Netflix lays off about 1,000 staff, 6% of its workforce, in its biggest job cuts so far

Netflix is laying off about 1,000 employees, around 6% of its workforce, the biggest round of job cuts in the company's history, Variety reported on Wednesday. The cuts were first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

Who is affected

Co-chief executives Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters told staff in an email on Wednesday morning, US time, that most of the jobs going are in Netflix's product, technology, legal and human resources teams. The memo, as reported, did not single out content or programming teams.

"Our mission, to entertain the world, is ambitious, and delivering on it requires us to be disciplined about where we prioritize our people and resources," the co-CEOs wrote.

Why now

The memo frames the cuts as a question of priorities rather than a crisis. Netflix has spent this year moving into new areas: only on Tuesday it agreed to stream all 104 matches of the 2030 football World Cup in Spain, its first men's World Cup rights, and it has been ordering more podcasts and live events. Live sport, games and advertising all need money and engineers, and the cuts in product and technology suggest it wants fewer, more focused teams to build them.

What it means for viewers in Pakistan

Nothing changes for subscribers today. The memo, as Variety reported it, said nothing about prices, plans or the shows on the service. Netflix's Pakistan plans and what you actually pay after tax and bank charges are set out in our Netflix price in Pakistan guide.

The bigger picture

Netflix is the largest of the streaming companies, and its moves are watched across the industry. Variety called this the company's biggest round of cuts to date, which makes it a notable step for a business that has kept growing its subscriber base and its slate of live events this year.

We will add more details, including any change to Netflix's operations outside the US, as they are confirmed.