Netflix lays off about 1,000 staff as senior TV executives depart

Netflix has laid off around 1,000 employees, about 6% of its workforce, in cuts that include several senior television executives, Variety reported on 14 October 2026. Co-chief executives Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters said the largest impact would fall on product, technology, legal and human resources teams. The television and film creative ranks were also affected.

The most senior television departure is Carolina Garcia, director of original series, meaning shows commissioned directly by Netflix. She has exited after 10 years with the streamer. She had held the director post since 2016.

Before Netflix, Garcia worked at 20th Century Fox TV, where she started as senior executive assistant to Dana Walden. At Netflix she oversaw series including Stranger Things, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and Atypical. That is a decade in one chair.

In television, these director and manager titles refer to executives who find and shepherd shows, not to directors on a set. Four other members of that group are leaving alongside Garcia. Lisa Lang McMullen is departing as director, overall deals, series, meaning long-term pacts that tie writers and producers to one studio.

McMullen joined Netflix in 2021 as director of drama series development and was promoted to the overall deals role in 2023. Before Netflix, she spent 11 years at Walt Disney Television, including as vice president of creative at ABC Signature Studios. Her career spans development on both the studio and platform sides of the wider organisation.

Andrew McQuinn, director of original series, had been with Netflix since 2018. His credits at the streamer include Griselda, American Primeval, The Residence, Zero Day and Vikings: Valhalla. James Oh, director of original drama series, joined Netflix in 2021 after five years as senior vice president of Jerry Bruckheimer TV and an 18-year tenure at Fox.

Jason Pan, manager of original series creative development, had been with Netflix since 2019. He joined as a creative assistant in the same department and was promoted in 2021. Creative development staff work with writers and producers from pitch to production.

On the film side, vice president Doug Belgrad has been let go. No further detail on his projects was given in the report.

The cuts follow reports on 9 October that Netflix was preparing to reduce staff by about 5%, with an announcement expected as early as the following week. Puck News first reported the planned reduction, according to Reuters and Bloomberg. Bloomberg put Netflix’s full-time headcount at 16,000 at the time of that reporting.

For viewers, this does not change what is already on the service. It affects the executives who commission and manage new series behind the scenes. Netflix has not announced changes to its release slate in connection with the cuts.