Netflix’s employee morale crisis is reportedly only getting worse, with the streamer’s tech workers in Silicon Valley feeling increasingly alienated from leadership, especially following the controversy over Dave Chappelle’s comedy special The Closer.
Tech workers at Netflix’s corporate headquarters in Los Gatos, California, have accused executives of brushing off their growing concerns about the company, saying the culture of frank internal discourse has been replaced with something more rigid and traditionally corporate, according to a report from the Verge.
“After Dave Chappelle, the lines of communication that had been open for years were gone,” a former engineer who asked to remain anonymous reportedly said.
Netflix doesn’t want to hear it anymore https://t.co/tgdYWOtoTS pic.twitter.com/THcbRls6xc
— The Verge (@verge) July 7, 2022
At the heart of the dispute is the feeling among Netflix’s tech employees that their feedback about artistic or creative matters isn’t valued or even wanted. Engineers who complained about Chappelle’s comedy special said their criticisms — which consisted mostly of accusations of transphobia — were mostly ignored.
One engineer claimed he was fired for trying to fix technical problems outside his scope of work. “Too much feedback and being out of my lane too often were the reasons I was given,” he said.
As a result, Netflix engineers feel the company has developed a schizoid personality — on one side is the Hollywood studio with its more traditional corporate culture; on the other is the Silicon Valley tech firm with its more relaxed atmosphere and culture of honest internal discourse.
Some have blamed co-CEO Ted Sarandos, who runs Netflix’s creative side, saying Sarandos and his lieutenants were similarly resistant to feedback, particularly from Los Gatos staffers.
“Today, as a manager, we can’t speak up in content or studio teams, and what Ted says goes,” one anonymous employee reportedly posted in an internal forum. “Very top down culture and even when we raise the problems we see early on in our shows, our voices are not heard.”
Netflix’s morale crisis comes as the left-wing streamer is struggling to retain subscribers. The company lost an unprecedented 200,000 customers in the first quarter and predicted losing as many as 2 million in the months ahead.
Shares of Netflix have tumbled an astonishing 70 percent so far this year. The company has imposed new austerity measures, including layoffs that have seen 450 workers lose their jobs.
Netflix still has a production deal with former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama under which the couple produces documentaries and scripted content.
Follow David Ng on Twitter @HeyItsDavidNg. Have a tip? Contact me at dng@breitbart.com
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