Netflix Snubs $15 Million from Bezos, Now Buys Warner Bros for $72 Billion
KEY POINTS
- •Netflix was founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph after Hastings paid a $40 late fee to Blockbuster.
- •In 1998, Jeff Bezos offered to buy Netflix for between $14 million and $16 million, an offer which was declined.
- •Netflix transitioned from DVD rentals to streaming by 2007 and plans a $72 billion acquisition of Warner Bros in 2025.
In 1997, Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph birthed Netflix out of a $40 Blockbuster late fee tantrum, launching a DVD-by-mail biz in 1998 that even Jeff Bezos pegged for a modest $14-$16 million buyout offer — which Netflix casually declined. By 2007, DVD mail lurched into streaming, leading Reed to shrug at a 6% stock drop like it was a stubbed toe. Netflix grew into a 300 million-subscriber colossus, shedding Blockbuster’s corpse (RIP 2014) and now flexing with a $72 billion Warner Bros acquisition. Oh, and they cracked down on free-loader password sharing, because apparently they want cash, not chaos.
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Netflix turned down Bezos’s pocket change offer, then went full bully buying Warner Bros for $72 billion. Proof that ignoring bright outsiders only works if you own all the ruling gems.
Netflix saying no to Bezos then buying Warner Bros for $72 billion is like a kid refusing candy from a stranger then robbing the candy store.
From 'We don’t need your $15 million' to 'Here’s $72 billion’—Netflix’s negotiation skills are basically just billionaire tantrums.
Source: Businessinsider | Published: 12/5/2025 | Author: Travis Clark,Geoff Weiss,Henry Chandonnet
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