Johnson leaving is also a lesson that cut-and-paste strategy (applying what worked at Apple as-is to JC Penny without considering the differences between the two target customer bases - like the 'no sale' strategy) almost never works.
If you had to pick between DVD and streaming service, and make one of them phenomenally better than what it is now, which one would you pick? DVD, because everyone knows and loves it? Or streaming, because it's growing rapidly? You get to pick one.
With the split, Netflix gets to focus entirely on streaming - make it better for the customer. Which means, more (and better) content, faster and better streaming service, Netflix on more devices, providing Netflix outside US and Canada etc.
And Qwikster gets to focus entirely on DVD service - which means expanding the DVD catalog, getting video game rentals for Wii, PS3 and Xbox 360.
As a customer, you get a much better Netflix and/or Qwikster experience. As a Netflix employee, I get to focus entirely on making streaming better, faster, available on more devices, and in more regions than we have today, without having to worry about compatibility with the DVD service.
I've been reading all the comments here and at Reed's blog to understand what everyone has to say about the split. Internally, we've known about the split for some time now.
Why do you think this is a terrible move? Your comment has a lot of unflattering comparisons, but doesn't explain why the move is stupid.
Also, you're probably right that DVD as a service will not last forever, and Reed understands that too (he mentions this in the post as well - http://blog.netflix.com/2011/09/explanation-and-some-reflect...). DVD service may not last very long, but right now, it is a growing business.
The main reason for the split is the realization that streaming service and DVD service are two completely different businesses that need to grow in completely different ways. For example, in case of streaming service, we've just expanded to Latin America and the Caribbean (to 43 new countries). In case of the DVD service, we're adding a new video games catalog.
DVD service is still growing - it probably won't grow at the same rate for very long, but right now, it's growing. Streaming, on the other hand, is growing at a phenomenal rate. Therefore it makes sense to not hold up the growth of one service for the other to catch up.
In the time (about 6 months) I've been at Netflix, the one thing I'll have to call out is the absolute, undeterred focus that the company has. Simply put, Netflix fundamentally believes that it's best to do one thing really, really, really well, than to do many things reasonably well.
Splitting the streaming and DVD service isn't so much due to lack of ability to design the website to suit both options, but really as an indication that they are turning out to be different businesses altogether.
Actually the other comment from b0b0b0b is pretty accurate - Netflix tries to gracefully degrade functionality when 'stuff goes down', so that people can still get the basic streaming service. Netflix also uses Chaos Monkey (http://www.readwriteweb.com/cloud/2010/12/chaos-monkey-how-n...)
When I read the article, I was a bit suprised by how he almost seemed proud of his tactics to rip people off and later bully them. Particularly, the part where he said "I’ve exploited this opportunity because it works. No matter where they post their negative comments, it helps my return on investment. So I decided, why not use that negativity to my advantage?"
This guy should be the dumbest criminal in modern times. He understood how powerful the internet was, and then decided to ignore it.
I still don't get it. Why can't I drink a full can of Red Bull? The article doesn't say anything about drinking a full can versus a part of the contents.
You already have a bunch of valuable comments to wade through. One tip though - do not think of large companies as one monolithic organization. If you look around, you will spot those smaller 'startup'y teams inside big orgs where you'll learn a ton and have a lot of fun in the process.
Also, write down what you want to achieve in your first job. Financial stability? Engineering skills? Proficiency in a particular platform, framework? Ability to work in a team?
Narrowing down what you really hope to get out of this job will really help you focus on finding the right workplace.
And finally, never say never. Both of them (large companies and startups) have their ups and downs. You'll learn _something_ from both.
This is completely nuts. I'm surprised that this company gets away (and actually be pretty successful) with it's predatorial behavior towards it's customers.
I searched for DecorMyEyes, and while the first result is the company itself, the rest of the page is filled with "My bad experience with DecorMyEyes" and "Consumer complaints against DecorMyEyes". Now I get that people are usually searching for the name of the company that makes the glasses (like Ciba Vision) and not DecorMyEyes, but doesn't one usually buy things online from fairly reputed sources (and you'd look up the company if you didn't know them)?
>>If someone receives an iPod with personalized engraving they would possibly be more likely to hold onto the device longer since the object now has some sentimental value.
You're right - I still hold on to my old engraved iPod because it was a gift. It's not something I'd want to dispose of, even though it looks terribly out of fashion now (what with new models of iPods releasing every year).
Well, this advice didn't mess me up but pushed me in the opposite direction.
When I was a kid, my parents told me that little girls like me should study in a local college, get good grades, find a comfortable job (preferably an accountant), settle down in the same city (as my parents) and get married by 21 (years).
My college was in a different city as compared to where I grew up. This really helped in teaching me how to live on my own. I took to computers, interned at a couple of companies and got hired by another software company, moved to the United States, and dated and married a fellow computer nerd a little over a month ago (let's just say I'm way over 21 now).
As a person living in Seattle (rains a lot!) who is of a darker skin color because of my race, I get told every now and then that I must be very lucky because I'm never going to be Vit D deficient.
I'm surprised that people think having darker skin color means I already have oodles of Vit D, when it's quite the opposite - people with dark skin color synthesize less Vitamin D on exposure to sunlight. I probably need lot more of that big ass star :)
It's nice to be able to go to one place to look for some .NET API. I no longer need to Google search a topic, and then open multiple tabs, each for MSDN, SO, experts-exchange, and other forums.