aaron c beals

i realize this presentation has been making its way around the web recently, but i’m just getting to it now. the folks over at Netflix (of whom i am a paying customer) put together a ‘little’ slide deck about their corporate culture.

the theme of the presentation is “freedom and responsibility”. given that these characteristics are two that i prize highly in a work environment, they started off on a good foot.

you should read the whole presentation (it doesn’t take that long), but here are the points that stood out to me (not that I agree with every word, but a lot of it rung true):

• “The real company values, as opposed to the nice-sounding values, are shown by who gets rewarded, promoted, or let go”
• “The Keeper Test Managers Use: ‘Which of my people, if they told me they were leaving in two months for a similar job at a peer company, would I fight hard to keep at Netflix?”
• “In procedural work, the best are 2x better than the average… In creative work, the best are 10x better than the average”
• The desire for process grows over time in a company not simply due to increasing complexity, but due to dilution of high-performance employees in the face of increasing complexity.
• The Netflix vacation policy is probably the most-quoted part of the presentation when it is referenced on the web, but I hope that people look past this (I think it’s a common-sense move I happen to strongly agree with) and see some of the other points in the deck.
• “Act in Netflix’ Best Interests” — the premise here is outstanding. I have always thought that the time and wages it takes to fill out and process lengthy expense reports is simply wasteful. If someone willingly abuses the system by acting in an irresponsible manner, fire them.
• “Managers: When one of your talented people does something dumb, don’t blame them. Instead, ask yourself what context you failed to set.”
• The compensation plan can’t be adequately summarized in one bullet, so check it out. Just outstanding.

not quite as funny now that the burst of the web 2.0 bubble has been accelerated by the rest of the economy, but it’s still highly amusing:

during the course of my recent investigation into the local startup scene, i came across FlyLite, a non-traditional software(ish) startup. their value prop is simple: flying with luggage is a pain in the neck, so eliminate the luggage and have what you need waiting for you.

to start, you send them a suitcase full of all the things (clothes, toiletries, etc) that you might need on a business trip. they inventory your things and make the list accessible via a web interface. before a trip, you select all the items you plan to use, and they pack up the suitcase and have it waiting in your hotel room. when you’re done, pack it back up and send it off again (they pick it up). as far as i can tell, they even launder your clothes.

i think it would take a rather heavy frequent flier lifestyle to justify this sort of service, but it certainly promises to make your life easier. though i guess your clients may wonder why you dress the same way every time you visit…