Newswise — Reed Hastings, founder and CEO of Netflix, the world's largest online DVD movie rental service, will give the Commencement address to the graduating UC Berkeley Haas School of Business MBAs of 2006 in the Full-time, Evening & Weekend, and Berkeley-Columbia Executive MBA programs at 9 a.m. Sunday, May 21, in the Greek Theatre.
"We can all look forward to welcoming this high-tech visionary at our MBA Commencement," says Dean Tom Campbell. "His career embodies what the Haas School is about -- innovation, leadership, and giving back."
Hastings was inspired to found Netflix in 1997 after accruing $40 in late fees for an overdue copy of Apollo 13 he had rented from Blockbuster. Turning the standard video store rental model on its head, Netflix has no late fees and no due dates.
Subscribers build their own queues of DVDs on the Netflix web site and receive the DVDs in the mail along with a postage-paid return envelope. Netflix offers its 3.5 million members access to 55,000 titles (on 42 million discs).
Hastings has focused Netflix's efforts on providing an exceptional customer experience " "one that puts the joy back in movie-watching and creates customers for life," says Hastings on his company website. In the spring of 2005, Netflix was named the world's No. 1 Internet site for customer satisfaction by ForeSee Results and FGI Research. In the fall of 2005, Netflix was also named the winner of Fast Company magazine's national Customers First Award.
Hastings came to his high-tech career via a circuitous route. After graduating from Bowdoin College in Maine, he joined the Peace Corps and taught math in Swaziland. He returned to California and became a computer programmer, eventually founding his first company, Pure Software, a maker of software development tools. Pure Software, which he built into one of the world's 50 largest public software companies, was acquired by Rational Software in 1997. Hastings headed back to school after the acquisition, earning a master's degree in computer science from Stanford University.
In addition to his successful tech ventures, Hastings has long been an advocate for education, championing charter public schools and local school bonds. He also served as president of the California State Board of Education and was a co-founder of Aspire Public Schools, NewSchools, and EdVoice.
Haas School of Business -- Leading Through Innovation
For over 100 years, the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, has offered a superb management education to outstanding men and women from around the world. The School is one of the world's leading producers of new ideas and knowledge for all areas of business, and a launching point for many new businesses.
The Haas School is widely known for its diverse and talented faculty, staff, students, and alumni. They have created an innovative academic culture that stresses cooperative teamwork, entrepreneurship, a global point of view, and an emphasis on new ideas and fresh perspectives. The school's programs benefit significantly from the university's practice of interdisciplinary research and teaching, and the school's strong connections to nearby Silicon Valley. For more information, visit http://www.haas.berkeley.edu/.
RSS