Netflix pulls 'Anti-Racist Baby,' other projects amid company layoffs
Netflix laid off nearly 2% of its staff following a quarter one loss of 200,000 subscribers
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Netflix axed a series made for preschoolers titled "Anti-Racist Baby," along with other projects, as the streaming company laid off nearly 2% of its staff Tuesday.
The streaming platform told Variety that they were creative decisions and not related to the slower quarter one revenue growth.
In addition to "Anti-Racist Baby," which is based off an Ibram X. Kendi book, Netflix pulled the animated adaptations of "Wings of Fire," from executive producer Ava DuVernay who also co-created Colin Kaepernick's Netflix series, as well as "With Kind Regards From Kindergarten." A documentary written by Kendi titled "Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You" was also scrapped.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Kendi, an anti-racism scholar and author, is a longtime advocate of critical race theory. Kendi also wrote the bestselling book "How To Be An Antiracist."
Ibram X. Kendi visits BuzzFeed's "AM To DM" on March 10, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Jason Mendez/Getty Images)
Netflix lost 200,000 subscribers in the first quarter of 2022, which marked the first instance of a loss in subscribers in 10 years. The streaming platform predicts it will lose another 2 million in the second quarter.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}NETFLIX LAYS OFF 150 EMPLOYEES AMID SUBSCRIBER LOSSES
"These changes are primarily driven by business needs rather than individual performance, which makes them especially tough as none of us want to say goodbye to such great colleagues. We're working hard to support them through this very difficult transition. A number of agency contractors have also been impacted by the news announced this morning. We are grateful for their contributions to Netflix," a Netflix spokesperson told Fox News Digital about the layoffs.
Getty Images (2013 Bloomberg)
The subscriber losses prompted cancellations of some of their animated projects at the end of April, which also caused the streaming company to lay off some of their animation project staff.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Phil Rynda, Netflix's director of creative leadership and development for original animation, and several members of his staff were reportedly let go in April.
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FILE PHOTO: The Netflix logo is seen on their office in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S. July 16, 2018. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson//File Photo/File Photo
The company plans to crackdown on password sharing and hopes to launch a cheaper subscription option with ads.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Billionaire Elon Musk said in April that "the woke mind virus is making Netflix unwatchable" in response to a tweet from Slashdot, which noted that Netflix cratered 20% on April 19.