Netflix expects employees across the company to develop an “aspiration for AI fluency” as technology changes the way work is done, a top executive said.
Elizabeth Stone, Netflix’s chief product and technology officer, said on Sunday’s episode of “Lenny’s Podcast” that the streaming giant is encouraging all employees, from entry-level employees to senior executives, to become more familiar with the use of AI.
“The way we’ve approached this problem so far is rather than trying to explain at each level exactly how AI changes these expectations, we instead put an overlay across all of our talent, team members, and recruiters at Netflix and talk to them about their desire for AI fluency,” she said.
Stone told podcast host Lenny Rachitzky that expectations vary depending on the employee’s role and career stage.
“The most helpful thing is to encourage everyone towards the expectation of AI fluency, rather than being level or role specific,” Stone said.
Stone acknowledged that AI fluency is “hard to define,” but said it’s not about using technology for the sake of using technology. Rather, she said, it means understanding where technology can help, making “the right decisions” and keeping an open mind to “explore and try new things.”
“This is a non-negotiable for all roles, and it applies even at the most senior levels at Netflix, where we talk about the need to be fully fluent in AI, even if you don’t write code in your day job,” she said.
The emphasis on AI fluency has also changed Netflix’s hiring practices, Stone said, explaining that the company now discusses AI during job interviews to understand how candidates think about technology and how they use AI tools in their daily lives.
Despite growing concerns that AI could reduce demand for entry-level workers across employment sectors, Stone said junior talent remains a “key part” of Netflix’s hiring strategy.
Pointing to the company’s intern and graduate programs, Stone said, “We’re still hiring young people, and they’re very important to our talent strategy.”
She added that younger employees are more open-minded, comfortable with new AI technologies, and more adaptable to changes in entertainment.
“Talented people early in their careers are going to teach older people like me a lot of new things,” Stone told Rachitsky.