Netflix vs. the World

Very well made and gives you the full history of the company and the technologies/processes they innovated. The last half is more about Netflix vs Blockbuster but it is very entertaining. Loved the nostalgia of the 90s and VHS tapes as well.

This was a fun documentary about how Netflix came about, how it progressed from an idea to a promising company, how it beat Blockbuster in the DVD rental market, and how it eventually made the change to streaming video. My one problem with the documentary is that it became very fixated on the competition between Netflix and Blockbuster, and I started to get confused about when they were talking about which company. It kept going back and forth between interviews with Netflix and Blockbuster employees, and I couldn't keep track of who they were talking about at some points. In any case, this is definitely worth throwing on if you are curious or if you are interested in tech companies.

A group of folks connected a video rental store with the post office, and it turned into a $216 billion company. I skipped over the part where they designed the Web 1.0 application, experimented with a variety of business strategies, reconnoitered an automated mail sorter for their own use, overtook Blockbuster Video, built a sizable install base, switched to digital distribution, released their own content.

As a collector of physical media and one who misses the video store experience, I'd come to vilify Netflix (despite being a subscriber). But this documentary certainly helps soften the image by showing the company's human side and it's humble beginnings. The story is fascinating, entertaining and inspiring, and you'll root for the underdog Netflix team through the course of the movie and find yourself revelling in their victory. The tech/media giant they are now doesn't take away from the creative, visionary dreamers they were who went from David to Goliath.