That Will Never Work

The Birth of Netflix by the first CEO and co-founder Marc Randolph

By: Marc Randolph

Narrated by: Marc Randolph

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 of, and widespread DVD adoption seemed about as imminent as flying cars. 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 proposals, like personalised 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 they 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, however, 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.


(p) 2019 Octopus Publishing Group©2019 Marc Randolph

Critic reviews

Engaging and insightful

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.

Marc is an unusually brave soul. Marc's genius in recognizing that not knowing frees you to experiment and observe and to ultimately win.

Marc wastes no time cutting through the noise and identifying the truth. Every moment I have spent with Marc, whether it was as he formulated and launched Netflix or since then, has been truly rewarding. Marc understands what is important whether it is your product, your marketing, or your business plan. A remarkable and one of a kind visionary.

An entertaining chronicle of creativity, luck, and unflagging perseverance.

I even bought the book itself

I was expecting your typical business book written by a Silicon Valley-entrepreneur, but it was the total opposite. Marc Randolph is extremely down to earth and gives business tips you can apply at any stage of your career. And he's a great narrator as well with a funny Boston accent. After listening to the audiobook I went out and bought the actual book to highlights some quotes, tips and tricks. I will keep it at my desk for inspiration and motivation.

Tech Giants!

Awesome read for anyone who’s interested in the birth of arguably one of the greatest tech start ups of our generation.

Mark goes into detail of the highs and lows of the company with a real life view of juggling investors, family and a concept company.

Great all round

Not the off the shelf story about Netflix
A humble version of events
Entertained the whole way through

I loved this.

it kept me sitting in my car long after I reached my destination. thank you.

One of my favourite Memoirs

Lots of Memoirs have been written. few have achieved this level of awesome. Thank you Marc for sharing your story