Reed Hastings

Reed Hastings is an American entrepreneur recognized for co-founding Netflix in 1997, initially as a DVD-by-mail rental service, and guiding its evolution into a dominant global streaming platform with original content production under his leadership as CEO for 25 years until becoming executive chairman in 2023, transitioning to non-executive chairman in 2025, and announcing his departure from the board in 2026. Prior to Netflix, he founded Pure Software in 1991, developing tools for software developers, and sold the company in 1997, the same year Netflix launched and went public in 2002. Hastings has directed substantial philanthropy toward education, including service on the California State Board of Education from 2000 to 2004, creation of a $100 million fund for children's education initiatives, and donations exceeding $1 billion via the Hastings Fund, with major gifts supporting charter schools and historically black colleges and universities. His tenure at Netflix featured unconventional management emphasizing talent density and candor, as detailed in his book No Rules Rules, alongside decisions like the 2011 separation of DVD and streaming services—which he later deemed a major error—and defenses of controversial content amid public and regulatory scrutiny.