This week, we chat with Patty McCord, who was chief talent officer at Netflix for 14 years, working closely with Reed Hastings. She is also the author of the new book, Powerful: Building a Culture of Freedom and Responsibility.
McCord explains what it was like meeting Reed Hastings, arguing with him about HR, then talking him into hiring her to run his then company’s HR department (this was long before Netflix was created). She helped create a corporate culture that could manage the rapid growth of a company that was doubling every few months. When Hastings invested in, then joined Netflix to run it, he brought Patty along to run the firms recruiting and HR.
She says she speaks two languages fluently: English and Engineering.
Her biggest regret was being so late in recognizing the power and influence women have in corporate settings. Women tend to manage accounting and HR and have far more power than they realize.
Her favorite books are referenced here; our conversation transcript is will be published here tomorrow.
You can stream/download the full conversation, including the podcast extras on iTunes, Bloomberg, Overcast, and Soundcloud. Our earlier podcasts can all be found on iTunes, Soundcloud, Overcast and Bloomberg.
Next week, we speak with Benedict Evans of Andreessen Horowitz. (Newsletter here)
Patty McCord’s Book
Powerful: Building a Culture of Freedom and Responsibility by Patty McCord
Patty McCord’s Favorite Books
Brotopia: Breaking Up the Boys’ Club of Silicon Valley by Emily Chang
Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg
My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem
