Nice line, no?

Here’s what Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said in a 2009 interview.

Every entrepreneur is a Steve Jobs wannabe. I was as guilty of that as anybody.

This was in reference to the admiration Hastings had for how Apple used its hardware to sell content. The iPod, for example, was the razor (but a very profitable one) and the iTunes songs were the blades. Hastings wanted to sell Netflix set-top boxes so more people could download movies over the Internet. It was a horrible idea. People don’t want another component for their entertainment system. And unlike songs, downloading movies is still not for the mainstream. It’s harder, more technical, takes longer, requires a longer time commitment to consume, and is still kind of scary.

Hastings was also rightfully concerned that working on hardware would take the company’s focus away from its main business.

So, it was decided that Netflix would not build boxes, and let another company handle it for them.

As a direct result of not getting into hardware, Netflix downloads are now available on computers, Playstations, Xboxes, and third-party set-top boxes. Netflix is beating Blockbuster at the online movie rental game. Nobody is doing it better.

Many times, it’s what you don’t do that makes you successful.