Did Netflix Ruin Movies?

Galaxy Brain

The Atlantic

Technology

4.5 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 6 March 2026

⏱️ 40 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Few companies have reshaped American culture as aggressively as Netflix. This week’s Galaxy Brain charts how we got here. Charlie Warzel talks with Atlantic film critic David Sims about Netflix’s strange, sweeping arc: from red DVD envelopes to a streaming colossus with 325 million subscribers. Sims explains how Hollywood initially shrugged off streaming as a novelty, only to watch Netflix reshape both distribution and the aesthetics and economics of entertainment itself. Together, they discuss the rise of binge culture, data-driven green-lighting, and the tension between prestige projects and “second screen” slop built for distracted viewers. The conversation also examines Netflix’s stance toward theaters, its aborted bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, and the deeper question haunting the industry: Has Netflix simply exploited technological inevitabilities—or has it rewired our expectations of what movies and television are supposed to be? Get more from your favorite Atlantic voices when you subscribe. You’ll enjoy unlimited access to Pulitzer-winning journalism, from clear-eyed analysis and insight on breaking news to fascinating explorations of our world. Atlantic subscribers also get access to exclusive subscriber audio in Apple Podcasts. Subscribe today at theAtlantic.com/listener. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	The world moves fast. Your workday? Even faster. Pitching products, drafting reports,
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0:22.2	So you can cut through clutter and clear a path to your best work.
0:26.1	Learn more at Microsoft.com slash M365 copilot.
0:30.2	When Hulu and HBO and all the other streamers start to crop up later in the game,
0:38.5	it's kind of like you have Netflix and then maybe you try another one.
0:42.7	But like you're not going to let go of Netflix.
0:44.8	Like Netflix had just already won the war.
0:50.9	I'm Charlie Warzel and this is Galaxy Brain,
0:53.6	a show where today we are going to talk about red DVD envelopes, the streaming wars, and the company that upended Hollywood.
1:00.8	Award season's going to wrap up this month with the Oscars, which means it's a good time to talk about Hollywood.
1:06.1	And you can't talk about Hollywood without talking about Netflix.
1:09.2	It's honestly difficult to imagine a company that's had a greater impact on the entertainment industry over the last two decades.
1:15.6	Since its founding in the late 90s, Netflix has continued to do one thing over and over again.
1:21.6	And that's used technology in the internet to exploit convenience and wind its way into our lives.
1:26.6	First, it was a website that allowed you to pick your favorite DVDs to be shipped to you in the mail.
1:31.8	Then it launched into streaming, original programming, a full movie studio.
1:36.2	Now Netflix hosts live TV, award shows, sporting events.
1:39.8	It's even a home for podcasts.
1:42.2	And the company now has more than 325 million subscribers. Netflix's
1:46.3	story follows the classic tech company arc. The platform didn't just disrupt how people
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