Netflix Fires Employee for Leaking Information on Chappelle Special – The Hollywood Reporter
Netflix has fired an worker for leaking confidential monetary knowledge to Bloomberg, leading to an article revealed on Oct. 13 that detailed the price of Dave Chappelle particular The Nearer because it in comparison with different tasks from the streaming service.
“Now we have let go of an worker for sharing confidential, commercially delicate info outdoors the corporate,” a Netflix spokesperson instructed The Hollywood Reporter on Friday. “We perceive this worker could have been motivated by disappointment and damage with Netflix, however sustaining a tradition of belief and transparency is core to our firm.”
Within the piece, Bloomberg reported that Netflix spent $24.1 million on The Nearer and $23.6 million on Chappelle’s 2019 particular, Sticks & Stones. These numbers had been compared to the $3.9 million the streamer spent on Bo Burnham’s Inside and the $21.4 million Netflix spent on the hit present Squid Recreation. In accordance with the inner paperwork reviewed by Bloomberg, Chappelle’s Sticks & Stones particular was measured as having an “impression worth” of $19.4 million, which meant that the particular value greater than the worth Netflix decided it generated.
Netflix has lengthy prided itself on a tradition of radical transparency — an idea that prime executives Reed Hastings and Ted Sarandos have spoken about prior to now. Chappelle’s newest particular, the place the comic mocks gender identities and aligns himself with transphobic remarks made by the creator J.Ok. Rowling, has led to heated exterior and inside pushback on the streaming firm — criticism focused each at Chappelle and Sarandos.
On Oct. 8, after The Nearer was launched on Netflix, Sarandos despatched out a observe to a choose group of staff, arguing that the particular didn’t cross the road when it got here to hate or violence. “Chappelle is among the hottest stand-up comedians at the moment, and now we have an extended standing take care of him. … As with our different expertise, we work onerous to assist their inventive freedom — although this implies there’ll all the time be content material on Netflix some individuals consider is dangerous, like Cuties, 365 Days, 13 Causes Why or My Unorthodox Life,” Sarandos stated. “I acknowledge, nonetheless, that distinguishing between commentary and hurt is difficult, particularly with stand-up comedy which exists to push boundaries. Some individuals discover the artwork of stand-up to be mean-spirited however our members get pleasure from it, and it’s an necessary a part of our content material providing.”
A number of days later, the Netflix co-CEO despatched out a wider observe to Netflix workers to reiterate his assist for the particular and declare that “content material on display doesn’t immediately translate to real-world hurt.” “The strongest proof to assist that is that violence on screens has grown vastly during the last thirty years, particularly with first social gathering shooter video games, and but violent crime has fallen considerably in lots of international locations,” Sarandos wrote within the second memo on Oct. 11. “Adults can watch violence, assault and abuse — or get pleasure from surprising stand-up comedy — with out it inflicting them to hurt others.”
Since then, at the least 1,000 Netflix staff who’re trans or allies of the trans neighborhood are planning on taking part in a digital walkout subsequent Wednesday to protest Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos’ protection of the Chappelle particular, a supply instructed THR.
On Friday, the comic Hannah Gadsby, whose 2018 particular Nanette grew to become successful on Netflix, rebuked Sarandos for his feedback. “You didn’t pay me practically sufficient to take care of the actual world penalties of the hate speech canine whistling you refuse to acknowledge, Ted. Fuck you and your amoral algorithm cult,” Gadsby stated in an Instagram submit.
