Netflix is in a high stakes battle Warner Bros. in a deal that could dramatically reshape Hollywood’s power structure. But amid uncertainty, co-CEOs Ted Sarandos Don’t look to traditional management books for leadership advice.
In fact, the 61-year-old executive doesn’t like reading business books at all. Instead, he often returns to his favorite works of fiction: typhoona 1902 novella by Joseph Conrad, tells the story of a ship captain and his crew who encounter a violent storm while sailing at sea.
“This doesn’t sound like a management story on the surface, but I think it’s the most powerful leadership story I’ve ever read,” Sarandos recently told CNBC. “I read this book over and over again because I found…that I got something different out of the book every time I read it.”
typhoon As the ship faces extreme conditions, the captain is forced to make difficult decisions with limited information. good reading This book describes an exploration of leadership, tolerance, and the consequences of making decisions under pressure.
When Sarandos first read the novella nearly two decades ago, he admitted that he thought the captain was a reckless “hot dog” who was endangering his crew. Over time, his interpretation changed.
Sarandos added: “Now, what I see is that as you go through life and your career, you make a lot of decisions that don’t turn out the way you thought they would.” CNBC. “The true test of leadership is: How do you respond?”
wealth Netflix has been contacted for further comment.
Even business leaders like Bill Gates and Elon Musk take the time to turn off their screens and retreat into a good book
Sarandos prefers novels to traditional management books—or Not even reading at all— may surprise some, especially given that reading is on the decline. By 2025, less than half of Americans will not have read a book, and daily recreational reading has plummeted 40% over the past 20 years.
Yet reading is a common activity among many of the world’s most influential business leaders. one J.P. Morgan’s latest survey A survey of more than 100 billionaires found that reading is the habit most often cited as being linked to the success of some of the world’s richest families.
Microsoft Co-founder Bill Gates regularly reads more than 50 books a year. While many of them end up being nonfiction, when he does pick up a work of fiction, he makes sure to “read about some interesting characters who help me see the world in a new way.” In one November Blog PostRecommended by Gates very bright creature Novel by Shelby Van Pelt about finding meaning in life, especially as you get older.
Apple CEO Tim Cook talks about the books that shaped him, citing Phil Knight’s memoir, Malala Yousafzai’s autobiography and Harper Lee’s to kill a mockingbird During 2023 debut Dua Lipa’s Podcast.
Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, has long credited reading with helping him build basic knowledge. As a child, he said, he spent hours immersed in science fiction novels and encyclopedias. Most recently, he encouraged people to read Isaac Asimov Base series and called The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Author Douglas Adams was his “favorite philosopher.”
“I encourage people to read more,” Musk Speaking on Lex Friedman’s Podcast. “Basically, try to absorb as much information as possible and try to develop good common sense.”