Netflix Layoffs Hit TV Executives, Cut 6% of Staff

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Netflix laid off roughly 1,000 employees on Wednesday, trimming about 6 percent of its workforce in the largest round of job cuts since 2022. The names of several scripted television executives have already emerged, including four directors and three managers from the streamer’s original series and animation teams. Co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters announced the reduction in an email to staff that morning.

The cuts landed mostly on the company’s product, tech, legal and HR teams, though the creative side did not escape. The movie division also felt the reorganization, as film VP Doug Belgrad and executive Sheroum Kim exited. All of the affected employees have already received notice.

Four Directors and Three Managers Leave the TV Group

The departing director-level executives include Lisa Lang McMullen, James Oh, Carolina Garcia and Andrew McQuinn. McMullen most recently served as director of overall deals and series, while Oh worked as director of drama series. Garcia and McQuinn both held the title of director of original series.

Three managers also lost their jobs in the scripted operation:

Jason Pan, manager of original series
Aaron Davidson, manager of adult animation comedy
Dan Evans, manager of original animation

Together with the film executives, the group represents a visible slice of the creative leadership that shaped Netflix’s content slate in recent years. The exits reshape the streamer’s scripted team at a moment when it faces pressure to deliver fresh hits.

Veterans Behind Some of Netflix’s Biggest Projects

Several of the departing executives carried long track records. Lang McMullen joined Netflix in 2021 as director of drama series after 12 years at Disney. Oh also has been director of drama series at Netflix since 2021, and before that he served as SVP at Jerry Bruckheimer Television.

McQuinn arrived at Netflix in 2018 from ABC Signature. At the streamer, he worked on series such as American Primeval, Griselda and Zero Day, along with the upcoming Assassin’s Creed. Garcia is a 10-year Netflix veteran who joined in 2016 after working at 20th Century Fox Television. Her credits include Stranger Things, The Boroughs and The Perfect Couple.

Co-CEOs Defend the Cuts

In a memo to staff, Sarandos and Peters framed the layoffs as a matter of discipline rather than distress. They stressed that the business remains healthy and on track to hit its financial targets.

Sarandos and Peters wrote in the memo: “Our mission – to entertain the world – is ambitious, and delivering on it requires us to be disciplined about where we prioritize our people and resources. Our business is strong and growing, and we remain on track to deliver our full-year forecast. We’ll continue to invest aggressively in high-impact areas to improve our service and further drive growth and innovation. Doing that means making focused choices across the business so we can keep delivering for our members, partners, employees, and investors.”

The co-CEOs then turned to the employees who remain, urging them to stay focused through the disruption.

Sarandos and Peters continued: “We know changes like this are tough, but let’s stay focused. This is one of the most dynamic times in the history of entertainment – and it’s a moment perfectly suited to a company like ours that’s built at the intersection of technology and entertainment. Now it’s on us to step up and meet the moment, together, like we always do.”

The Hunt for the Next Cultural Phenomenon

The executive changes come as Netflix searches for its next big hit, one that captures the zeitgeist the way Stranger Things, Squid Game, Bridgerton, Queen’s Gambit, Wednesday and Baby Reindeer did. It has been a year and a half since Adolescence, the last new series to reach that level of cultural impact, premiered. This year, Netflix found success with its latest Harlan Coben adaptation, I Will Find You, which landed on the Most Popular English series list, and with the limited series His & Hers.

Many of the streamer’s returning series, however, have posted season-to-season viewership declines. Sarandos acknowledged the slowdown at Bloomberg’s recent Screentime event, where he said Netflix is:

“not growing as fast as I want us to,” Sarandos said.

Engagement has been a particular weak spot, and Netflix hopes recent hits like Below and East of Eden can boost viewing time. The layoffs, which the company expected as it faces slower growth and increased competition, now put pressure on the remaining teams to deliver.

What Comes Next for Netflix

Investors will get their first full look at the financial picture soon, since Netflix will reveal its third quarter earnings next week. The report will test the co-CEOs’ claim that the business is strong and still on course for its full-year forecast. Analysts and industry watchers will also look for signs of how the reorganization affects the company’s content strategy.

For the executives who left, the news ends tenures that ranged from a few years to a full decade at the streamer. For Netflix, the cuts signal a shift toward tighter priorities even as it promises to keep investing aggressively in what it calls high-impact areas. Whether that strategy produces the next global phenomenon remains the central question hanging over the company’s scripted slate.