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1,000 layoffs, two top execs fired: What Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters told employees

By · Via Times of India · Published by Everything Blog

In short

Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters addressed employees following a challenging October, announcing two rounds of layoffs and firings, including the firing of two top content executives, in a memo to employees on October 14. The layoffs affected about 6% of the workforce, with the product, technology, legal, and human resources teams hardest hit. Despite the layoffs, Netflix is still growing and on pace for $15 billion in profit this year.

Key points

  • Netflix is growing but needs to improve its content offerings.: Netflix is growing but needs to improve its content offerings.
  • The company is struggling with declining viewing habits, with subscribers watching on few…: The company is struggling with declining viewing habits, with subscribers watching on fewer days each month and spending less time on the service overall.
  • The company still has growth potential, but needs to focus on improving its content offer…: The company still has growth potential, but needs to focus on improving its content offerings.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters has a message for employees after a rough October: the company is doing well, and it also needs to do better. Speaking at a staff town hall this week, Peters said “two things can be true,” according to a Bloomberg report.

He described Netflix as a growing, profitable business that rivals would envy, but admitted there is more work to do to push growth further. The remarks come less than two weeks after the streaming giant cut nearly 1,000 jobs and fired two of its most senior content executives. Bloomberg calls it Netflix’s biggest round of job cuts and executive turmoil in five years.

The layoffs were announced on October 14 in a memo from Peters and co-CEO Ted Sarandos. They cover about 6% of the workforce, with product, technology, legal and human resources teams hit hardest. Netflix had around 16,000 full-time employees at the end of 2025.

Netflix fires content chief Bela Bajaria and film head Dan Lin

The same afternoon, Sarandos called chief content officer Bela Bajaria into his office around 4:30 pm. He told her she was out, and that former Disney and Fox executive Peter Rice would take over her role.

Bajaria, who spent a decade at the company, skipped the Season 3 premiere of Nobody Wants This that evening and never went back to a Netflix office, Bloomberg reports.

Film chief Dan Lin was dismissed two days later.

Talent appears to be the sticking point. Sarandos told analysts that Rice understands talent relations. According to Bloomberg, long-time partners like the Duffer Brothers and Shawn Levy have moved to other studios, while David Fincher chose not to renew his deal.

Why Netflix is cutting jobs despite rising profit

On paper, the business looks healthy. Netflix is still growing at double digits and is on pace for about $15 billion in profit this year, per Bloomberg.

Viewing is the problem. Subscribers are watching on fewer days each month and spending less time on the service overall. In its shareholder letter, Netflix said members watched over 97 billion hours in the first half of 2026, only 2% more than a year earlier. The company also won its fewest Emmys in a decade.

Wall Street is split. Morgan Stanley praised the company for acting decisively, while Pivotal Research said its concerns remain unchanged. Netflix shares fell 6.6% last week, largely because of a weak forecast for the end of the year.

Peters’ town hall message may settle nerves inside the office. Investors, though, will be waiting for the growth he says Netflix still has to find to show up in the next set of numbers.

Original source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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