In this episode, we chat with Jose Moreno, former lead engineer at both Netflix and Microsoft, about the key differences in company culture between the two tech giants and what they’re doing right to foster high-performing teams. From Netflix’s bold “keeper test” to Microsoft’s evolving leadership styles under Steve Ballmer and Satya Nadella, Jose offers an insider’s view on how these companies build and sustain success through intentional culture. He also explains how the Netflix culture deck—a key factor in his decision to join the company—helped shape the business, even amid concerns about its Glassdoor reviews.

Jose discusses how he’s applying lessons learned from these top companies to his own startup, Neulight, including building a culture of autonomy, accountability, and employee empowerment. We also touch on Netflix’s controversial decision to crack down on password sharing, which Jose helped lead, and how that move was carefully designed to protect the user experience while driving business growth.

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Inside the episode...

• The culture contrasts between Netflix and Microsoft: what top tech companies are doing right
• How the Netflix culture deck influenced Jose’s decision to join the company
• What is the “keeper test” and how does it help retain top talent?
• The role of leadership in shaping company culture at Microsoft under Ballmer and Nadella
• How Jose is integrating these lessons into his new startup, Neulight
• Behind the scenes of Netflix's decision to end password sharing

Mentioned in this episode:

• The Netflix culture deck is now a webpage here https://jobs.netflix.com/culture. For those curious, here's a previous iteration of the actual "deck" - https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/culture-1798664/1798664