Why Meetings Fail (and Why Netflix Hates Them)

DAY 3 — Netflix 
Why Meetings Fail (and Why Netflix Hates Them)

At Netflix, meetings aren’t a sign of collaboration.
They’re a cost.


  The Brutal Truth

Most meetings fail because they create alignment theater, not outcomes.

People talk.
Slides move.
Time disappears.
Decisions don’t.

Netflix calls this process over performance—and avoids it aggressively.

 Netflix’s Core Belief

“Don’t attend meetings unless a decision is required.”

High-performing Netflix teams focus on:

Radical clarity
Individual ownership
Decision velocity

Not consensus.
Not comfort.
Not endless discussion.


 Why Meetings Break Down

When a problem isn’t clearly defined:

 Everyone debates symptoms
 Opinions outweigh data
 Responsibility diffuses
 Action stalls

Netflix sees this as dangerous.

Because speed is strategy.



🛠️ How Netflix Solves This

Before any meeting, teams must answer:

1️⃣ What is the exact problem?
2️⃣ Who is the single owner?
3️⃣ What decision will be made?

If these aren’t clear → no meeting.

Instead:

 Write it down
 Share context
 Let the owner decide

Freedom with accountability.

 Netflix-Level Thinking

At Netflix:

 One clear decision beats ten aligned     opinions
 Accountability beats approval
 Clarity beats collaboration noise

That’s how they move faster than companies twice their size.

 Key Insight

A badly defined problem has no good solution.

If your meeting doesn’t end with a decision,
it wasn’t a meeting—
it was a discussion disguised as work.

Define the problem.
Assign the owner.
Decide.
Move.

pic credit - Google 
Case study - Google 
Key insight - mine

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