E7: How Netflix Built Its Defining Culture, with ex-Chief Talent Officer Patty McCord

This episode is a feed drop from our CPO-focused show, HR Heretics. Patty McCord joins co-hosts Kelly Dragovich and Nolan Church to talk about her decade+ tenure at Netflix, and how she created one of the most iconic and defining cultures in tech. If you’re looking for SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR or HIPAA compliance, head to Vanta: https://www.vanta.com/1000 

🔥 Apply to join over 400 founders and Execs in the Turpentine Network: https://hmplogxqz0y.typeform.com/to/JCkphVqj

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X / TWITTER:

@pattymccord1 (Patty)

@NolanChurch (Nolan)

@eriktorenberg (Erik Torenberg)

@TurpentineMedia

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TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Episode Preview

(01:10) The true story behind Netflix’s culture deck

(05:08) Why releasing the culture deck changed Netflix’s hiring immediately

(07:14) What to do when employees are averse to change

(10:57) Delivering effective feedback

(14:52) Why execs need to get used to short tenures

(17:07) Sponsor: Vanta

(19:59) Retention and the truth we need to tell employees about career pathing

(21:32) How Reed Hastings hired Patty McCord

(26:15) How HR officers can get a seat at the table

(29:30) The P&L is the most important HR metric

(30:04) Sponsor: Metaview + Pesto

(32:02) Balancing business and relationship

(34:44) What Patty would tell her younger self

(37:59) What do HR people do?

(38:08) Fixing equal pay and compensation strategy

(44:37) Why an HR officer is a business leader, not a business partner

(47:50) What do founders expect from HR people?

(50:07) Compartmentalization and terminations

(53:59) Patty's take on HR pros taking the therapist zone

(56:55) Why having arguments at work should be normalized

(01:01:20) Does Patty miss being in the arena?

This show is produced by Turpentine: a network of podcasts, newsletters, and more, covering technology, business, and culture — all from the perspective of industry insiders and experts. We’re launching new shows every week, and we’re looking for industry-leading sponsors — if you think that might be you and your company, email us at [email protected].