Reed Hastings

Title: CEO/Co-Founder, Netflix
Education: BA, Bowdoin College; MSCS, Stanford

Ted Sarandos

Title: Chief Content Officer, Netflix

Netflix’s star is rising faster than Frank Underwood conquered the Oval Office. In fact, these guys didn’t even make our list last year. Originally concocted quaintly as the “Amazon.com for DVDs,” Hastings’ business experiment quickly evolved into a leader of streaming and original programming. The company pulled in more than 2.3 million new subscribers in Q4 2013 alone and surged past the quality content behemoth known as HBO in total subs. The recent growth surge can be attributed to Sarandos’ push toward content you can only find on Netflix. Perhaps you’ve heard of “House of Cards?” Hastings and Sarandos aim to put their profits back into the original programming that’s fueled the company’s growth, investing about $3 billion before year’s end. It’s ambitious, but so far it’s working.

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