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Condition: BRAND NEW
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780316460668
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Overview:
That Will Never Work by Marc Randolph is the definitive insider account of how Netflix grew from a wild commute-time idea into a company that reshaped entertainment. Written by Netflix's co-founder and first CEO, this candid memoir traces the messy, uncertain reality behind a now-iconic brand. It's essential reading for entrepreneurs and startup founders fascinated by disruptive innovation, told with humour and hard-won wisdom from someone who lived every setback firsthand.
About the Book:
In 1997, Marc Randolph spent his daily commute with Reed Hastings tossing around business ideas, from personalised baseball bats to a shampoo subscription service. One idea refused to die: using the fledgling internet to rent DVDs by mail and do away with late fees forever. That Will Never Work charts how this notion survived relentless doubt from investors, shifting technology, and fierce competition from established video rental chains. Randolph recounts the frantic scramble for funding, the pivotal decision to pivot from DVD rentals toward streaming, and the internal disagreements that quietly shaped Netflix's distinctive culture. He details early product experiments that flopped, customer service disasters that became unexpected turning points, and the exact moment the founding team realised they were building something far bigger than a video rental service. Readers get a front-row seat to co-founder tension, the pressure of scaling fast, and the stubborn persistence needed to outlast an entire industry built against them. Randolph's tone blends self-deprecating humour with genuinely useful insight, making complicated decisions feel personal rather than abstract theory. He shows precisely how a rejected idea survives its brutal early years to become a household name, all while revealing the unglamorous grind behind an apparent overnight success.
Key Benefits:
- First-hand account from Netflix's founding CEO, with no corporate filter or spin
- Real examples of idea validation and rapid pivoting during the dot-com era
- Practical, transferable lessons for founders facing investor doubt and market resistance
- Compelling case study of persistence turning a dismissed idea into a global platform
- Engaging, humour-filled narrative that makes business strategy genuinely entertaining
About the Author:
Marc Randolph is a veteran Silicon Valley entrepreneur, advisor, and investor who co-founded Netflix and served as its first CEO. Over a career spanning four decades, he has started or co-founded more than half a dozen companies and mentored numerous rising founders. Randolph continues to invest in and advise technology ventures, drawing on experience that stretches from the earliest days of online commerce through to today's platform economy, giving him a distinctive, hard-earned perspective on what truly separates fleeting ideas from enduring businesses.
Why You'll Love This Book:
If you want the honest, unvarnished story of how Netflix really began, this memoir delivers entertainment alongside genuinely usable takeaways. Randolph's warm, witty voice keeps the pace brisk while revealing the real decisions behind a new industry.
Please Note: Cover design may vary slightly; supplied edition matches the UK ISBN and cover as shown.
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