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It's interesting that your experience is so different from mine (I work at Netflix now). for #1, I've never heard of someone being let go without having any idea. When a manager goes to HR and says "I'd like to let this person go", they ask, "will it be a surprise?" and if the answer is yes, they send you back to have the hard conversation first. for #2, I have lots of friends from Netflix. And some of them have even…
re: friends - I think people are just put off by Patty's "we manage the company like a sports team, not a family" philosophy.
I'd say the best sports teams share a close bond of friendship. Look at the Red Sox this year. They came back after two dismal seasons to win the World Series and the team culture was largely responsible for that. Little was expected from most of these players but the right group of people can make the seemingly impossible happen.