EXCLUSIVE: Netflix’s Chief Talent Officer Jessica Neal, who heads HR for nearly four years, is leaving the company.
Netflix has just sent a memorandum to staff with the news. The company confirmed Neal’s departure to Deadline, but declined to answer questions about why she left or whether a successor was chosen.
“We are incredibly grateful to Jessica Neal for building and leading a best talent organization over the past four years,” said Heflings, founder and co-CEO of Neflix. “She was a reliable and valued partner, and we wish her all the best.”
Neal has a long history with Netflix, which started at the company in 2006 when it was an email DVD service. In 2013, she left to become head of human resources at Coursera, which provides online access to global university courses. After that, he became chief executive officer at the mobile gaming company Scopely.
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She returned to Netflix in June 2017 to oversee HR for the product engineering team, which is responsible for improving the Netflix consumer experience. In October of that year, she was promoted to lead the group responsible for culture, human resources, recruitment and coaching of the world team. In his 2020 book, No rules rules, Hastings said Neal was one of half a dozen executors who reported directly to him. Sarandos was named co-CEO last summer.
During her most recent career at the company, Netflix’s worldwide subscriber base more than doubled to 204 million. It also encountered new competitors in the US streaming market, including Disney + and HBO Max.
‘It was an incredible experience to lead the talent organization at Netflix and see the business and so many careers flourish. I want to thank Reed, Ted and all my lovely colleagues who made every day unforgettable and enjoyable, ”said Neal.
The company has experienced some major upheavals by the executive over the past year, especially when Cindy Holland, who led the streamer’s streak to the original programming and helped it turn to an original series center in the series, in September left. Her role as VP Original Content overseeing English-language programming is consolidated under Bela Bajaria, VP Local Language Originals, who has been named VP, Global TV.
While difficult to summarize, the Netflix approach to employee management relies on a high degree of transparency and regular feedback from many public feedbacks. The lexicon that benefits the company – especially terms such as ‘container test’ and ‘sunshine’, has gained wider knowledge in recent years, as the company plays a dominant role in streaming.
It is said that an employee does not pass the container test, when their managers determine that they will not hire them again if they get another chance. McCord, who helped design and implement the container test, eventually failed on her own and left the company in 2012, although she has now stayed with Hastings. The company takes the test when determining compensation and retirement packages, and usually pays generously to dampen the blow when workers leave. A halo has also become brighter over the years over and above everyone else who has had Netflix, making them in most cases desirable job candidates.