# Story 2: Netflix Founder Says Stop Calling Workplaces a Family - **Episode:** [168](https://agents.truthliesandwork.com/episodes/168.md) (2025-02-04) - **Type:** news-roundup - **Tags:** workplace-culture, leadership, netflix - **Time:** 7:16–12:17 (start 436s) - **Listen:** [https://truthliesandwork.com/168?t=436](https://truthliesandwork.com/168?t=436) --- [7:16] Al Elliott: Well, this is one, an article I saw. Well, it's not an article, it's a post I saw on X or Twitter or whatever we call it now. Stop calling your workplace a family. Now, you have been banging on about this, Leanne, for a very, very long time. This, you are, you're in good company because Marc Randolph, who's the founder and CEO of Netflix, he said the same thing. So basically, he's the guy, before, before you ask, no, I didn't see it on Netflix. I saw it on, as I said, Twitter or X or Whatever. Twix, I'm calling it. That's my, my name for it. Anyway, he's talking about this thing that drives us absolutely crazy here at Truth Towers when people call themselves— companies call themselves a family. Now, I have been guilty of this myself back in the day before I met Leanne, back in 2002 when I first started my own first business. Um, I was very much like, let's make this friends and family, and, and that— I went bankrupt from that company. So I think it's fair to say that that didn't actually work. So Randolph makes this brilliant point. He says When was the last time you fired someone from your family? You know, for example, you might say, uh, son, your mother and I have been talking and we've decided to outsource taking out the rubbish, so I'm afraid we're gonna have to let you go. It's a stupid thing. Obviously it's not gonna work. But here's where it gets really interesting. At Netflix, they don't use all this sort of family rubbish. They see themselves more as like a professional sports team, and not like a Sunday league team where everyone gets a game and participation trophy. And wherever you stand on that, I personally think that's a bad idea. I think that you should have winners and losers because that helps you to deal with or get ready for life. But these guys were talking about proper, like, well, in English terms, Premier League stuff. They're talking about the top tier. The way that Randolph explains it as a manager is your job isn't to make sure everyone gets playing time. We're using this again, this football analogy. It's to put the best possible team on the field. And that's actually, to be fair, fairer to everyone [9:02] Leanne Elliott: Yeah [9:02] Al Elliott: Because let's be honest, if you are the top performer, uh, so Mo Salah, for example, the last thing you wanna be doing is carrying someone who's not pulling their weight. Um, who was the guy you were shouting at the other night, Leanne? Uh, Konaté, was it? You were like, oh, he should get off. Anyway, that's about the extent of my football knowledge [9:18] Leanne Elliott: Sorry, Konaté, if you're listening. I can't remember exactly [9:21] Al Elliott: I think she was just a bit, bit angry about Liverpool. Um, but the whole point is that you shouldn't just put someone on the field just because they're part of the family. Now, what I found was really interesting was his take on startups, because he says the people you start with usually aren't the ones you finish with. This is so, so true. At the beginning, you need these sort of all these amazing all-rounders who can wear 17 different hats and are cool with their job description changing every time you make a cup of tea or something. But as you grow, sometimes you need different skills. In fact, I would say that you'd almost certainly need different skills. And this is the brutal bit. Sometimes you might have to sit down with someone who's given everything to your company, who's been there from the beginning. who's worked nights, weekends, probably taken a pay cut to be there, and tell them they won't be coming on the next part of the journey. That's very American, isn't it? Won't be coming on the next part of the journey. It's not fun, but as Randolph says, it's the job. If you can't do that, you shouldn't be in that position. Lee, thoughts? [10:16] Leanne Elliott: Yeah, hard conversations as a manager. If you, if you don't want to have them, don't be a manager. And it is really hard, and you can practice them and get better at them. My issue is with the whole family analogy. I understand it's these, it's these Yeah. And we're united in something in terms of a mission or a purpose or values or a goal. I understand, and I think family is just something that we, we, we go to because it's what we know in terms of that closeness, but it doesn't really work. Like you say, you're not gonna fire a member of your family. Um, also, families are functional families. Let's bear in mind, there's lots of families that aren't functional. There are probably more dysfunctional families than there are functional families. Um, And I'm sure we all have relationships in our family, like, probably wouldn't wanna bring that type of dynamic into the workplace. It just doesn't really, it doesn't really work. Families rely on, to an extent, on unconditional love and we're always gonna be in each other's lives. And like you pointed out, Al, it is a conditional, very much a conditional relationship. It's based on, I'm gonna pay you X amount to deliver Y. If you don't deliver that— [11:23] Al Elliott: Yeah [11:24] Leanne Elliott: you're not gonna be around much longer. It's a very different relationship. And of course, over time, yes, that social cohesion is gonna come with the team. Equally, you're gonna go through those cycles, things evolve. And I think that's the biggest challenge. And I'd argue possibly the difference between entrepreneurs who grow a business and entrepreneurs who keep a business [11:42] Al Elliott: Mm [11:43] Leanne Elliott: In that those entrepreneurs, those business owners that understand that business evolves, every aspect of it evolves, including their people, will build a very, um, A very sustainable, healthy, continuously growing business. And I think family is just, it's just a bit cliché now as well. And I think again, I think again, the kids are just gonna be like, ugh, you know? And also, who are you? Does that make you dad or mum as the MD? Do you really wanna build a business just by, no, it doesn't work. We know it doesn't work, move on [12:15] Al Elliott: Le, what else have you seen?