Netflix Flip-Flops on Net Neutrality

After Netflix CEO Reed Hastings dismissed net neutrality as an issue that was only important to “the Netflix of ten years ago” at a conference two weeks ago, the company’s Twitter account sent out a tweet claiming they would “never outgrow” the cause.

The tweet linked to BattleForTheNet.com, a site dedicated to a “Day of Action” on July 12th where multiple companies will protest against efforts by the FCC to roll back their current rulings on neutrality online.

Netflix joins the already growing list of companies and groups that are part of the effort, including Amazon, Reddit, Etsy, Kickstart, and GitHub.

This is in contrast to the comments made by Hastings at Recode’s Code Conference last month. Hastings claimed that Netflix is too big a company to bother with issues like net neutrality that wouldn’t greatly affect them anymore:

It’s not our primary battle at this point. Other people it is, and that’s an important thing, and we’re supportive through the industry association, but I think you’re right that we don’t have the special vulnerability to it. We had to carry the water when we were growing up and we were small. Now other companies need to be on that leading edge.