Netflix Flexes
Having dedicated nearly a decade of my life to a startup competing in this space, the OA is right about Netflix&#x27;s superior strategy when it comes to user experience and content production.  Netflix surged ahead of the pack because they focused relentlessly on the quality of the streaming experience while all the legacy players were focused on deal-making.  In other words, while Netflix was building a solid video delivery platform, the rest of the industry was fumbling around with biz dev deals like TV Everywhere that have a very low UX ceiling in the best-case scenario.<p>However that&#x27;s the past now, and the OA is missing a few trends:<p>First, Netflix will not maintain its UX lead at the same level for long. Video streaming like all technology is commoditizing, the experience will get better and better from non-tech companies.  Meanwhile Netflix is continuing to plow down this path of algorithm-driven engagement and ramming stuff down people&#x27;s throats with auto-play, bad search, and other dark patterns.  Given the current cultural zeitgeist (eg. Facebook backlash), this isn&#x27;t going to end well if they don&#x27;t change course.<p>Perhaps even more important is the fact that Netflix has a long way to go on the production side.  There&#x27;s a lot of volume of Netflix productions, but not a lot of quality.  This is where the OA underestimates Disney—their content is way broader and better than Netflix, and people care a lot about that.<p>Netflix&#x27;s experimental Interactive content and Reed Hasting&#x27;s comments about Fortnite also give me pause.  This is typical SV-style next-big-thing thinking, but it also represents taking the eye off the ball.  Video games are video games, Netflix doesn&#x27;t know shit about them, and if you ask me they are better off focusing on their core competency versus trying to build a moat with a gimmicky concept.<p>5 years ago I would have said Netflix has a better chance at becoming a great producer than Disney has at creating a great streaming experience, but now I&#x27;m not so sure.