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Elizabeth Stone

1 episode

Episodes

How Netflix builds a culture of excellence | Elizabeth Stone (CTO)

Feb 22, 20241h 13m

Guest: Elizabeth Stone - Chief Technology Officer at Netflix. Elizabeth is the first economist to be named CTO at a Fortune 500 company, with a background in data science and leadership roles at Lyft and Nuna. Key Takeaways: High Talent Density: Netflix emphasizes maintaining a high talent density as a foundation for its culture, which enables other cultural aspects like candor and freedom. Candor and Feedback: Regular, direct feedback is crucial at Netflix, with the "keeper test" being a mental model to ensure team members are meeting high standards. Freedom and Responsibility: Netflix provides employees with significant freedom and responsibility, allowing for innovation and problem-solving without excessive oversight. Centralized Data and Insights Team: Netflix's centralized approach to data and insights, combining data science and consumer research, allows for objective, cross-functional problem-solving. Intentional Presence: Elizabeth prioritizes being present and connected with her teams through office hours and AMAs, emphasizing the importance of human connection in leadership. Topics Covered: Netflix culture, high talent density, candor, freedom and responsibility, data and insights structure, leadership presence, personal growth through sports.

Notable Quotes

โ€œI think that economics is generally valuable for a lot of different challenges and it's a useful perspective to add to things, especially in a business context.โ€

Value of economics in tech

โ€œI've found especially endurance sports are much more mental and how you go through the highs and lows and sustain and then coming back from challenge.โ€

Lessons from sports

โ€œI truly enjoy it. It's what I get out of especially work. And then it's my community.โ€

Importance of human connection