That Will Never Work
by Marc Randolph
The co-founder's story of Netflix's first years: the DVD-by-mail test, the failed pitch to Blockbuster, the pivot to subscriptions, and the day he was replaced as CEO by his co-founder. Randolph is self-deprecating and specific, and the book is honest about how much of early success is testing and luck.
Read it if…
you want a startup story that is candid about testing, pivots and ego.
Skip it if…
you want the streaming-era Netflix; this ends early.
Three things you will actually use
- Nobody knows anything; test it.
- The idea you start with is rarely the one that works.
- Being replaced can be the right call.
Do this first
Read the chapter on the Blockbuster meeting and write down the moment you would have quit.
Our verdict
Candid about tests, pivots and ego.
Compare with other Entrepreneurship books
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