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Reed Hastings
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| Reed Hastings | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Organization: | Netflix |
| Role: | CEO |
| Education: | •Bowdoin College •Stanford University |
As of 2018, Reed Hastings was the CEO of Netflix and a prominent donor to ballot measure campaigns in California and Ohio. He served on the boards of Microsoft and Facebook.
Career
After graduating with a bachelor's degree from Bowdoin College, Hastings went abroad to work as a math teacher in Swaziland as a member of the Peace Corps. After graduate school at Stanford, he started a software company called Pure Software, which CBS reported to be sold for $750 million. With the money, Hastings co-founded Netflix in 1997. The company was originally a DVD rental service by mail. Speaking of the idea for Netflix, Hastings told CBS, "I'd rented a VHS and I had misplaced it and it was six weeks late. So it was a $40 late fee. ... And I was on the way to the gym and I realized – 'Whoa! Video stores could operate like a gym, with a flat membership fee.' And it was like 'I wonder why no one's done that before!'"[1] The company's business model evolved from its beginnings to include online streaming services and original content.[2]
Education advocacy
Hastings was an advocate of charter schools as alternatives to public schools, and in 1998 he worked to change the charter school law in California, according to The Washington Post.[3] Education Next described his work in education startups, writing, "Hastings provided start-up funding for the Aspire Public Schools charter network and helped start and fund EdVoice, a lobbying group, and the NewSchools Venture Fund, which supports education entrepreneurs." The article went on to note that Hastings was on the boards of Microsoft, Facebook, the California Charter Schools Association the KIPP Foundation, DreamBox Learning, and the Pahara Institute.[4] Hastings was also a former board member for the California State Board of Education and, in 2016, launched a $100 million education foundation, the Hastings Fund.[3]
In 2012, Hastings explained his work as an advocate for certain education policies, saying, "About half my work in education is US political reform around school districts and charter schools, and creating more room for entrepreneurial organizations to develop. And about half on technology, which I look at as a global platform."[5]
Political activity
Ballot measure activity
Hastings' ballot measure donations were mostly in the areas of criminal justice reform.
Overview of ballot measure support and opposition
The following table details Reed Hastings' ballot measure stances available on Ballotpedia:
| Ballot measure support and opposition for Reed Hastings | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ballot measure | Year | Position | Status |
| Ohio Issue 1, Drug and Criminal Justice Policies | 2018 | Supported |  Defeated
|
| California Proposition 62, Repeal of the Death Penalty | 2016 | Supported[6] | |
| California Proposition 57, Parole for Non-Violent Criminals and Juvenile Court Trial Requirements | 2016 | Supported[7] |  Approved
|
| California Proposition 1, Water Bond | 2014 | Supported[8] | Approved
|
| California Proposition 47, Reduced Penalties for Some Crimes Initiative | 2014 | Supported | Approved
|
| California Proposition 2, Rainy Day Budget Stabilization Fund Act | 2014 | Supported[9] | Approved
|
| California Proposition 30, Sales and Income Tax Increase | 2012 | Supported | Approved
|
| California Proposition 34, the End the Death Penalty Initiative | 2012 | Supported | Defeated
|
| California Proposition 1B, Supplemental Education Appropriations | 2009 | Supported | Defeated
|
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Reed Hastings'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ CBS News, "The Brain Behind Netflix," December 1, 2006
- ↑ Business Insider, "My conversation with Netflix CEO Reed Hastings," May 9, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Washington Post, "Netflix chief announces $100 million fund for education," January 13, 2016
- ↑ Education Next, "Disrupting the Education Monopoly," Winter 2015
- ↑ Forbes, "Reed Hastings On How To Build A $20 Billion Education Juggernaut," May 11, 2012
- ↑ Yes on 62, "Endorsements," accessed August 14, 2016
- ↑ California Fair Political Practices Commission, "November 2016 General Election," August 16, 2016
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Proposition 1 Campaign Finance," accessed October 6, 2014
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Proposition 2 Campaign Finance," accessed September 17, 2014
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