

Netflix's Promotion Process with Bruce Wang, Director of Eng. at Netflix
Have you heard of the Keeper Test? Managers at Netflix have to ask themselves: "Would I go out of my way to keep this employee?"
If the answer isn’t a resounding yes, then that employee may not have a future at Netflix.
Netflix’s “performance management” is quite unique in the industry. For instance, 360s, promos, and comp are separate activities, focused on very specific areas (personal growth, promotion readiness, personal top of market evaluation). As for the technical promo process, it’s still fairly new at Netflix, having been introduced only a few years ago. Netflix wants to hold true to its value of “people over process”, so how does Netflix balance the rigor needed to provide consistency across the tech org, yet continue to lean into manager and local leadership judgment on who should be promoted?
Curious to learn more? Come hear from Bruce Wang, who has been a Director at Netflix for almost six years, has witnessed the adoption of engineering levels, and has been on both sides of the promotion process.