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Comment by daenz | Hacker News Reader

It's really great to see a company's engineers given the time and resources to do some fun tech project like this. Sometimes it seems like unless a project is about directly increasing revenue, its incredibly difficult to get buy-in from management. These projects are great for culture.

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Netflix seems like a great company to work for. Recommend reading Reed Hasting's presentation on their culture: http://www.slideshare.net/reed2001/culture-1798664

For another perspective (perhaps a more nuanced/less flattering one), NPR's Planet Money recently did a great episode on Netflix's work culture [1]. I'm not so sure I'd want to work there, but I'm sure it is great for some.

[1] http://www.npr.org/sections/money/2015/08/28/435583328/episo...

When I listened to this before it made me wonder if Netflix's culture will get same sort of negative treatment and publicity that Amazon has been getting recently.

That was super interesting. Thank you for posting it. The DVD/Streaming split was an especially interesting period for Netflix. I didn't know the back story behind it. For anyone curious, it's at the end.

They also pay incredibly well http://data.jobsintech.io/companies/netflix-inc/2015

sounds like a bunch of platitudes with a lot of HR speak (a lot of which I REALLY disagree with)

And for having the "top talent" they have little to show for it on the technical side

Little to show for it? What percentage of total Internet traffic would you estimate that Netflix handles at 9PM eastern on a Friday night?

I just think the service hasn't evolved much since they started streaming nor have they really branched out.

Their success is due to their ability to secure rights to TV shows and movies - so thanks legal team

Netflix has massive talent density, no doubt it. The only downside is that they grind through people like crazy.

From what I've heard Netflix has a great culture surrounding it.

Indeed, this is a cool project. Netflix seems to have a great work culture. The button design is neat, it can be used for different projects. A button can do many things :)

I agree, I didn't realize Netflix did side projects like this, it definitely makes the company feel personable.

Is it really just a fun project? Or is Netflix trying to use this as the nose of the camel to get into the house automation business?

I've always thought house automation was cool, but a lot of trouble and likely to wind up a waste of my time and effort once I stop using it in three years because whatever standard I was using became obsolete. But if Netflix can start automating my house one bit at a time and slowly sneak up on me...

It's so far from a scalable product, I would guess it's not even a good test for market fit. Only a small subset of hackers/makers will tackle this. And, there's nothing to even buy from Netflix here...it's all stuff from other vendors.

I'm not saying it isn't on their radar, but this particular project is clearly for fun.

It could be fun, plus a recruiting technique, since it creates awareness around Netflix's culture, and I am sure they hire a lot of engineers.

I honestly can't attribute any profiteering here. This is pure geek fun. Reminds me of the days of the Netflix Prize. http://www.netflixprize.com/

I am sure it was a blast, but it was NOT done "for fun" to amuse the engineering staff. Nor is it an effort at "home automation".

This is part of a marketing campaign not unlike the office depot "easy" button, except they've designed an actual button that sort-of works.

The point is to get people excited about the idea of a Netflix marathon and create some buzz among geeky subscribers. It doesn't matter how many people actually create or use "the button".

Well, I'm sure that was an excuse, but seriously. Do you honestly think the kind of geeks that'd do this are really that important to a company like Netflix these days? Maybe at the beginning...

If I had to attribute anything, it's more of a recruiting move. They want clever hacker geeks working for them. Maybe they are moving into home automation and this will be an interview question? I dunno how effective that is, though. I think someone just said, yeah, screw it, let's do it!

That's a weird couple of sentences, given that the Netflix prize was entirely trying to improve their core business?

Yeah, maybe. I don't think they ever used it though. I think it was just the hacker / experimenter part of Reed that wanted to do it.

A little viral-ness doesn't hurt either. If it makes a dozen or so blogs today and reinforces the idea that Netflix is a service you cuddle down with in your den, that's not such a bad thing.

Step 3 is 'Select the Microcontroller'. I don't understand how they plan for this to be a pure profit driving activity.

Well, here's something that definitely has no market value: http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/gadgets/8-bit-binge-hack-puts-ne... ;)

> Is it really just a fun project? Or is Netflix trying to use this as the nose of the camel to get into the house automation business?

I doubt they would piggyback on others' home automation systems and standards if that were their goal.

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