‘It is useless to talk about getting success through hard work’, why did the co-founder of Netflix say this?

It is said that ‘hard work is the key to success’, meaning that anything can be achieved with hard work. Almost everyone believes this, but recently Marc Randolph, co-founder of the OTT platform Netflix, has challenged this belief. He has said that – In my opinion, the talk of getting ‘success through hard work’ is a big lie, rather the real key to success is in understanding which problem should be solved first.

‘Prioritizing things is important with hard work’

During an episode of the podcast ‘The Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett’, Randolph stressed that what truly separates successful CEOs and businessmen from the rest is their ability to prioritize things effectively, not how hard they work.

‘You have to understand where to focus first’

He said, ‘If we are smart enough to understand which problem to focus on first, it will really make a difference’. Randolph emphasized that not every task or decision is equally important and identifying what really matters leads you to success.

Recalling his time at Netflix, Randolph admitted that he used to pay attention to every minute detail like every word and every paragraph of the copy on a customer-facing product. He believed that everything needed to be perfect before reaching the customer. However, he soon realized that the success of a new idea was less about polish and more about getting quick real-life feedback.

This approach was evident in Netflix’s early days, especially with the introduction of its subscription model. According to CNBC, customers appreciated its simpler, less stressful user experience, which helped Netflix grow its user base.

When is hard work necessary?

However, Randolph said that working long hours may be necessary at the beginning of one’s career or when starting a new company. He stressed that this simply should not be your long-term strategy. He said, ‘When you’re young, when you don’t really know what you’re doing, then you have to work hard.’

‘Downfall of working continuously’

Randolph emphasized that working continuously at a fast pace eventually leads to downfall. Overall, Mark Randolph emphasized on making smart decisions and prioritizing over the traditional notion of hard work. This is a new roadmap for those who want to make their mark without getting tired.