29 August 2025
TIP748: The Netflix Playbook: Fewer Rules, Greater Results w/ Kyle Grieve
We Study Billionaires - The Investor’s Podcast Network
About
On today’s episode, Kyle Grieve discusses the radical culture that helped Netflix dominate Blockbuster and achieve massive long-term success. He explores lessons on talent density, candor, feedback, freedom, and responsibility that reveal how culture can become a company’s greatest competitive moat.
IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:
00:00 - Intro
02:54 - Why fewer rules can unlock a company’s peak performance.
04:58 - The cultural failures that doomed Blockbuster against Netflix.
08:54 - How talent density drives innovation and rapid productivity gains.
10:40 - Why subtraction sometimes creates stronger, higher-performing teams.
15:14 - How candor accelerates decision-making and organizational efficiency.
25:02 - Netflix’s 4A framework for delivering and receiving feedback.
34:21 - Why “rockstar pay” beats incentive bonuses for top talent.
55:00 - How sunshining mistakes builds trust and stronger organizations.
58:02 - The Keeper Test for retaining only your best performers.
01:04:19 - Why leading with context—not control—fuels lasting innovation.
Disclaimer: Slight discrepancies in the timestamps may occur due to podcast platform differences.
BOOKS AND RESOURCES
Join Clay and a select group of passionate value investors for a retreat in Big Sky, Montana. Learn more here.
Join the exclusive TIP Mastermind Community to engage in meaningful stock investing discussions with Stig, Clay, Kyle, and the other community members.
Buy a copy of No Rules Rules here.
Related episode: TIP744: Hidden Monopolies w/ Kyle Grieve.
Follow Kyle on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Check out all the books mentioned and discussed in our podcast episodes here.
Enjoy ad-free episodes when you subscribe to our Premium Feed.
NEW TO THE SHOW?
Get smarter about valuing businesses in just a few minutes each week through our newsletter, The Intrinsic Value Newsletter.
Check out our We Study Billionaires Starter Packs.
Follow our official social media accounts: X (Twitter) | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok.
Browse through all our episodes (complete with transcripts) here.
Try our tool for picking stock winners and managing our portfolios: TIP Finance Tool.
Enjoy exclusive perks from our favorite Apps and Services.
Learn how to better start, manage, and grow your business with the best business podcasts.
SPONSORS
Support our free podcast by supporting our sponsors:
SimpleMining
HardBlock
AnchorWatch
Human Rights Foundation
Vanta
Unchained
Onramp
Netsuite
Shopify
HELP US OUT!
Help us reach new listeners by leaving us a rating and review on Spotify! It takes less than 30 seconds, and really helps our show grow, which allows us to bring on even better guests for you all! Thank you – we really appreciate it!
Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm
Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm
IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:
00:00 - Intro
02:54 - Why fewer rules can unlock a company’s peak performance.
04:58 - The cultural failures that doomed Blockbuster against Netflix.
08:54 - How talent density drives innovation and rapid productivity gains.
10:40 - Why subtraction sometimes creates stronger, higher-performing teams.
15:14 - How candor accelerates decision-making and organizational efficiency.
25:02 - Netflix’s 4A framework for delivering and receiving feedback.
34:21 - Why “rockstar pay” beats incentive bonuses for top talent.
55:00 - How sunshining mistakes builds trust and stronger organizations.
58:02 - The Keeper Test for retaining only your best performers.
01:04:19 - Why leading with context—not control—fuels lasting innovation.
Disclaimer: Slight discrepancies in the timestamps may occur due to podcast platform differences.
BOOKS AND RESOURCES
Join Clay and a select group of passionate value investors for a retreat in Big Sky, Montana. Learn more here.
Join the exclusive TIP Mastermind Community to engage in meaningful stock investing discussions with Stig, Clay, Kyle, and the other community members.
Buy a copy of No Rules Rules here.
Related episode: TIP744: Hidden Monopolies w/ Kyle Grieve.
Follow Kyle on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Check out all the books mentioned and discussed in our podcast episodes here.
Enjoy ad-free episodes when you subscribe to our Premium Feed.
NEW TO THE SHOW?
Get smarter about valuing businesses in just a few minutes each week through our newsletter, The Intrinsic Value Newsletter.
Check out our We Study Billionaires Starter Packs.
Follow our official social media accounts: X (Twitter) | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok.
Browse through all our episodes (complete with transcripts) here.
Try our tool for picking stock winners and managing our portfolios: TIP Finance Tool.
Enjoy exclusive perks from our favorite Apps and Services.
Learn how to better start, manage, and grow your business with the best business podcasts.
SPONSORS
Support our free podcast by supporting our sponsors:
SimpleMining
HardBlock
AnchorWatch
Human Rights Foundation
Vanta
Unchained
Onramp
Netsuite
Shopify
HELP US OUT!
Help us reach new listeners by leaving us a rating and review on Spotify! It takes less than 30 seconds, and really helps our show grow, which allows us to bring on even better guests for you all! Thank you – we really appreciate it!
Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm
Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm