Netflix Chairman Reed Hastings has some very specific advice on which book he believes a young CEO should read.
In an interview, Hastings revealed a reading recommendation that has shaped his own leadership approach for three decades. Rather than suggesting the latest business bestseller or management theory, the Netflix co-founder pointed to a specific portion of a book that predates his streaming empire: the first 86 pages of Jim Collins’ “Beyond Entrepreneurship.”
When asked what advice he had for young CEOs, Hastings responded: “I would say memorize the first 86 pages of Jim Collins’ first big book ‘Beyond Entrepreneurship.’ Someone gave it to me in ’94, and I’ve read it every year since. The first 86 pages are absolutely incredible. And so that would be the very practical advice.”
What makes Hastings’ recommendation particularly striking is both its specificity—he doesn’t suggest reading the entire book, but focuses on those crucial opening pages—and his personal commitment to revisiting the material annually. This suggests the content contains fundamental principles that remain relevant even as business landscapes shift dramatically, something Hastings would know firsthand after transforming Netflix from a DVD-by-mail service into a global streaming giant.
The book Hastings champions was published in 1992, co-authored with William C. Lazier, making it Collins’ first book before he became widely known for bestsellers like “Built to Last” and “Good to Great.” The book focuses on “how to turn an existing enterprise into an enduring great company” and is written “for people who want their company to be something special, worthy of admiration and pride.”
Jim Collins is described as “a student and teacher of exceptional human endeavor and a Socratic advisor to leaders across all sectors of society,” whose work has “sold in total more than 10 million copies worldwide.” Collins began his career on the faculty of Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business in 1988, receiving the Distinguished Teaching Award in 1992. In 1995, he founded a management laboratory in Boulder, Colorado, where he now conducts research and teaches executives.
The recommendation gains additional weight when viewed through the lens of Hastings’ track record. Since receiving the book in 1994—two years before Netflix’s founding—he has navigated multiple business transformations, from pioneering DVD-by-mail to streaming to global content production. His annual return to those 86 pages suggests they contain enduring insights about building lasting companies rather than tactical advice that quickly becomes obsolete. For young CEOs facing their own challenges of scale and transformation, Hastings’ decades-long endorsement of this foundational text offers a rare glimpse into the reading habits of one of modern business’s most successful disruptors.