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  • That Will Never Work

  • The Birth of Netflix and the Amazing Life of an Idea
  • Written by: Marc Randolph
  • Narrated by: Marc Randolph
  • Length: 11 hrs
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (255 ratings)

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That Will Never Work cover art

That Will Never Work

Written by: Marc Randolph
Narrated by: Marc Randolph
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Publisher's Summary

In the tradition of Phil Knight's Shoe Dog comes the incredible untold story of how Netflix went from concept to company—all revealed by co-founder and first CEO Marc Randolph.

Once upon a time, brick-and-mortar video stores were king. Late fees were ubiquitous, video-streaming unheard was of, and widespread DVD adoption seemed about as imminent as flying cars. Indeed, these were the widely accepted laws of the land in 1997, when Marc Randolph had an idea. It was a simple thought—leveraging the internet to rent movies—and was just one of many more and far worse proposals, like personalized baseball bats and a shampoo delivery service, that Randolph would pitch to his business partner, Reed Hastings, on their commute to work each morning.

But Hastings was intrigued, and the pair—with Hastings as the primary investor and Randolph as the CEO—founded a company. Now with over 150 million subscribers, Netflix's triumph feels inevitable, but the twenty first century's most disruptive start up began with few believers and calamity at every turn. From having to pitch his own mother on being an early investor, to the motel conference room that served as a first office, to server crashes on launch day, to the now-infamous meeting when Netflix brass pitched Blockbuster to acquire them, Marc Randolph's transformational journey exemplifies how anyone with grit, gut instincts, and determination can change the world—even with an idea that many think will never work.

What emerges, though, isn't just the inside story of one of the world's most iconic companies. Full of counter-intuitive concepts and written in binge-worthy prose, it answers some of our most fundamental questions about taking that leap of faith in business or in life: How do you begin? How do you weather disappointment and failure? How do you deal with success? What even is success?

From idea generation to team building to knowing when it's time to let go, That Will Never Work is not only the ultimate follow-your-dreams parable, but also one of the most dramatic and insightful entrepreneurial stories of our time.

©2019 Marc Randolph (P)2019 Hachette Audio

What the critics say

"Engaging and insightful"—Reed Hastings, CEO of Netflix

"Netflix was built on the vision and creative DNA of one man—Marc Randolph. As the founding CEO, his leadership defined the culture of Netflix and laid the groundwork for successive, global revolutions in how we make and consume entertainment. His willingness to step aside so that his co-founder Reed Hastings could scale up the company stands as an example of humility and self-knowledge that is rare in the startup world."—Gina Keating, author of Netflixed: The Epic Battle for America's Eyeballs

"Marc is an unusually brave soul. Marc's genius in recognizing that not knowing frees you to experiment and observe and to ultimately win."—Lloyd Tabb, founder of Looker

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    5 out of 5 stars

Nobody Knows Anything

Wow! I had a hard time getting into the first part of the book, but about halfway through I just couldn’t stop. This book is inspiring, eye opening and just plain fun to read.

I could write down a lot of amazing quotes, but for me if there is only one to remember it is “Nobody knows anything”, any idea could be the good one, you have to trust yourself and be willing to fail. This book deserves to be read and read again, I starting noticing the value of it closer to the end when everything was coming together.

Make yourself a gift and buy this book.

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  • MC
  • 2020-03-27

Overall the book was good

This is a good inspiring book. Some parts at the end of each chapter are a bit boring, but it was a good book. The narrator was very good.

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MUST Read / Listen

If you are looking for an inspiring story to help you put your challenges into perspective and self-reflect on what is the true meaning of success, this us the book! All the way up there with Nike Shoe Dog from Phil Knight. The audiobook version is vibrant, making those 11 hours feel like a handful of minutes...

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Informative and entertaining

I learned the true story of how Netflix started and it is a good guide for starting up a company or anything in life. Could not stop listening until the end.

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Very interesting

It's a really interesting book.

But I did stop at chapter six.

Because it was way too long.

The book could have been shorter.

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  • NP
  • 2023-05-06

This book is an entrepreneurip class.

I loved this book. Enjoyed every bit of it. All the ups and downs and strategic decisions shared in the book made me think, would I do the same if I was in that situation? I felt like I was witnessing the most beautiful story of love, passion, courage, kindness and most importantly, tenacity. This certainly is one of my favourites.

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Inspiring, Intriguing and Instigating

This book is an inspiring, intriguing, and instigating read.

What sets this book apart is how Randolph provides an honest account of the company's early days, including the moments of doubt and the many setbacks that they faced. Through his storytelling, readers get a glimpse of the entrepreneurial mindset and the determination required to turn an idea into a reality.

The book is filled with anecdotes and insights that are both entertaining and enlightening. Randolph's writing style is engaging, and his humour adds a touch of levity to some of the more serious topics that he covers.

Overall, "That Will Never Work" is an inspiring read for anyone who has ever thought about starting their own business or pursuing an idea that others may have dismissed. Randolph's story shows that with hard work, persistence, and a willingness to take risks, even the most unlikely ideas can succeed. This book is not just a must-read for aspiring entrepreneurs but for anyone looking for an entertaining and informative read.

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A surprisingly great listen!

Marc is a great storyteller and narrator, telling the incredible story of Netflix - the little startup that could. But it also serves as a how-to for businesses, startups, and pivoting your business when it was never part of the plan.

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Good story

I liked it, He is honest and talks about stuff that can be considered embarassing by some. It has some great details of the early rise of netflix. It is worth the read.

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Great start up story

This is a great story of what a start up goes through. It’s very exciting and motivating to hear the story of how Netflix started.

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