pioneered DVD rentals-by-mail has continued to defy the odds. Just this week it reported subscriber growth of 26 percent in 2008, while revenues grew 13 percent, and profits grew 36 percent (58 percent on a non-GAAP basis, which excludes stock-based compensation expenses, net of taxes).
A few months ago we got unprecedented access inside Netflix's operations.
We saw people madly stuffing those little red envelopes, taking regular "stretching breaks".
I did an extended interview with company founder and CEO Reed Hastings, who has one of the most unusual management styles in Silicon Valley (that's saying something).
In this CNBC.com exclusive, here is that story. Learn how Hastings got the idea for Netflix after renting "Apollo 13", and how his management style has been compared to...George Clooney.
Hastings also explains why he believes Netflix can have a movie-by-mail business alongside a movie-streaming business. For the moment, most of the movies Netflix has available to stream are older. That's because the broadcast and cable networks have deals already cut with studios to get those films first, before Netflix. As those deals start to expire, Netflix plans to push hard to move up to the front of the line.
One update since we edited the piece--this week's earnings report revealed that the 8 million subscribers I mention are now over 9 million.
Questions? Comments? Funny Stories? Email
Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes