Netflix’s Co-CEO Doesn’t Read Business Books. He Rereads One 1902 Novel About a Ship Instead

Ted Sarandos keeps his desk, nightstand, and enactment container escaped of absorption books, and says helium doesn’t truly work them astatine all. The Netflix co-CEO has 1 repetition prime instead: Joseph Conrad’s 1902 novella Typhoon, astir a steamship unit warring done a brutal tempest nether Captain Tom MacWhirr. “I work it implicit and implicit again due to the fact that I find … I get thing antithetic successful the publication each clip I work it,” Sarandos said connected CNBC’s Leaders Playbook, which premiered connected 01/07/2026. The reread wont landed successful nationalist presumption arsenic Netflix was successful the mediate of a high-stakes combat to get Warner Bros., a infinitesimal that made Sarandos’ fascination with a alleged reckless skipper consciousness little literate and much similar an operating philosophy.

A co-CEO skips the enactment shelf

In tech, executives emotion to comparison notes connected frameworks and absorption bibles. But earlier this year, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos offered a antithetic benignant of northbound star. In a CNBC “Leaders Playbook” interrogation that premiered connected January 7, 2026, helium said helium doesn’t support absorption books connected his desk, nightstand, oregon successful his enactment bag, and doesn’t truly work them astatine all.

Instead, Sarandos pointed to fiction, and 1 rubric successful particular: “Typhoon”, Joseph Conrad’s 1902 novella astir a steamship skipper and unit pushing done a brutal storm. “I work it implicit and implicit again due to the fact that I find … I get thing antithetic successful the publication each clip I work it,” helium said.

Why “Typhoon” inactive works arsenic a concern mirror

On the surface, Conrad’s communicative is not an bureau parable, which is precisely the appeal. Sarandos enactment it plainly: “It doesn’t dependable similar a absorption communicative connected the surface, but I deliberation it’s the astir almighty enactment communicative I’ve ever read.” The publication tracks Captain Tom MacWhirr connected the steamer Nan-Shan, portrayed arsenic an empirical antheral without imagination, which makes each determination consciousness uncomfortably literal.

There’s besides a utile item for anyone who has sat done capable descent decks: “Typhoon” was serialized from January to March 1902, and archetypal published arsenic a publication successful New York by Putnam successful 1902. It is aged capable to consciousness similar axenic literature, yet circumstantial capable to work similar a lawsuit survey successful pressure.

How his speechmaking changed, and what that says astir leadership

Sarandos said helium archetypal work the novella astir 2 decades earlier that January 2026 interview. Back then, helium saw MacWhirr arsenic a reckless “hot dog,” endangering his unit successful pursuit of his ain judgment. With time, that speechmaking softened into thing person to endurance than bravado.

Now 61, Sarandos framed the acquisition arsenic the aftermath of imperfect calls: “Now, what I spot is that erstwhile you spell done beingness and you spell done business, you marque a batch of decisions that don’t crook retired the mode you thought they would.” Then helium narrowed it to the existent test: “How bash you negociate done that?”

The novella sits down bigger, messier stakes

That mindset matters due to the fact that Sarandos is not starring a small, dependable business. He joined Netflix successful 2000 arsenic caput of content, and the company’s strategy present collides with level competition, shifting distribution, and headline-grabbing firm woody talk.

At the time, Netflix was besides navigating a high-stakes effort involving Warner Bros., a concern that commercialized sum described arsenic a conflict shaped by uncertainty and negotiation, including moments erstwhile Netflix was willing to locomotion away. Other accounts followed Sarandos arsenic helium fought to seal the deal, and aboriginal explained why helium quit that push. In that context, a tempest astatine oversea reads little similar fabrication and much similar rehearsal.