Reed Hastings
Netflix
Los Gatos, CA USA
"When you have an idea for a product or a company and you just can't let go, then it makes sense to do."
Career Roadmap
Reed's work combines: Film, Technology, and Accomplishing Goals
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Mathematics, General
Bowdoin College
Graduate Degree
Computer Science
Stanford University
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life has been direct
1.
He was a math major in college, but he viewed it more as a general skill set-he never wanted to go on to teach math.
2.
After college, he joined the Peace Corps and taught at a high school in rural Swaziland.
3.
He says that more than anything, his stint in Africa gave him time to grow up and see a new part of the world.
4.
When he returned to America, computer programming was just picking up speed, and he decided to jump into the field.
5.
He got a job serving coffee in a computer company, and they'd let him take classes in their lab.
6.
The first product he came up with was a tool that could debug software; from there, he started his first company.
7.
Calls his current job as CEO of Netflix "a complete joy"; he loves that his company's service has the power to bring people happiness.
8.
Says that following through on your dream is much like deciding to get married-it's not a rational decision, it's an emotional love.
