Netflix Co-Founder Reed Hastings Sells Shares Worth Billions

Reed Hastings, co-founder of Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX), exercised stock options on February 2 to acquire approximately 390,000 common shares and then sold the entire block on the open market, generating about $32.8 million (roughly ₩440 billion). As a result, his direct holdings have fallen to just a few thousand shares, though filings show he and his spouse’s family trust still indirectly hold more than 21 million shares. On the same day, board members Anne Sweeney and Bradford L. Smith each received non-qualified stock options covering several hundred shares as part of routine, small-scale equity awards.

In its recently released fourth-quarter 2025 results, Netflix reported revenue of $12.0 billion and net income of $2.4 billion, with global subscribers surpassing 325 million. However, after announcing plans to switch its $72-billion bid for Warner Bros. Discovery to an all-cash deal and to halt share repurchases, concerns over slowing growth drove the stock down about 5 percent in after-hours trading.

As the leading global streaming service, Netflix is doubling down on strategies to expand both its subscriber base and profitability by rolling out lower-priced plans with ads and stepping up efforts to curb account sharing. Reed Hastings, who co-founded the company and served as CEO for many years, now chairs the board and remains a key influence on Netflix’s long-term strategy and major acquisition initiatives.