‘Woke capitalism’ on the rise – and running into resistance
As a streaming service, Netflix sits at the nexus of Silicon Valley and Hollywood, two industries that lean left in politics and culture. Chief executive Reed Hastings is a prominent Democratic donor in California and nationally. In 2020, about 98% of political contributions by Netflix employees went to Democrats, similar to outlays at other major tech companies.
But Netflix’s advice to staff members who want to bring their progressive politics to work: not so fast.
In a wide-ranging corporate culture memo last month, the company said its viewers expected to be entertained by a diverse range of TV shows and movies. “Not everyone will like – or agree with – everything on our service,” it noted, an apparent reference to comedian Dave Chapelle’s 2021 special that critics called transphobic and that prompted a Netflix employee walkout.
The memo, which Netflix said had been under discussion for several months with employee feedback, warns that staff “may need to work on titles you perceive to be harmful. If you’d find it hard to support our content breadth, Netflix may not be the best place for you.”
In an era of polarized politics and social media outrage, American corporations face increasing pressure to take stances on hot-button social and cultural issues. That pressure is coming not
