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Netflix is not a tech company (2019)

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Re: Netflix is not a tech company (2019)

#11

Post by wcunning »

Areading314 wrote: post #3

We should stop thinking in terms of "tech companies" and think of them in terms of "companies that use tech with a high degree of success". Ultimately any company that makes money is not a tech company because pure technology on its own does not make a business. Also, with the right incentives and management it is possible, although hard, for legacy companies to start using tech better to compete.

How would you compare GM and Tesla using this framework? They're both very tech dependent given the impact of the chip shortage and electric car manufacture, but one is certainly more "novel." I'm honestly not sure where I would come out, but I think it's a good point of comparison for the framework as a result.

Re: Netflix is not a tech company (2019)

#14

Post by soneca »

robertlagrant wrote: post #5

> The tech has to be good - but, it’s still all about the TV. If Netflix was only showing reruns of Frasier and Ally McBeal no-one would have signed up I think this is always a bit of a silly argument. If Netflix was showing everything, but the tech was terrible, no one would've signed up. You need both.

I disagree. The HBOGO app used to have pretty poor tech. It would logout with no reason, forget where I was in the show, sometimes freeze requiring to close and open the app multiple times, have problems with Chromecast. Still, I wanted to see GoT

Re: Netflix is not a tech company (2019)

#15

Post by djanogo »

robertlagrant wrote: post #5

> The tech has to be good - but, it’s still all about the TV. If Netflix was only showing reruns of Frasier and Ally McBeal no-one would have signed up I think this is always a bit of a silly argument. If Netflix was showing everything, but the tech was terrible, no one would've signed up. You need both.

Once the tech gets good enough to show tiles on all platforms and distribute the content to edges efficiently what "new tech" does Netflix need quarter over quarter?

Re: Netflix is not a tech company (2019)

#16

Post by ARussell »

I think "tech company" is a near-useless label, anyway. I struggle to think of any company that isn't, or at least shouldn't be, a tech company. Everyone uses technology to provide their product or service, even if they are rudimentary ones. There are those companies that are pushing the boundaries of what was previously possible, sure, and if that's what people agree is the definition of "tech company" (high innovation), then surely Netflix counts. No one watched much TV on computers or phones before them.

Re: Netflix is not a tech company (2019)

#19

Post by subpixel »

robertlagrant wrote: post #5

> The tech has to be good - but, it’s still all about the TV. If Netflix was only showing reruns of Frasier and Ally McBeal no-one would have signed up I think this is always a bit of a silly argument. If Netflix was showing everything, but the tech was terrible, no one would've signed up. You need both.

As a counterexample, the tech and design behind remote controls was, for a decade or more, abysmal.

I am willing to bet that this had zero impact on cable subscriptions.

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