Elizabeth Stone is the Chief Product and Technology Officer (CPTO) at Netflix, where she oversees Engineering, Product, and Design. Since her first appearance on the podcast two years ago—which remained my second-most-popular episode for more than a year—she has expanded her role to lead product, in addition to engineering. Before Netflix, Elizabeth was VP of Science at Lyft, Chief Operating Officer at Nuna, an economist at Analysis Group, and a trader at Merrill Lynch.
Listen on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts
In our in-depth conversation, we discuss:
Why “systems thinking” is now the most important skill she looks for
How to manage the flood of AI-generated output without losing quality or signal
How Netflix thinks about AI fluency as a universal expectation rather than a level-specific skill
What “excellence as an operating system” means
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Where to find Elizabeth Stone:
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-stone-608a754
Referenced:
• How Netflix builds a culture of excellence | Elizabeth Stone (CTO): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-netflix-builds-a-culture-of-excellence
• Brian Chesky’s new playbook: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/brian-cheskys-contrarian-approach • The design process is dead. Here’s what’s replacing it. | Jenny Wen (head of design at Claude): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-design-process-is-dead
• Claude Code: [https://www.anthropic.com/product/claude-code](https://www.anthropic.com/product/claude-code)
• Claude Cowork: [https://www.anthropic.com/product/claude-cowork](https://www.anthropic.com/product/claude-cowork)
• Netflix’s “Keeper Test” and Why You Need It | Lorne Rubis: https://www.highlights.lornerubis.com/2015/08/the-netflix-keeper-test-and-the-courage-to-take-it
• Innovation for Filmmaking, By Filmmakers: Why InterPositive Is Joining Netflix: https://about.netflix.com/en/news/why-interpositive-is-joining-netflix
• InterPositive: [https://weareinterpositive.com](https://weareinterpositive.com)
• Netflix Prize: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netflix_Prize](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netflix_Prize)
• *Quarterback *on Netflix: [https://www.netflix.com/title/81482895](https://www.netflix.com/title/81482895)
• *The Bill Simmons Podcast* on Netflix: [https://www.netflix.com/title/82186214](https://www.netflix.com/title/82186214)
• Spencer Pratt on Instagram: [https://www.instagram.com/spencerpratt](https://www.instagram.com/spencerpratt)
• Salman Rushdie’s Substack: [https://salmanrushdie.substack.com](https://salmanrushdie.substack.com)
• *Remarkably Bright Creatures *on Netflix: [https://www.netflix.com/title/81911351](https://www.netflix.com/title/81911351)
• Eight Sleep: [https://www.eightsleep.com](https://www.eightsleep.com)
• Tour de France: [https://www.letour.fr/en](https://www.letour.fr/en)
Recommended books:
• Thinking in Systems: https://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Systems-Donella-H-Meadows/dp/1603580557 • Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster: https://www.amazon.com/Into-Thin-Air-Personal-Disaster/dp/0385494785
• Liar’s Poker: https://www.amazon.com/Liars-Poker-Norton-Paperback-Michael/dp/039333869X Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email [email protected].
Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.