Netflix, Inc. is an American media enterprise founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, currently headquartered in Los Gatos, California, with production offices and stages located at Hollywood studios in Los Angeles and Albuquerque Studios. The company owns and operates a subscription video on-demand service that features original content, acquired programming, and third-party material licensed from other producers and distributors. Notably, Netflix is the first streaming media company to join the Motion Picture Association.
Initially, Netflix offered both DVD sales and rentals by mail; however, sales were discontinued within the first year to concentrate on the rental business. In 2007, the company launched streaming media and video on demand, expanding its reach to Canada in 2010, followed by Latin America and the Caribbean. In 2011, Netflix began acquiring and producing original content, starting with the crime drama Lilyhammer.
As of now, the company holds the 117th position on the Fortune 500 and ranks 219th on the Forbes Global 2000. It is the second-largest entertainment/media company by market capitalization as of February 2022. In 2021, Netflix was recognized as the eighth-most trusted brand globally by Morning Consult. Throughout the 2010s, it emerged as the top-performing stock in the S&P 500 index, with a total return of 3,693%.
The company has co-CEOs, Greg Peters and Ted Sarandos, who operate from Los Gatos and Los Angeles, respectively. Additionally, it maintains international offices across Asia, Europe, and Latin America, including locations in Canada, France, Brazil, the Netherlands, India, Italy, Japan, Poland, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. Netflix also has production hubs in Los Angeles, Albuquerque, London, Madrid, Vancouver, and Toronto.