Who is Marc Randolph?

Mark Randolph is an author, mentor, investor, and serial tech entrepreneur who is best known for founding Netflix with Reed Hastings in 1997. While Randolph has a net worth of around $500 million, he lives a relatively modest life and believes the money associated with start-up and entrepreneur culture is over-glorified.

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Cherry Lane Music

Randolph’s first real job was at the Cherry Lane Music company in New York in 1981. There, he was tasked with finding different ways to sell sheet music to customers, and in the process, learned various direct mail and marketing strategies.

In particular, Randolph was fascinated with consumer purchase behavior and how it could be tracked with computer software to increase retention. The technology was still in its infancy, but it would later influence his decision to create a user interface that also served as a market research platform at Netflix.

Borland International and others

Randolph then found himself at software giant Borland International in 1988. He spent the next seven years building direct-to-consumer marketing operations before a series of short stints at Silicon Valley companies such as Visioneer, Integrity QA, and Pure Software.

At Pure Software, Randolph met founder Reed Hastings and the two discussed the idea for Netflix as they carpooled to work. When Pure Software was acquired by Rational Software in 1997, Hastings obtained the necessary capital to make the idea a reality.

Netflix

Randolph put his industry experience to use at Netflix with its mail-order system enabling consumers to rent movies from the comfort of their homes.

The pair identified that while Blockbuster was dominant, the industry was ripe for disruption with mail-order DVDs since the company still required customers to visit its stores. “You want a big enough category that, if you’re successful, you have enough room to run. You want a disruptable environment”, Randolph once explained.

Randolph left Netflix in 2002 once the company had a scalable, repeatable business model because he believed his skills were better suited to the process of discovery.

Looker Data Sciences

Randolph joined Looker Data Sciences in 2013 as a board member and currently serves as its director. The company, which sells a business intelligence and data exploration platform, was acquired by Google in 2019 and was incorporated into the Google Cloud Platform.

Entrepreneur mentorship and other pursuits

In more recent years, Randolph has become a passionate mentor of entrepreneurs. In October 2017, he joined High Point University as Entrepreneur in Residence and worked with students in the areas of entrepreneurship, business, and communication.

He is also a keynote speaker on similar topics around the world and, in 2019, wrote a book titled That Will Never Work: The Birth of Netflix and the Amazing Life of an Idea about his adventures with Hastings.

Randolph’s life philosophy is based on his love of mountaineering – an activity he has enjoyed since the age of 14 and one which keeps him sane in business. Such is his passion for the outdoors that he serves as chairman of the board of trustees for the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) in Lander, Wyoming.

Key takeaways

Mark Randolph is an author, mentor, investor, and serial tech entrepreneur who is best known for founding Netflix with Reed Hastings in 1997.
Randolph’s first real job was at the Cherry Lane Music company in New York in 1981. There, he found different ways to sell sheet music to customers and learned various direct mail and marketing strategies.
Randolph met Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings at Pure Software where the pair discussed the idea for the company whilst carpooling to work. Randolph left Netflix in 2002 once the company had matured. Today, he mentors entrepreneurs and serves on the board of trustees for the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS).

Key Highlights

Mark Randolph: He is a serial tech entrepreneur, investor, mentor, and author, best known for co-founding Netflix with Reed Hastings in 1997. Despite his substantial net worth, he maintains a modest lifestyle and is critical of the over-glorification of money in start-up and entrepreneur culture.
Early Career and Learning: Randolph’s career began at Cherry Lane Music in 1981, where he honed direct mail and marketing strategies. His interest in tracking consumer purchase behavior through computer software would later influence his role in creating a user interface and market research platform at Netflix.
Borland International and Beyond: He worked at Borland International for seven years, specializing in direct-to-consumer marketing operations. Randolph then had short stints at various Silicon Valley companies. During his time at Pure Software, he met Reed Hastings, and the two discussed the concept that later became Netflix.
Co-founding Netflix: Randolph and Hastings identified an opportunity to disrupt the dominant Blockbuster by offering mail-order DVD rentals. They leveraged the advantage of a scalable, repeatable business model. Randolph left Netflix in 2002, feeling that his skills were better suited for the early discovery phase of startups.
Looker Data Sciences: Randolph joined Looker Data Sciences as a board member in 2013. The company, focused on business intelligence and data exploration, was later acquired by Google and incorporated into the Google Cloud Platform.
Entrepreneur Mentorship and Pursuits: Randolph has become a dedicated mentor for entrepreneurs. He served as Entrepreneur in Residence at High Point University, mentored students in entrepreneurship, business, and communication, and delivered keynote speeches worldwide. In 2019, he authored a book titled “That Will Never Work: The Birth of Netflix and the Amazing Life of an Idea.”
Philosophy and Passion: Randolph’s love for mountaineering, an activity he’s enjoyed since age 14, serves as his life philosophy. He finds solace in the outdoors and is chairman of the board of trustees for the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) in Wyoming.