San Francisco: Netflix has told its employees that if they do not agree with its content, they can leave the streaming giant — a move that received a thumbs up from Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Netflix has updated its culture guidelines and added a section called “artistic expression” which details how the platform offers programming for many audiences, reports The Wall Street Journal. Netflix Adds ‘Two Thumbs Up’ Rating Option To Offer Better Recommendations.
“We let viewers decide what’s appropriate for them, versus having Netflix censor specific artists or voices,” Netflix said. “Depending on your role, you 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,” the company added.
According to the company, the new section is added so that “prospective employees could understand our position, and make better informed decisions about whether Netflix is the right company for them”. Musk, who is in the middle of a controversial Twitter takeover, supported the Netflix update.
“Good move by @netflix,” he posted.
At Twitter, employees have reacted with a mix of enthusiasm, fear and humour to Musk’s $44 billion takeover, with some criticising the deal amid fears of mass exodus and layoffs as Musk plans new content policies.
Meanwhile, battered by slow growth and diminishing global user base, Netflix has fast forwarded its plans to bring ads right into its TV shows and movies. The streaming platform has shifted its plans to infuse advertisements into its content by the end of this year.
The company will also soon announce new measures to crack down on password sharing. Netflix saw its stock tumbling by 20 per cent after it reported a loss of 2 lakh paid subscribers in the first quarter of 2022, its first subscriber loss in over a decade. Moreover, it now forecasts a global paid subscriber loss of 20 lakh for the April-June quarter (Q2).
(The above story first appeared on Morning Tidings on May 16, 2022 11:17 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website morningtidings.com).
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