Netflix is bleeding customers after its co-founder and chairman, Reed Hastings, endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president and donated a whopping $7 million to her campaign.
NEW – Netflix Saw Its Worst Day of Cancellations This Year After Co-Founder Donated $7M to Kamala Harris
"Mr. Hastings endorsed Mrs. Harris on July 22nd…Four days later, Netflix suffered its worst day of the year for cancellations on July 26nd" pic.twitter.com/ViNa1AsVky
— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) September 30, 2024
Hastings, who has been a loyal Democrat supporter and major party donor for several years now, issued a mild endorsement of Harris on July 22, 2024.
In a post on X just one day after President Joe Biden ended his reelection bid and endorsed Harris as his replacement on the Democrat ticket, the Netflix co-founder declared: “Congrats to Kamala Harris — now it is time to win.”
Congrats to Kamala Harris — now it is time to win
— Reed Hastings (@reedhastings) July 23, 2024
The post prompted a flood of responses, with commenters vowing to cancel their Netflix accounts — condemning his support for Harris, especially in light of the fact that she had not even been chosen by the voters in a primary and was instead installed by the Democrat elites. Many customers pointed out that they were angry to learn that their hard-earned money that they spent on a Netflix subscription was being used to fund a political campaign that they vehemently disagreed with.
Now it is time to cancel Netflix! Enjoy your bud light moment! #BoycottNetflix pic.twitter.com/O2vN4pkm0J
— JD Anejo (@AnejoJd) July 25, 2024
Just one day later, Hastings informed the media that he had also donated a staggering $7 million to a pro-Harris super PAC. This only further fueled the calls for a boycott, with Trump supporters calling for everyone to cancel their Netflix subscription and pointing out that they were tired of companies becoming politicized.
Numerous screenshots were shared across social media over the past few months showing people confirming that they had canceled their subscriptions alongside the hashtag “#CancelNetflix.”
I’ve canceled my Netflix subscription even though I’ve been a customer since they began, i’m not throwing my money away towards a Harris campaign. #CancelNetflix pic.twitter.com/79OskVT3bG
— Bruce Townsend 🇺🇸 (@brucetownsendjr) September 30, 2024
Within only three days, it was reported that Netflix had experienced the most cancelations of 2024. Customers continued to cancel in the months following Hastings’ endorsement and donation, though in smaller numbers.
According to a report from Bloomberg, the rate of cancelation demands nearly tripled among U.S.-based customers following the endorsement — with Americans canceling Netflix at a higher rate in July (2.8%) than they did in February following the massive outrage over the company’s decision to phase out the basic price tier and force customers to upgrade to continue using Netflix without ads.