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Who owns Netflix? Netflix is a publicly traded company owned by shareholders, not by one founder or parent company. As of Netflix’s April 16, 2026 executive snapshot, Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters are co-CEOs and Presidents; Reed Hastings remains a co-founder, Chairman, and shareholder, not the current CEO.
The answer requires separating three ideas that are often blurred together: who owns Netflix stock, who governs the company, and who runs Netflix day to day. Dated proxy disclosures identify major institutional holders, while Netflix’s current leadership filings identify the executives and directors.
Key takeaways
- Netflix is a publicly traded company owned by shareholders, not by Reed Hastings or another single individual.
- Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters are Netflix’s two co-CEOs and Presidents as of April 16, 2026.
- Reed Hastings is a Netflix co-founder, Chairman, and shareholder, but he is no longer the company’s CEO.
- Marc Randolph was Netflix’s early President and CEO when the online DVD rental service launched in 1998.
- Netflix’s April 6, 2026 proxy table listed Vanguard at 8.65%, BlackRock at 7.34%, and FMR LLC at 5.29%, although Netflix included a significant later caveat about Vanguard’s reported ownership.
Who owns Netflix now?
Netflix is owned by public shareholders because Netflix, Inc. is a publicly traded company. Ownership is divided among institutional investors, individual investors, company insiders, and other shareholders; Reed Hastings remains an important founder and shareholder, but he does not personally own or control all of Netflix.
The clearest formal snapshot in the available research is Netflix’s 2026 proxy statement. Netflix said its ownership table reflected beneficial ownership as of April 6, 2026. The table covered stockholders known to own more than 5% of Netflix, directors, named executive officers, and the director-and-executive-officer group.
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| Holder or group | Shares reported | Percentage shown | What the figure means |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Vanguard Group, Inc. | 364,382,750 | 8.65% | Percentage shown in Netflix’s April 6, 2026 proxy ownership table, subject to a later filing caveat. |
| BlackRock, Inc. | 308,989,260 | 7.34% | Percentage shown in the April 6, 2026 Netflix proxy table. |
| FMR LLC | 222,750,326 | 5.29% | Percentage shown in the April 6, 2026 Netflix proxy table. |
| All current directors and executive officers | Not shown here as a single share total | 1.24% | Group beneficial ownership attributed to 16 people in the proxy table. |
According to Netflix’s 2026 proxy statement, The Vanguard Group was shown at 8.65% as of April 6, 2026. Netflix also explained that the figure was based on an older filing and that Vanguard’s Schedule 13G/A, filed March 27, 2026, reported 0.0% as of March 13, 2026 after an internal reorganization disaggregated Vanguard’s beneficial ownership. The proxy percentage should therefore be treated as a dated disclosure, not a timeless ranking of Netflix’s owners.
According to the same Netflix 2026 proxy statement, BlackRock was listed at 7.34% and FMR LLC at 5.29% in that April 6, 2026 table. Ownership percentages can change after a proxy’s record date, and beneficial ownership is not identical to day-to-day management or unilateral control.
Who is the current CEO of Netflix?
The current CEOs of Netflix are Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters. Netflix’s 2026 proxy statement lists both executives as “co-Chief Executive Officer and President” as of April 16, 2026.
| Executive | Current role in the April 16, 2026 snapshot | Earlier or additional context |
|---|---|---|
| Ted Sarandos | Co-Chief Executive Officer and President | Shares Netflix’s top executive role with Greg Peters. |
| Greg Peters | Co-Chief Executive Officer and President | Moved from Chief Operating Officer to co-CEO in January 2023. |
| Spencer Neumann | Chief Financial Officer | Leads the company’s finance function. |
| David Hyman | Chief Legal Officer and Secretary | Leads the legal function and serves as corporate secretary. |
| Clete Willems | Chief Global Affairs Officer | Leads Netflix’s global-affairs function. |
Netflix announced the leadership change on January 19, 2023, when Greg Peters moved from Chief Operating Officer to become Ted Sarandos’s co-CEO. Reed Hastings moved from executive leadership to the Executive Chairman role at that time. Netflix’s later proxy identifies Hastings as Chairman rather than an executive officer.
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Older articles may still describe Reed Hastings as Netflix’s CEO because Hastings led the company for many years. That description is historical, not current. The current executive structure documented by Netflix is a two-CEO model led by Sarandos and Peters.
Is Netflix still owned by Reed Hastings?
Netflix is not still owned by Reed Hastings. Netflix is owned by public shareholders, while Reed Hastings remains a co-founder, Chairman, and shareholder with less than 1% shown in Netflix’s April 6, 2026 beneficial-ownership table.
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According to Netflix’s 2026 proxy statement, Reed Hastings beneficially owned 37,759,062 Netflix shares as of April 6, 2026. The proxy says that total included options to purchase 16,595,546 shares and 21,159,576 company shares held by the Hastings-Quillin Family Trust. The table marked Hastings’s ownership percentage as less than 1%.
Beneficial ownership does not automatically establish voting control. Netflix’s proxy generally includes shares over which a person has voting or investment power and, for insiders, certain options exercisable and shares issuable upon vesting within 60 days. The available research does not establish a separate figure for Hastings’s voting control, so it would be inaccurate to describe him as having unilateral control of Netflix.
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— Reed Hastings, Netflix founder and then Executive Chairman, January 19, 2023. The announcement is available from Netflix’s succession announcement.
Who founded Netflix?
Netflix was founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph. Marc Randolph was the company’s early President and CEO when Netflix opened its first online DVD rental store in 1998.
Netflix’s original company announcement, dated April 14, 1998, says that the service was founded in 1997 and identifies Marc Randolph as President and CEO. Netflix’s current proxy identifies Reed Hastings as the company’s co-founder. Together, those sources support the concise founding description: Hastings and Randolph founded Netflix, with Randolph serving as the early operating chief during the DVD-rental launch period.
Is Marc Randolph still involved with Netflix?
Marc Randolph is part of Netflix’s founding history, but the available current leadership sources do not identify him as a current Netflix executive, CEO, or board member. Netflix’s 1998 launch announcement identifies Randolph as the early President and CEO; Netflix’s 2026 proxy lists the current executive officers and directors separately.
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That distinction matters because “founder” describes a historical role, while “CEO” and “director” describe current corporate positions. Randolph’s early leadership should not be confused with Netflix’s current co-CEO structure.
What is the difference between Netflix ownership and Netflix management?
Netflix ownership describes who holds shares, while Netflix management describes who runs the business. Shareholders provide the company’s ownership base, the board oversees corporate governance, and the co-CEOs lead day-to-day operations.
| Concept | Meaning in Netflix’s case | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Economic ownership | The shares or percentage beneficially owned by a shareholder or group. | Shows exposure to Netflix’s financial performance. |
| Voting power | The ability to vote shares on matters such as director elections. | May differ from economic ownership and was not separately quantified for Hastings in the reviewed material. |
| Investment or disposal power | The ability to direct whether shares are bought, sold, or otherwise managed. | Can be included in beneficial-ownership calculations. |
| Board governance | Oversight provided by Netflix’s board of directors. | Different from operating the streaming business. |
| Operational control | Day-to-day leadership by Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters as co-CEOs and Presidents. | Explains who currently runs Netflix. |
Netflix’s proxy uses beneficial-ownership rules that can include voting or investment power and certain insider options or vesting awards. For that reason, a proxy ownership percentage should not automatically be read as a person’s direct cash investment, voting bloc, or practical control over Netflix.
How large is Netflix as a streaming service?
Netflix remains a large global entertainment company, but the available figures are dated company results rather than real-time August 2026 measurements. According to Netflix’s 2026 proxy statement, Netflix surpassed 325 million paid memberships in 2025, generated approximately $45.2 billion in 2025 revenue, produced more than $13.3 billion in 2025 operating income, and recorded more than $1.5 billion in advertising revenue.
| 2025 Netflix result | Reported figure | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| Paid memberships | More than 325 million | Netflix 2026 proxy statement, reporting 2025 results |
| Revenue | Approximately $45.2 billion | Netflix 2026 proxy statement, reporting 2025 results |
| Operating income | More than $13.3 billion | Netflix 2026 proxy statement, reporting 2025 results |
| Advertising revenue | More than $1.5 billion | Netflix 2026 proxy statement, reporting 2025 results |
Netflix’s current About Netflix page describes the service as entertaining more than half a billion people in more than 190 countries and 50 languages. That is Netflix’s current company description, while the paid-membership, revenue, operating-income, and advertising figures above are specifically 2025 results reported in the 2026 proxy.
How should Netflix ownership figures be interpreted?
Netflix ownership figures should always be read with four questions in mind: who reported the shares, what date applies, whether the figure is direct or beneficial ownership, and whether the holder has voting power, investment power, or both.
- Check the disclosure date. The Netflix proxy ownership table is as of April 6, 2026, while the executive-officer snapshot is as of April 16, 2026.
- Separate beneficial ownership from direct ownership. Beneficial-ownership totals can include options and shares expected to vest within the relevant period for insiders.
- Do not treat an institutional holder as a corporate parent. Vanguard, BlackRock, and FMR LLC are disclosed shareholders; the research does not establish that any of them owns Netflix as a parent company.
- Separate ownership from management. Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters run Netflix as co-CEOs, regardless of which institution holds the largest disclosed share position at a particular date.
- Allow for later filings. The Vanguard caveat shows why a proxy table can require reconciliation with newer ownership disclosures.
Who runs Netflix after Reed Hastings?
Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters run Netflix after Reed Hastings’s move out of the CEO role. Sarandos and Peters are the company’s co-CEOs and Presidents, while Hastings is identified in the 2026 proxy as Chairman and was not standing for re-election at the 2026 annual meeting.
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The bottom line is straightforward: Netflix is owned by public shareholders, not by Reed Hastings alone. Hastings and Marc Randolph belong to Netflix’s founding story; Sarandos and Peters belong to Netflix’s current operating leadership; and institutional ownership figures must be read as dated beneficial-ownership disclosures rather than proof of unilateral control.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who owns Netflix now?
Netflix is owned by public shareholders, including institutional investors, individual investors, insiders, and other holders. Reed Hastings is a shareholder and co-founder, but he does not own Netflix by himself.
Does Netflix have two CEOs?
Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters are Netflix’s current co-CEOs and Presidents as of April 16, 2026. The two-CEO structure began in January 2023.
Is Reed Hastings still the CEO of Netflix?
Reed Hastings remains a Netflix co-founder, Chairman, and shareholder, but he is not the current CEO. Netflix’s April 6, 2026 proxy table showed his beneficial ownership at less than 1%.
Who founded Netflix?
Netflix was founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph. Randolph was Netflix’s early President and CEO when the first online DVD rental store opened in 1998.
The Bottom Line
Bottom line: Netflix is a publicly owned company. Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters are the current co-CEOs, Reed Hastings remains a co-founder, Chairman, and shareholder rather than CEO, and Marc Randolph was the early President and CEO during Netflix’s 1998 DVD-rental launch.
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