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Netflix has imo the worst recommendations on the entire internet. They are a Java shop that’s 5-10 years behind the industry in AI, and now they’re trying to us

Netflix has imo the worst recommendations on the entire internet. They are a Java shop that’s 5-10 years behind the industry in AI, and now they’re trying to use the most grossly inefficient and overcomplicated method out there to try to be trendy instead of just using a DLRM like everyone else was in 2020. What could go wrong?

bitlad 2mo ago
Netflix was torchbearer of projects that defined thr bigdata and cloud era. They were used as an showcase example for microservice architecture. Their recommendation system was seen as industry standard best in class. I wouldnt potray them in negative light.
- yieldcrv 2mo ago
  emphasis on past tense a nation can emerge as a superpower with advanced infrastructure at one point in time, and still have antiquated infrastructure in the present, no high speed rail and overly complex solutions to make up for it
- xyzsparetimexyz 2mo ago
  > Their recommendation system was seen as industry standard best in class. When was this? 2014?
- minraws 2mo ago
  That depends on when you are talking about... Compared to modern social media platforms they are eons behind ofc social media has more content and more data ofc. But their BigData and stuff was bleeding edge in pre-2018 in 2026 they really are 5-8 years behind they have not progressed much from what I can tell in both my usage experience, and their technical outputs over the years. And yes that's the thing about modern development you fall behind really quickly. Think about it Google was the company to create modern LLMs but people now dog on their LLMs. Apparently even SpaceX is ahead (I don't exactly know but maybe it is). Being ahead once doesn't mean you are ahead today.
- throwaway219450 2mo ago
  Netflix excels at maximizing engagement. The idea that you should A/B thumbnails for individual users, for example. All the world-class data science doesn’t change the fact that the catalog doesn’t actually have many “hidden gem” titles. I find it somewhat hypocritical to argue that naive recommendations skew to the mean, when Netflix will happily pull funding for quirky shows that underperform in front of a general audience.
ronbenton 2mo ago
Ok I was confused about this because LLM seems like an ill-fitting solution for a recommendation engine. This is much more classic machine learning stuff right
tomjen3 2mo ago
Netflix is misassigned as a technology company, they are primarily a media company. They are FANG, so they have some of the best engineers, and they need something to do. Netflix also hit the problem of now having so many users that they can only grow by raising their prices.

bitlad 2mo ago

Netflix was torchbearer of projects that defined thr bigdata and cloud era. They were used as an showcase example for microservice architecture. Their recommendation system was seen as industry standard best in class. I wouldnt potray them in negative light.

yieldcrv 2mo ago
emphasis on past tense a nation can emerge as a superpower with advanced infrastructure at one point in time, and still have antiquated infrastructure in the present, no high speed rail and overly complex solutions to make up for it
xyzsparetimexyz 2mo ago
> Their recommendation system was seen as industry standard best in class. When was this? 2014?
minraws 2mo ago
That depends on when you are talking about... Compared to modern social media platforms they are eons behind ofc social media has more content and more data ofc. But their BigData and stuff was bleeding edge in pre-2018 in 2026 they really are 5-8 years behind they have not progressed much from what I can tell in both my usage experience, and their technical outputs over the years. And yes that's the thing about modern development you fall behind really quickly. Think about it Google was the company to create modern LLMs but people now dog on their LLMs. Apparently even SpaceX is ahead (I don't exactly know but maybe it is). Being ahead once doesn't mean you are ahead today.
throwaway219450 2mo ago
Netflix excels at maximizing engagement. The idea that you should A/B thumbnails for individual users, for example. All the world-class data science doesn’t change the fact that the catalog doesn’t actually have many “hidden gem” titles. I find it somewhat hypocritical to argue that naive recommendations skew to the mean, when Netflix will happily pull funding for quirky shows that underperform in front of a general audience.

ronbenton 2mo ago

Ok I was confused about this because LLM seems like an ill-fitting solution for a recommendation engine. This is much more classic machine learning stuff right

tomjen3 2mo ago

Netflix is misassigned as a technology company, they are primarily a media company. They are FANG, so they have some of the best engineers, and they need something to do. Netflix also hit the problem of now having so many users that they can only grow by raising their prices.