Netflix Co-Founder Donates $7 Million to Kamala Harris Campaign, Sparks Calls to #CancelNetflix – Essence

Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings has donated $7 million to Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign. Hastings’ donation to the PAC supporting Harris’ campaign is the biggest donation ever made by a tech entrepreneur to a single political candidate.

Hastings also expressed his support on social media Xwriting “Congrats Kamala Harris – now it’s time to win.”

Predictably, not everyone was blissful with Hastings, prompting users to boycott the streaming platform, causing #CancelNetflix to trend. “Many of those calling for a boycott identified as conservatives or MAGA supporters on social media,” Newsweek reports.

One user, @TX_Vet_MAGAhe said: “I just canceled @netflix because of @reedhastings’ $7 million political donation to Kamala Harris. #boycott #netflix #boycottNetflix.”

This all comes after numerous Hollywood stars, including Hastings, called on President Biden to suspend his campaign following his June 27 debate with former President Donald Trump. Biden withdrew from the race on July 21 and endorsed Harris. Hastings currently serves as executive chairman of the board Netflix after stepping down as CEO in 2023. He co-founded the streaming service in 1997, and while the big donation was noteworthy, it’s not necessarily a departure from his past efforts. “Hastings and his wife have long been among the Democratic Party’s largest donors.”

Like Hastings, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman was a staunch Democratic donor, and in addition endorsed the Harris campaign. “Hoffman has already donated to the Biden-Harris cause — most recently $923,000 in January — to the tune of $1.7 million. But there clearly won’t be more this cycle. “I’ve already maxed out Biden-Harris,” Hoffman said.

Note, trump card He also has the support of outstanding businessmen, “billionaires like Elon Musk, Bill Ackman and the CEO of JP Morgan,” who’ve publicly endorsed his 2024 campaign.

What could a boycott of Steam pickup mean for Netflix? For perspective, according to a November 2022 study by Politician“Netflix usage rates varied by ethnicity.” The survey results showed that black respondents made up the very best percentage of every day users, at 42%, compared to their white counterparts at 23%.

Vice President of Diversity Insights and Partnerships Nielsen Charlene Polite Corley said, “When it comes to media consumption in black America, what it really means is that content is central to our culture… ‘Have you seen this show? Have you heard this album? Listen to this latest hit.’ These are forms of cultural prestige.”

And when it comes to content for black people, Netflix reigns supreme. Famous director Ava DuVernay he even called the platform “the most important and reliable distributor of black images in the world.”

Analysis of comparable instances of concern over “woke” and progressive values ​​suggests that no, this latest conservative rallying cry won’t necessarily impact Netflix’s bottom line. Rolling Stone evaluation found that “major brands tend to easily withstand the anti-woke craze.” For example, in 2021, after “United Airlines planned for half of its new pilot trainees to be women and/or people of color,” conservative commentator Tucker Carlson complained that United’s executives were “ideologues suffering from an incurable brain disease called ‘wokeness.’” As for the aftermath, just two years later, in 2023, the airline reported record fourth-quarter 2022 profits of greater than $840 million, with expected profits holding up as demand for United flights remained high.

Fundraising Harris campaign continues to break campaign records. Less than 24 hours after Biden announced he was dropping out of the race on July 21, Harris’ campaign “raised $81 million … the most in a single day in the 2024 campaign for either party.”

From July 29 Harris campaign raised greater than $200 million “even though Harris has not yet been officially declared the Democratic nominee.”