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Reed Hastings: The Most Important Thing at Netflix Is Focus. Not Innovation.

By Reed Hastings · Startup Growth · 1 min read

Hastings says Netflix does not try to innovate on everything. They focus on one thing and do it better than anyone.

Key Points

Focus on one thing. Not two. Not three. One.
Netflix focused exclusively on streaming quality and content. Nothing else.
Innovation happens as a byproduct of extreme focus, not as a goal

We do not try to be innovative. We try to be the best at one thing. Innovation happens as a result.

One Thing

Netflix does not have a hardware division. No social network. No gaming platform.

They do one thing: stream content. And they do it better than anyone.

Hastings says focus is the most important strategic decision a CEO makes.

Innovation as Byproduct

Netflix did not set out to innovate on recommendation algorithms. They just wanted better content matching.

The innovation happened because they focused so deeply on one problem.

When you go deep enough on one thing, breakthroughs happen naturally.

We do not try to be innovative. We try to be the best at one thing.

The Temptation

Every successful company faces the same temptation: expand into everything.

Hastings resists it. Netflix tried gaming briefly. It did not work. They went back to focus.

One thing. Done better than anyone. That is the entire strategy.