Ted Sarandos landed in Brussels this week with a clear message: Netflix is invested in Europe and wants sensible, stable rules so it can keep making shows and hiring people. He also wanted to clear up some recent drama around the failed Warner Bros. Discovery talks and a noisy moment involving former national security adviser Susan Rice and the U.S. president.

Money, jobs and why Europe matters

Sarandos reminded regulators that Netflix is not a momentary visitor. Over the last decade the company has poured more than $13 billion into European content. That money has translated into deep local ties: partnerships with over 600 independent European producers, about 100,000 cast and crew jobs created from productions, and multibillion dollar investments in countries like Spain and the UK.

He stressed that Netflix often leans on incentives to attract productions rather than strict mandates. In his view, incentives have encouraged the biggest investments and created the healthiest conditions for production.

What Sarandos told regulators about rules

  • Netflix follows the rules that already apply to it.
  • Simplicity, predictability and consistency matter. Changing rules midproduction hurts planning.
  • The single market’s benefits are lost if individual countries keep adding patchwork mandates.
  • Where governments favor incentives over heavy-handed regulation, investment tends to grow.

Competition: YouTube, TikTok and the TV screen

Sarandos pushed back on a common regulatory blind spot: the idea that YouTube is only social media. He said YouTube is a direct rival on the television screen and that the connected TV market is basically a contest for the same attention. About 55 percent of YouTube engagement now happens on television through apps, he noted, which makes it part of the same competitive set as Netflix and local broadcasters.

He added that TikTok is also reshaping where people spend their time. While TikTok is not a straight substitute for long-form shows, it is competing for attention and could change the next generation’s viewing habits.

Warner Brothers talks: business, not politics

On the collapsed Warner Bros. Discovery merger, Sarandos said the process was primarily a commercial one and that political noise complicated the story but did not change the outcome. Netflix concluded the deal did not make sense at the price it would have required, and the company delivered a final offer in December.

He called the proposed transaction vertical in nature and said the Department of Justice was handling the regulatory review. Sarandos also criticized how rival narratives amplified regulatory concern even when the company believed no regulatory block existed.

He did note positive side effects from the talks: new conversations with theater operators and global exhibitors, and ideas for future collaboration between streaming and cinemas.

On Trump, Susan Rice and White House meetings

Sarandos described the controversy around President Trump’s public demand to remove Susan Rice from the Netflix board as a social media post that was not ideal but not evidence of formal political interference. He emphasized the need to separate noise from signal and said meetings with government officials, including those that took place in Washington, were part of normal business and regulatory engagement.

AI, creators and voice actors

Netflix recently acquired InterPositive, the AI company associated with Ben Affleck. Sarandos framed AI as a tool for creators, not a replacement for them. He said AI can make certain production tasks faster and less costly, but the main goal is to make work better.

On voice work, Sarandos argued that human performance remains central. Automated dubbing and synthetic voices may be cheaper, but without convincing performance the quality suffers. AI, he said, will help with pickups and postproduction fixes, while still relying on writers, actors and technical crews.

Video podcasts: early stages and promise

Netflix’s entry into video podcasts is still new. The company is experimenting with categories that already work in its documentary and entertainment lineup, such as true crime, sports and comedy. Sarandos highlighted that these formats deepen fan engagement, using the Bridgerton podcast as an example of a series that brings audiences closer to the story world.

He sees video podcasts as an evolution of talk shows: smaller dedicated audiences that form stronger relationships with content, rather than one huge mass audience.

Conversation edited for length and clarity.