• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

He worked 100-hour weeks to save a nearly bankrupt boat company. At 83, he’s just turned down $400 million for it—and gave it all to charity instead

2

Costco's $14 million email settlement: Who qualifies for an up-to $500 payment and how to claim before the Aug. 24 deadline

3

Jamie Dimon says his stockbroker father taught him to invest with a 'brutally hard' childhood game

1

He worked 100-hour weeks to save a nearly bankrupt boat company. At 83, he’s just turned down $400 million for it—and gave it all to charity instead

2

Costco's $14 million email settlement: Who qualifies for an up-to $500 payment and how to claim before the Aug. 24 deadline

3

Jamie Dimon says his stockbroker father taught him to invest with a 'brutally hard' childhood game
CommentaryNetflix

Why Netflix Is Welcoming Apple and Disney to Compete

By
Adam Lashinsky
Adam Lashinsky
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Adam Lashinsky
Adam Lashinsky
Down Arrow Button Icon
April 17, 2019, 5:52 PM ET
King Felipe Of Spain Meets CEO Of Netflix, Mr Reed Hastings
MADRID, SPAIN - APRIL 05: CEO Of Netflix, Mr Reed Hastings, looks on before his meeting with King Felipe VI of Spain at the Zarzuela Palace on April 05, 2019 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Carlos R. Alvarez/WireImage) Carlos R. Alvarez—WireImage
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

This article first appeared in Data Sheet, Fortune’s daily newsletter on the top tech news. To get it delivered daily to your in-box, sign up here.

Netflix reported first-quarter financial results Tuesday afternoon. The company now has nearly 150 million global subscribers. (Reminder: Disney forecasts 60 million to 90 million subscribers for its new Disney+ streaming service in five years.) Netflix is an innovator and a juggernaut, bedeviling the competition at every turn.

Netflix also is a rule breaker. It asks an outsider to “interview” its executives on video rather than conduct an earnings call. I’m not sure Tuesday’s episode of the Netflix investor-relations show worked. UBS analyst Eric Sheridan mostly lobbed softballs that let Netflix executives repeat information they had already disclosed in a generally informative shareholder letter.

Coverage elsewhere will focus on Netflix’s slowing U.S. subscriber growth, the money it is spending on programming, and whether it can keep its debt financing engine running. I was intrigued that the company devoted an entire section of its letter to “competition”—and had nice things to say about its rivals, particularly Disney and Apple. “Both companies are world class consumer brands and we’re excited to compete,” Netflix wrote blandly. “The clear beneficiaries will be content creators and consumers who will reap the rewards of many companies vying to provide a great video experience for audiences.”

Then Netflix said something surprising, if self-serving. It thinks that because “there is vast demand for watching great TV and movies” and that “Netflix satisfies a small portion of that demand” all of the services, including Netflix, will have great growth opportunities. In fact, Netflix argues that the pie will get bigger as viewers move from “linear” TV to streaming, just as cable networks once grew consistently as consumers shifted away from rabbit ears.

This will be the logic that entrants will argue for years to come: The pie will continue to grow, and we’ll continue to get our fair share. It very likely will be true for Netflix. It won’t be true for all.

***

New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez partially is quitting Facebook. This is likely a bigger deal than it might seem. She is a naturally gifted communicator, at least the equal of the more experienced television personality in the White House, and she is an impactful user of social media. If she’s done with Facebook, can her cohort be far behind?

About the Author
By Adam Lashinsky
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Commentary

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

Latest in Commentary

f
CommentaryPandemic
Dr. Fauci, the Lockdown Czar, just won’t go away
By Steve H. HankeJuly 29, 2026
8 hours ago
f
CommentaryMarkets
Dr. Fauci, the Age of Big Players in science and what his diary reveals about the disputed origins of Covid
By Steve H. Hanke and Roger KopplJuly 29, 2026
17 hours ago
Nnamdi Iregbulem is a partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners
CommentaryVenture Capital
Button-mashing never worked in StarCraft. Tokenmaxxing won’t work in AI
By Nnamdi IregbulemJuly 29, 2026
17 hours ago
orla
Commentarybenefits
The Benefits Activation Gap: what claims data teaches us about employee engagement
By Orla NixonJuly 29, 2026
19 hours ago
henrik
CommentaryData
I was Spotify’s first analytics lead. Here is what VCs get wrong about data
By Henrik LandgrenJuly 29, 2026
23 hours ago
helen
Commentarycyber
Helen Toner: the Hugging Face hack was just a matter of time and exposes a huge blind spot in AI policy
By Helen TonerJuly 28, 2026
2 days ago

Most Popular

He worked 100-hour weeks to save a nearly bankrupt boat company. At 83, he’s just turned down $400 million for it—and gave it all to charity instead
Success
He worked 100-hour weeks to save a nearly bankrupt boat company. At 83, he’s just turned down $400 million for it—and gave it all to charity instead
By Preston ForeJuly 29, 2026
14 hours ago
Costco's $14 million email settlement: Who qualifies for an up-to $500 payment and how to claim before the Aug. 24 deadline
Retail
Costco's $14 million email settlement: Who qualifies for an up-to $500 payment and how to claim before the Aug. 24 deadline
By Sydney LakeJuly 29, 2026
15 hours ago
Jamie Dimon says his stockbroker father taught him to invest with a 'brutally hard' childhood game
C-Suite
Jamie Dimon says his stockbroker father taught him to invest with a 'brutally hard' childhood game
By Sarah GlodekJuly 29, 2026
23 hours ago
Current price of oil as of July 29, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of July 29, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 29, 2026
21 hours ago
eBay will pay nearly $50 million after employees reportedly sent a Massachusetts couple a bloody pig mask, cockroaches and death threats
Law
eBay will pay nearly $50 million after employees reportedly sent a Massachusetts couple a bloody pig mask, cockroaches and death threats
By The Associated Press and Leah WillinghamJuly 28, 2026
1 day ago
The millennial generation is split in 2: an older crowd with boomer-style comfort, a younger set going 'back to the early 1900s'
Real Estate
The millennial generation is split in 2: an older crowd with boomer-style comfort, a younger set going 'back to the early 1900s'
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 25, 2026
5 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.