16 | WWW . IT-RADIX . COM came , the problems we had , the close calls . People will then pull out of that some of the lessons they can apply to their own lives and their own businesses . It ’ s absolutely meant to be a great story first .”
On that level , the book is an unmitigated success . It ’ s the opposite of the dry business tome in which the author pontificates from on high about abstract concepts and actionable takeaways . Encompassing the brief span of time between Netflix ’ s initial conception ( January 1997 ) and its IPO ( May 2002 ), “ That Will Never Work ” gives readers an inside look into the halcyon days of Silicon Valley , when , as Randolph puts it , “ You couldn ’ t prove to your investors that your idea would work unless they gave you money to prove that your idea could work .”
The structure of the chapters , split into narrative blocks rather than digestible nuggets of wisdom , echoes the author ’ s insistence on pulling the universal from the particular and not vice versa . Along with the scenes that teach some of those “ hard-won truths ,” there are countless vividly detailed moments that would work as well in a novel as in a so-called business book . In one outrageous passage , a screening of “ Boogie Nights ” at Steve Kahn ’ s house turns into something worthy of its own inclusion in a Paul Thomas Anderson film , complete with Reed Hastings swimming laps , Mounds bars , and “ Dirk Diggler [ letting ] it all hang out in crystalline , DVD-quality resolution , across an 8-foot screen .”
As rollicking as the narrative itself is , there ’ s no denying that this book will help business owners think critically and provide them with a fresh perspective . “ It ’ s designed mostly to be inspirational ,” Randolph says , “ because I want people to feel they can do this . Whether it ’ s taking their business from where it ’ s currently at and growing it to the next level , whether it ’ s overcoming some challenge they see on the horizon , whether it ’ s straddling some new technological shift : I think all those things these days are doable , possible , and , I won ’ t say easy , but certainly within everyone ’ s grasp .”
Perhaps the greatest way “ That Will Never Work ” achieves this , as its subtitle suggests , is by demonstrating exactly why there ’ s no such thing as a good idea .
Build A Better Test
“ The fundamental problem most people have ,” Randolph says , “ is that they are obsessed with coming up with this great idea . And I have now become convinced in my wise old age that there ’ s no such thing as a good idea . Every idea is wrong . They ’ re bad . Every one . But they ’ re all starting points . So , the longer you keep that idea in your mind — polishing it , augmenting it — the longer you put off actually figuring out what ’ s wrong with it , so you can begin fixing it .”
Herein lies the crux of Randolph ’ s argument . In his eyes , an idea is not anything until it ’ s testable . Or , as he puts it , “ The success of an idea is directly proportional to how many things you can test .” When Netflix was just a talking point , it sat on equal footing with competing ideas like customizable surfboards and personalized baseball hats . Only after Randolph proved the idea had legs , in the form of safely mailing a CD , did everything else fall by the wayside .
As Netflix grew and Randolph continued to test aspects of the business , he realized there was a quicker and more efficient way to perform testing . “ At one point in our saga , we were selling and renting DVDs , and we decided to walk away